PM rejects cities’ cry for funds

Hi Class,

I was reading the paper and stumbled across this article which I though fit in quite well with the idea of space and place. The article, as the title implies, is about a recent trip made by Prime Minister Stephen Harper to King City regarding a recent proposal made by certain big city mayors for increased funding in rural development and growth.
When reading the article, it is very difficult to understand where the Prime Minister actually stands on the issue. The first comments made in the article state the idea that, “Harper yesterday conceded what the latest population tallies revealed – “the census continues to emphasize the urbanization of Canada.” Later in the article however, it states that the Prime Minister, “offered one welcomed remedy…$225 million in new federal funding to preserve ecological sensitive lands and keep them safe from encroaching development.” This obviously implies a conflict of interest. But, I’m sure as we all know, when you are involved in politics, you often find yourself playing the game from many angles.
This idea relates to space and place because it plays off the idea and is ultimately rooted in the concept of the importance of urban sprawls, the amount of funding they deserve, and what value they hold when discussing the move towards the urbanization of Canada.
Environment Minister John Baird feels, “the announcement…will ensure that many important areas that otherwise would have been overrun by urban or sub-urban development, like Oak Ridges Marine, won’t be.” He also added that, “the outdoors is at the heart of the Canadian identity.”
In my opinion, the outdoors and large rural spaces do actually represent a part of the Canadian identity and provide fascination to observers. Also, as a part of Canadian culture, many rural areas represent provincial or national parks and landmarks. Although it is true that the elimination of some of these depleting and meaningless spaces can make way for urban places, which may bring more opportunities to these areas, eliminating these areas will likely bring negative attitudes from close by residents and may cause a snowball effect that eventually may lead to a complete elimination of all rural spaces (as they continue to grow old and decay away slowly).