The alarm bells should be ringing for all of us who value our public outdoor spaces for hunting, angling, hiking, camping and cottaging. Decisions by the federal and provincial governments in British Columbia to delegate control over parks and public spaces to indigenous groups are now resulting in closures of those public lands to non-indigenous members of the public, and this trend is emerging in Manitoba.
A recent article in the National Post catalogues park closures to all but indigenous users in British Columbia:
- Botanical Beach — a popular spot along the Juan de Fuca Marine Trail — would be closed for 24 hours over the May 24 weekend “to provide time, space and privacy for members of the Pacheedaht First Nation to harvest marine resources and reconnect with an important part of their territory.”
- This follows on a series of similar closure of Joffre Lakes Provincial Park, one of the busiest recreational spots in the province. From April 25 until May 16, non-Indigenous usage of the park is banned, and “more temporary closures are anticipated” reads an April 25 bulletin by B.C.’s Ministry of the Environment and Parks.
MWF has been warning for over two years that the Government of Manitoba is heading down the same path. Following unilateral decisions to reduce access and opportunities for licensed hunters (in July of 2024 and then earlier this month), the province is contemplating handing over vast areas of provincial Crown Land (including parklands) to indigenous groups.
It is time for Manitobans to express their concerns to the provincial government and demand that public lands remain public and open to all.
