Parks Canada has officially launched the planning phase of the Ojibway National Urban Park.
This phase will determine the official boundaries of the park, how the lands will be managed in collaboration with the areas First Nations and how the park will be used by the community.
"We have to work through all the details of how the park will be managed operationally. We have a study area but we do not have a conclusion on exactly what the boundaries of the park will be, so that has to be finalized," said Caroline Mackintosh, executive director for protected areas establishment at Parks Canada.
Mackintosh said there will be many opportunities for continued community engagement as the planning process moves forward.
"This planning phase will go forward and should culminate in an agreement to designate the park officially and then we'll be working on operationalizing it after that," said Mackintosh.
The park is expected to open before 2025.
As part of the next stages of the park's creation, the City of Windsor also needs to officially transfer its lands to Parks Canada.
Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens says city council is very supportive of the project but official discussions haven't happened yet.
"We need to bring that to city council, get them to acknowledge that we are willing to do what the province has done which is contribute the city land into the National Urban Park and work on a co-management agreement together," said Dilkens.
Those discussions will likely take place in June.
