EVANSVILLE—The reeve of Burpee and Mills Township and the chair of the United Chiefs and Councils of Mnidoo Mnising (UCCMM) made clear their position to a proposal by the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) lands regulated under the Provincial Parks and Conservation Reserves Act, 2006. The proposal includes Misery Bay and Mac’s Bay in Burpee and Mills Township, as well as Cockburn Island.
“They (MECP) tried to do this same thing over a year ago, and we as a municipality indicated we were dead set against this. So now they are trying again with another angle,” stated Ken Noland, reeve of Burpee and Mills Township.
“What they are proposing for Mac’s Bay and Misery Bay is trying to put in protective measures that are on municipal property; on shoreline road allowances and municipal road allowances,” explained Reeve Noland.
“Our township council is against them doing any of this on municipal property,” said Reeve Noland. “These protective measures would be in place on property that does not belong to the province.” He said Burpee and Mills has notified the United Chiefs and Councils of Mnidoo Mnising noting that, “all this is part of the 1990 land claim that has not been settled.”
Patsy Corbiere, chair of UCCMM and chief of Aundeck Omni Kaning First Nation stated the provincial ministry, “can’t do that. These areas are part of the 1990 land claim agreement that has still not been settled.”
“I sent this to the lands department of the UCCMM to look into it,” said Chief Corbiere. “We will get a legal opinion on it. We have been fighting this issue since 1990 with the government. Technically they think they can sell these lands and make them into sanctuaries where no development takes place.”
“Under the 1990 land claim agreement, shoreline allowances are not to be sold—this was in the agreement,” said Chief Corbiere. “So why is the province doing this now? The government looks at giving say a 100-acre property to groups that don’t want anything done on the lands, but for people to look at it. We will not be supporting this. It’s called using common sense.”
The Expanding Protected Areas in Ontario proposal was posted on the environmental registry of Ontario regulation notice on October 10 and is open to comments from the public until November 24.
“Ontario is proposing to expand provincial parks and conservation reserves under the Provincial Parks and Conservation Reserves Act, 2006. Ontario is expanding green spaces throughout the province to provide Ontarians with new outdoor recreation opportunities, such as hiking, camping and fishing, while providing communities with critical support related to tourism, job creation and economic development. At the same time, Ontario is conserving and safeguarding the province’s unique ecosystems, habitats and wildlife for the benefit of Ontarians today and future generations,” the EBR notice reads in part.
As part of this initiative, “Ontario is seeking to accelerate the expansion of the protected areas system by proposing to regulate new areas under the Provincial Parks and Conservation Reserves Act, 2006. This includes sites that the province has earmarked for protection under past planning exercises such as Ontario’s Living Legacy (OLL) Land Use Strategy) as well as lands previously acquired by the Crown from third parties.”
“In July 2024, Ontario consulted through the (EBR) on proposed additions to provincial parks and conservation reserves under the Provincial Parks and Conservation Reserves Act (PPCRA), 2006. This list included 27 sites, totaling 10,324 hectares (25,511 acres). We are now proposing protections for another 43 sites, totaling approximately 12,600 hectares over 31,100 acres to continue to expand Ontario’s protected areas system,” the proposal reads.
In Northeast Zone, proposed sites include Cockburn Island (an additional 193 hectares), 55 hectares added on Misery Bay Provincial Park and an additional 101 hectares being added to Mac’s Bay Conservation being protected.
A representative of Ontario Parks-Northeast zone office, “we have talked to Burpee and Mills Township and the First Nations on this proposal. It is a proposal, that is all this is, and is open to any comment from members of the public.”