At a farewell dinner for Gary Doer on October 17th, the outgoing Premier stated “Do not ever give up on the dream of protecting the east side of Lake Winnipeg.” – CBC news Other comments from Gary Doer about the east side of Lake Winnipeg during his last month of Premier:
- “I commend our First Nations partners for their vision and leadership toward securing UNESCO World Heritage status for the unique place they call home east of Lake Winnipeg. Today’s commitment (10 million dollar trust fund) will help ensure their efforts will result in a sustainable international attraction that benefits the people who live there.”- MB government press release
- “Let’s have a world UNESCO site in Manitoba with that beautiful, beautiful boreal forest.” – CBC news
- “The value of this is $120 million a year to the people living in the area if properly stewarded into the future, and we believe the various benefits of the environmental stewardship will be extremely important to all generations.” – CBC news
- “Your kids are going to be happy we did this,” Premier Gary Doer said. “It won’t win us an election, but it’s good we did this.” – Winnipeg Free Press
- “Preserving this area provides more pure water into Lake Winnipeg, it reduces greenhouse gases by storing considerable tons of emissions, it provides food and medicine for people living in the area and, of course, it sustains the wildlife that is so very, very important.” – Winnipeg Free Press
- “This investment is important to continue to build the public awareness of the beauty of the east side, continue to build the support for this vision and to also invest in the preservation and enhancement of the local economy.” – Winnipeg Free Press