• 
• 
• 

• Park Program
  • People and Places
  • Risks, Challenges & Opportunities
  • Benefits of Parks & Special Places
• Park Establishment
  • Feasibility
  • Planning
  • Establishment
  • Operations
• Park Projects
  • Coral Harbour
  • Kugaaruk
  • Clyde River
  • Hall Beach
  • Kekerten
  • Sylvia Grinnell
• Land Claims
  • Parks and the NLCA
  • Parks and the IIBA
• Publications
  • Nunavut Parks
  • Legislation

Feasibility

The first stage in establishing a park is identifying an appropriate Area of Interest. Generally, proposed park areas are identified in the Park System Plan, Community or Regional Land Use Plan or other existing documents and reports such as Economic Development Plans, Wildlife Research reports, cultural or archaeological studies. Communities may also propose areas of interest for parks, based on their own research, study or knowledge of an important area.

Nunavut Parks collects the information related to parks from these reports, and any other information that may be available from other Federal and Territorial government departments, wildlife officers, hamlets, Hunters and Trappers Organizations, or agencies such as the Inuit Heritage Trust, or the Nunavut Wildlife Management Board. This information is put into a Preliminary Park Resource File which provides background information on the cultural and natural resources and the recreational and economic opportunities that a potential territorial park may include and determines and documents potential benefits of park development. Nunavut Parks presents the Preliminary Park Resource File to the community, and discusses the concept of a park or other related ideas with them.

If there is potential for a park, and the community approves the park concept, a Parks Advisory Committee (PAC) is established. The PAC includes members from the Hunters and Trappers Organization (HTO), Elders, Hamlet, Community Lands and Resources Committee (CLARC), Youth, and other interested organizations.

With guidance from the advisory committee, Nunavut Parks completes a Feasibility Study which includes an initial inventory and overview of area resources including cultural and archaeological sites, wildlife, habitat, and vegetation, landscape and geological information, preliminary mineral assessment, place names, and other area values. The Feasibility Study also documents economic development needs and opportunities, tourism and recreation opportunities, and determines the potential for various park scenarios.

In addition to participating in the collection of information and review of the Feasibility Study, the PAC also receives and review comments and concerns from residents and assists in local consultations. Through the committee, Nunavut Parks interviews elders and other residents; hosts open houses and community radio shows; and distributes newsletters and updates to ensure everyone is involved and informed on the project’s progress and have opportunity to participate. Preliminary discussions are also held with Nunavut Planning Commission to ensure the proposed park is in conformity with the existing regional Land Use Plan.

The end result of the feasibility study is a recommendation, by the community, of a Park Concept supported by the community that considers park boundaries, natural values, cultural heritage, tourism and recreation values, community development needs, and park operational and development requirements. The park concept may include Inuit Owned Lands, or other Federally managed lands such as water and coastal areas; but recognizes that final boundaries and management approaches will have to include consideration of IOL and Federal responsibilities.

Based on its review of all the information presented in the Feasibility Study, and comments from consultations within the community, the community is asked to approve the Park Feasibility Project, and recommend a Park Study Area for consideration by the Minister, Department of Environment. The PAC also invites letters of support from residents, community groups, associations, the hamlet, and others interests. Nunavut Parks and the PAC also present their recommendations to the Regional Inuit Association for their information and support of the project.

The Minister examines the park feasibility study, the community’s recommendations, and the support the project has received. If he supports the concept, the Minister asks Nunavut Parks to proceed with Park Planning and Establishment in keeping with the Umbrella Inuit Impact and Benefit Agreement for Territorial Parks (IIBA). The IIBA is an umbrella agreement that applies to all existing, proposed, and future territorial parks, and requires consideration of parks-related matters such as educational and employment benefits; park information; visitor use; and park natural, cultural, and mineral resources.

The IIBA also identifies a joint management approach at both the local and territorial levels, which is established for any specific park through a Park Specific Appendix (PSA) which ‘adds’ the park to the IIBA.

In keeping with the IIBA, a Park Specific Appendix (PSA) is negotiated by the GN, NTI and the relevant RIA and is intended to recognize the planning and management approach and related decisions made for a park in keeping with the IIBA such as those related to carving stone, outpost camps, cabins and access to minerals. It may be decided that the park may not require a PSA, or that it can be added to an existing PSA that may have already been created for a similar group or class of park.

Because it may also include park management decisions, the PSA cannot be finalized until after the planning processes have been completed. So, in approving the park feasibility study, the Minister directs Nunavut Parks to initiate the negotiation of a PSA with NTI and the relevant RIA to set up the co-management structure which will provide advice and recommendations on the park planning, management, and operations, which will be described below.

The Park planning and management process is expected to take several years. To allow time for Nunavut Parks and the community to complete the more detailed inventories and assessments of park resources that are described in the IIBA, and are required to finalize park boundaries, and complete Park Master and Management Plans the Minister also asks Canada to set aside lands in the proposed park study area through an Interim Land Withdrawal request. If approved by Canada, the Interim Land Withdrawal sets the study area aside from other uses that may affect a future park, for an agreed upon period of time.

The Minister’s approval is not the final approval by the Minister or Cabinet needed to proclaim the area as a Territorial Park. It is important for the Minister to formally recognize that a park will be developed in the area, though the extent, boundary, management and other planning decisions will be developed through the Park Planning and Park Establishment processes.