Camping will no longer be permitted at 10 little-used provincial parks and 130 full-time and seasonal jobs will be chopped as the Ministry of Natural Resources takes steps to cut $7.1 million a year.

The measures — including an end to mail notifications for hunters and anglers whose Outdoor Cards are about to expire — come as the province grapples with a $14.8-billion deficit.

Natural Resources Minister Michael Gravelle said the 10 parks in question, in northern Ontario such as The Shoals near Chapleau, have low visitation rates and will be open to the public for day use only.

“The decisions we’re making are necessary to modernize our business, make the ministry sustainable and help the government balance the budget,” Gravelle, who represents the riding of Thunder Bay-Superior North, said in a statement Thursday.

Job cuts involve 28 full-time staff and 102 seasonal positions across the ministry, such as an end to the overnight Ontario Ranger Program that is being replaced with a day youth employment program, and come when the government is under fire in the north for plans to sell off the Ontario Northland Transportation Commission, which runs its last Northlander train from northeastern Ontario to Toronto on Friday.

The minority Liberal government, which is also pushing for wage freezes from public sector workers, says the province can no longer afford the $103-million subsidy of Ontario Northland’s train and bus service linking northern communities.

The final Northlander train to Toronto will be carrying several northern mayors and New Democrat MPPs — including John Vanthof who last October won the riding of Temiskaming-Cochrane from the Liberals — trying to stop the government from killing the passenger, freight and bus routes.

“This is vital infrastructure to our regional economy and quality of life and we will not stand by while the government sells off our bus and rail services,” said Al Spacek, mayor of Kapuskasing and president of the Federation of Northern Ontario Municipalities.

Aside from saving $7.1 million a year on the ministry’s operations, the changes will eliminate the need for $12.3 million in capital spending.

The 10 parks include Caliper Lake (Nestor Falls), Fushimi Lake (Hearst), Greenwater (Cochrane), Ivanhoe Lake (Foleyet), Mississagi (Elliot Lake), Obatanga (between Wawa and White River), Rene Brunelle (Kapuskasing), Springwater (Midhurst) and Tidewater (Moosonee).