This is a very interesting development (pardon the pun) since national parks are usually created to protect nature first, and everything else is a lower priority. The Rouge river is not pristine, and there are plenty of stresses that have caused some degradation in the watershed... the last paragraph below suggests that there's going to be a compromise of sorts.
Just how much of a compromise is Parks Canada going to allow? For instance, there are exotic rainbow trout and pacific salmon migrating upstream. Exotic species usually aren't encouraged in national parks, except maybe in an urban park - there could be an exception.
Just how natural is the Rouge Park going to be... I expect Parks Canada to identify some criteria once the park plan is in place... it'll be very interesting to see what's determined to be "natural" and what isn't.
Quote:
While all national parks have the same tough environmental standards, the Rouge will be different. Because of the existing farming that goes on within the park boundaries, a separate category of national park that adds the moniker “urban” is being created. Exactly how much protection for nature this new category of park will offer remains of major concern to those who have fought to preserve the Rouge, though the wording of this deal goes a long way to calming those fears.