Amendment to Ontario Regulation 316/07 under the Provincial Parks and Conservation Reserves Act, 2006 to deregulate selected lands from Beekahncheekahmeeng Deebahncheekayweehn Eenahohnahnuhn to support Pikangikum First Nation’s request for lands

Ontario has been working with Pikangikum First Nation (Pikangikum) and Canada to identify lands for potential addition to Pikangikum’s reserve to help fulfill an outstanding provincial commitment made in 1968 to increase the size of the First Nation’s reserve.

Pikangikum’s reserve is located approximately 100 kilometers north of Red Lake, Ontario. The reserve is accessible by air, boat, and a winter road, and is about 855 hectares.

Current on-reserve population is estimated at over 3,800 people. By 2038 the population is projected to reach up to 6,000 members. Over 95% of Pikangikum’s membership lives on reserve. Pikangikum First Nation has requested additional reserve land (by way of Band Council Resolution) to address the community’s immediate housing and infrastructure needs. The requested lands are shown in the map provided and are approximately 338.5 hectares more or less.

Beekahncheekahmeeng Deebahncheekayweehn Eenahohnahnuhn became a provincial park regulated under the Provincial Parks and Conservation Reserves Act, 2006 (PPCRA) in 2011. This regulation was informed by the “Keeping the Land” Community Based Land Use Plan (CBLUP), which was developed and approved jointly by Pikangikum and Ontario in 2006.

Beekahncheekahmeeng Deebahncheekayweehn Eenahohnahnuhn is a 96,085-hectare, non-operating provincial park located close to Pikangikum’s current reserve and is considered remote with very limited use by the public.

Proposed regulation changes

Part of the area proposed for transfer to Canada for future addition to Pikangikum’s reserve includes a 17-hectare area within Beekahncheekahmeeng Deebahncheekayweehn Eenahohnahnuhn (see map).

The 17-hectare parcel is approximately 0.017% of the total park area. It does not contain known critical ecological, or recreational values, but has been identified by Pikangikum as a cultural waterway.

If the proposed amendment is approved:

• A change will be made to O. Reg. 316/07, made under the Provincial Parks and Conservation Reserves Act, 2006 (PPCRA), to amend the boundary of the park to remove these lands, reducing the size of the park
• The lands removed from the park would be managed by the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) under the Public Lands Act until such time as the lands may be transferred to Canada to become part of Pikangikum First Nation’s reserve
• MECP will continue to manage the remaining park lands under the PPCRA

Public Consultation

This proposal will be posted for a 30-day public review and comment period from April 15, 2026, to May 15, 2026. All comments received during the comment period are being considered as part of the decision-making process by the ministry and will become part of the public record.

No additional opportunity for public comment on this proposed regulation change will be provided. A decision notice on this proposal will be posted in future to communicate a final decision, once implemented.

Regulatory Impact Analysis

There are no anticipated costs, cost-savings, or benefits to regulated stakeholders resulting from deregulation of the selected lands from Beekahncheekahmeeng Deebahncheekayweehn Eenahohnahnuhn. There are no anticipated environmental impacts from the proposal.

Given that there are no other ways to meet the objective of transferring administration and control of the identified park lands to Canada and subsequently adding to the First Nation’s reserve lands, amending O. Reg. 316/07 is the only option.

Other public consultation opportunities

The Ministry of Natural Resources is proposing an instrument to amend the planning area boundary of the “Keeping the Land” CBLUP, which would be another necessary step toward proposing the lands for transfer to Canada for addition to reserve. Details about that proposal, including how to submit comments can be submitted on the ERO, under ERO Number 025-1262.