A New National Park?

petros

The Central Scrutinizer
Nov 21, 2008
108,901
11,182
113
Low Earth Orbit
Prime Minister Stephen Harper is travelling from the Yukon to the Northwest Territories Wednesday where there is speculation he will make an announcement pertaining to a new national park.

Harper spent Tuesday visiting the Yukon's Minto gold and copper mine, where he extolled the virtues of the resource-rich region and talked about the need for streamlined approvals for natural resource projects.

On Wednesday, he is expected to shift his focus to the recreational virtues of the North. On the second full day of his tour, Harper will visit a national park reserve in Norman Wells, an isolated community about 680 kilometres northwest of Yellowknife.

The federal government and local First Nations groups have been in negotiations since 2007 to try and work out an agreement on the proposed Naats’ihch’oh National Park Reserve, focusing on issues such as boundaries, fishing and hunting rights and co-operative park management.

According to a Parks Canada document about the Norman Wells reserve, a national park reserve differs from a national park only in that the land is subject to a claim by a group of Aboriginal people that has been accepted for negotiations but not yet settled.

"Local Aboriginal people may continue their traditional hunting, fishing, trapping, gathering and spiritual activities, and can be involved in co-operative management of the national park reserve," the document said.

While Harper has made national parks a priority for his government, the March federal budget slashed funding for Parks Canada.
As a result, services have been reduced or eliminated at many parks including those in the North, and many locals are concerned about a resulting drop in tourism.

On Tuesday, Harper wouldn't commit to reversing the cuts, but said funding for Parks Canada will be examined on an ongoing basis.