Joffre Lakes to remain closed until Sept. 15 as B.C. government, First Nations continue talks
CTV
The popular Joffre Lakes Provincial Park will remain closed for another week as negotiations continue between the B.C. government and the two First Nations that abruptly paused public access last month.
The popular Joffre Lakes Provincial Park will remain closed for another week as negotiations continue between the B.C. government and the two First Nations that abruptly paused public access last month.
Officials have "decided to keep the park closed until Sept. 15," said George Heyman, the province's minister of environment and climate change strategy, in a statement Friday morning.
"This additional week will allow for productive discussions to continue towards a collaborative resolution that supports reconciliation," Heyman added.
"Our government's goal is to find an agreement that will give space and privacy for cultural activities, while ensuring public access to the park in a responsible and sustainable manner."
The Lil'wat and N’Quatqua nations, who call the park Pipi7iyekw and say they have occupied the land since time immemorial, announced the closure on Aug. 24, referencing a variety of legal grounds asserting their right to do so. (LINK TO LISA)
The two First Nations said they were reserving Joffre Lakes for traditional harvesting and spiritual activities, and that it would be reopened on Sept. 30, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
The park was then reopened for the Labour Day weekend, in what Lil'wat Chief Dean Nelson described as a gesture of goodwill, before being closed again on Tuesday.
A developing low pressure skirting colder air in place across eastern parts of the country will bring snow, rain, and wind to the Maritimes on Thursday.
Toronto could see the first taste of winter weather this morning as a low-pressure system brings snow to the city on Wednesday morning.
Montreal's transit authority failed to properly consult with the public over its 'indefensible' plan to force an elderly couple out of their home to build a new ventilation station in Rosemont-La-Petite-Patrie, a commission was told Tuesday evening.
In the oldest Chinatown in the entire country sits Loy Sing, a business that holds the title of longest continually run Chinese business in North America. It has now been in operation for 136 years and counting.
The Provincial Auditor of Saskatchewan is recommending that the province improve its system of monitoring sales of farmland to foreign entities.
With seven months under their belt, Gather Local Market at River Landing continues to try new ideas to move their concept forward. The latest addition is helping small businesses get off the ground.
A Quebec man has been sentenced to prison after attempting to smuggle more than 1,000 forged documents into the country, including Canadian permanent resident cards and driver's licences.
An outspoken former Calgary bishop who was outspoken on several issues such as LGBTQ policy and school HPV vaccinations has died.
Revelations about a cheeky comment during a dinner meeting at president-elect Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort between Trump and Prime Justin Minister Trudeau last week are creating waves.
The Waterloo Regional Police Service has issued a public plea after three youths fell through the ice at a Cambridge pond.
A man was severely injured Tuesday morning when he leaped onto a polar bear to protect his wife from being mauled in the Far North community of Fort Severn.