Amendments to Park Management Plans, Park Boundaries, and to Crown Land Use Policy to Transfer Certain Lands and Lands under Water to the Lake Superior National Marine Conservation Area (Amendment #2007-34)

Description of policy

On October 25, 2007 Canada and Ontario signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) respecting the establishment of a National Marine Conservation Area in Lake Superior. Part of the Parks Canada system of protected areas, National Marine Conservation Areas (NMCAs) are established and managed for the purpose of protecting and conserving representative marine areas for the benefit, education and enjoyment of the people of Canada and the world. A copy of the NMCA MOA is available for viewing on the Ontario Parks website at www.ontarioparks.com/planning.

Under the MOA, Ontario has agreed to transfer approximately 1 million hectares of land and land under water to the federal Crown for the purposes of establishing the NMCA and to manage these lands on an interim basis until they are transferred to the federal Crown. The formal transfer is not expected for several years.

Some of the lands proposed for transfer to the federal Crown as part of the NMCA are within provincial parks; the NMCA Agreement recognizes that the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) (Ontario Parks) is required to consult on park management plan amendments and the potential deregulation and transfer of provincial park lands to become part of the NMCA.

To prepare for the future transfer of the NMCA lands to the federal Crown, Ontario proposes to: 

• amend existing park management plans for Sleeping Giant, Slate Islands and Schreiber Channel Provincial Parks to remove proposed NMCA lands, 
• rescind the boundary regulation for Puff Island Provincial Park, 
• amend the boundary of Gravel River Provincial Park, to add acquired land and land under water, 
• amend MNR’s Crown Land Use Policy Atlas to place all of the affected former park lands and lands under water within a new single land use area, the Lake Superior NMCA General Use Area (G2705), and 
• establish interim land use direction for the area to ensure that only land uses compatible with the NMCA are permitted.

There are 10 existing provincial parks surrounded by or adjacent to the NMCA: Edward Island, Gravel River, Porphyry Island, Puff Island, Rainbow Falls, Ruby Lake, Schreiber Channel, Shesheeb Bay, Slate Islands, and Sleeping Giant. Throughout earlier NMCA public consultations, there was no specific discussion regarding the inclusion of any part of these parks within the NMCA. However, as the MOA was being developed, Canada and Ontario agreed to the concept of including selected portions of the bed of Lake Superior within Sleeping Giant Provincial Park and Slate Islands Provincial Park, the Flint Island portion of Schreiber Channel Provincial Park, and all of Puff Island Provincial Park within the NMCA. This concept is consistent with the objectives of the NMCA pertaining to representing marine environments in NMCA protected areas. Fine-tuning of the proposed NMCA boundary also revealed small areas of land that would be alienated from Gravel River Provincial Park if its boundary was not amended to add the areas. The remaining provincial parks noted above will not be affected.

Park management plans apply only to the area within the regulated boundary of the park. These plans may consider potential effects that activities occurring on adjacent areas may have on park values and features, as well as the effects of park activities on adjacent land and water uses. In order to meet the intent of the NMCA Agreement, MNR is consulting on amendments to the park management plans for Sleeping Giant, Schreiber Channel and Slate Islands Provincial Parks, and the rescindment of the boundary for Puff Island Provincial Park. Stage 1 of this project includes an invitation to participate and opportunity to examine the Terms of Reference for this project, which is available for viewing on the Ontario Parks website at www.ontarioparks.com/planning.

During Stage 2 of this project, the proposed park plan amendments will be available for viewing on the Ontario Parks website at www.ontarioparks.com/planning. An amendment to MNR’s Crown Land Use Policy Atlas will also be proposed during Stage 2 to place Puff Island Provincial Park (P2670) and portions of Sleeping Giant (P2653), Schreiber Channel (P2673) and Slate Islands Provincial Parks (P2677) into a new Lake Superior NMCA General Use Area (G2705), and to ensure that only compatible land uses are permitted until the lands are transferred to the federal Crown. The amendment will also address the placing of the acquired lands into Gravel River Provincial Park. The proposed Land Use Amendment, including maps and policy reports, will be available during Stage 2 http://www.ontario.ca/crownlandatlas.

