Tim's camp decision to follow open houses

CONSERVATION Minister Stan Struthers said the province hasn't made a final decision on whether to let Tim Hortons build a camp for disadvantaged children at Meditation Lake in Whiteshell Provincial Park.

Struthers, speaking at the Tuesday morning breakfast meeting of the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce, said the province believes Meditation Lake in the Whiteshell is the best location for the Tim Hortons camp but added a final decision will be made once a series of open houses have been completed.

Struthers said his staff spent last summer and fall with Tim Hortons' staff to determine the best location before the plan became public this spring when a cottage owner revealed the proposal. However, Struthers dismissed any suggestion that the meetings with Tim Hortons were conducted in secret.

"We think Manitoba is a good place for Tim Hortons to set up a camp for disadvantaged kids and we have to find a place for it," Struthers said.

The site is controversial because the lake is currently only accessible to people on foot, and is prized for its isolation. Critics fear opening it up to the camp and other users will change the natural beauty of the pristine area around the lake.