If the proposed park management plan and land use amendments proceed, then subsequent regulation changes will be made to Puff Island Provincial Park, Sleeping Giant Provincial Park, Schreiber Channel Provincial Park, Slate Islands Provincial Park and Gravel River Provincial Park.

Purpose of policy

To obtain public input on proposed park management plan amendments and proposed changes to land use direction for portions of Sleeping Giant, Slate Islands and Schreiber Channel Provincial Parks, as well as to rescind the boundary of Puff Island Provincial Park entirely, and to add land and land under water to Gravel River Provincial Park.

Other information

If the park management plan and land use amendments are approved, a regulation under the Provincial Parks and Conservation Reserves Act will be required to reduce the area of Sleeping Giant, Slate Islands and Schreiber Channel provincial parks (i.e., to deregulate those portions intended for the NMCA) as well as to rescind the boundary of Puff Island Provincial Park entirely (i.e., so that it may be included in the NMCA), and to add land and land under water to Gravel River Provincial Park. No separate public notice will be undertaken as part of the deregulation or re-regulation processes.

Amending the park boundaries (i.e., deregulation) and the eventual disposition of the deregulated lands are undertakings subject to MNR's Class Environmental Assessment for Provincial Parks and Conservation Reserves. The MNR Crown Land Use Policy Atlas will be amended to reflect the approved changes in land use designations from provincial park to G2705 Lake Superior NMCA General Use Area, and to establish the interim management direction for the new GUA.

This Environmental Registry posting addresses proposed changes to provincial park boundaries and Crown land use policy related to the interim management and transfer of NMCA lands that are currently within regulated provincial parks. A separate land use amendment (Amendment #2007-05) will be posted on MNR’s Crown Land Use Policy Atlas during Stage 2 that includes revised land use policy for other (e.g., non-park) Crown lands, Crown-owned patented lands and lands under water affected by the NMCA Agreement and which are intended to be transferred to the federal Crown for inclusion in the NMCA (see Registry Number: 010-8574). These lands are also intended to be placed in the new Lake Superior NMCA General Use Area (G2705).

Additional information on the park management plan amendments is available for viewing on the Ontario Parks website www.ontarioparks.com/planning. The Lake Superior National Marine Conservation Area website address is: http://www.pc.gc.ca/amnc-nmca/on/super/index_e.asp

An alternative to the government contact is:

Joseph Lilly, Heritage Planner
Parks Canada
Lake Superior National Marine Conservation Area
214 Red River Road, Suite 301
Thunder Bay, ON P7B 1A6
Telephone: (807) 346-2909

Other public consultation opportunities

Stage 1: An invitation to participate in the planning process and an invitation to inspect the Terms of Reference - June 1 to July 16, 2009

• Public response to the first stage of consultation was minimal, consisting of a few requests for additional information.

• The Métis Nation of Ontario (MNO) requested a meeting with MNR and Parks Canada to discuss the transfer of provincial park lands to the NMCA and any potential impacts to the Métis way of life. A meeting with MNO, MNR and Parks Canada was held in September 2009 whereby initial concerns were discussed and resolved.

Stage 2: An opportunity to review the proposed amendment to three park management plans and the proposed land use amendment– January 18 to March 4, 2010

Methods of notification will include:

• pre-consultation with local First Nations communities;
• mailing to First Nations’ communities, agencies, interest groups, local politicians (municipal and provincial) and adjacent property owners;
• posting of the approved terms of reference and proposed amendments on the Ontario Parks website; and
• paid advertisement in local newspapers.

Should this proposal be approved by the Director of Ontario Parks and the Regional Director, Northwest Region, Ministry of Natural Resources, the park management plan amendments and the land use amendments will be released to the public. Briefing sessions to various groups may take place, however there will be no further public consultation at that point.