Aboriginal Governance
Park Planning and Management Process
What is the Park Planning and Management process?
The settlement agreement has identified the creation of a waterway class provincial park on most of the mainland shoreline of Lake Temagami, including those portions of the proposed reserve fronting Lake Temagami.
The Park Planning and Management process is an established Ministry of Natural Resources process governed by the Provincial Parks Act, which must be followed for every provincial park in Ontario. A Park Management Plan describes the goals and objectives of the park over a 20-year period.
The Temagami Aboriginal community has agreed that the waterway class park will be created on both Crown lands and on Indian reserve lands and will be regulated under this process.
Who will be involved with the Park Management process?
Ontario and the Temagami Aboriginal community will be involved because their lands will comprise the waterway class park. Because the creation of this new park will have an impact on the management of Crown lands on the shore lands of Lake Temagami, the Municipality of Temagami will also participate in this process as a member of the planning team developing a park management plan.
Management plans for provincial parks are prepared by an Ontario Parks planning team, based on information from a variety of sources including Aboriginal communities, local residents, biologists, foresters, geologists, archaeologists, historians, other resource scientists and managers. Because this will be a park on reserve land, as well as Crown land, the Temagami Aboriginal community, with their own resource people, will partner with the Ontario Parks team.
The team may be assisted by a steering committee made up of Ministry of Natural Resources staff, with the assistance of other individuals, groups and agencies.
Should there be a planning process incorporating other provincial parks in the Temagami area, planning for the new waterway park on the shoreline of Lake Temagami may be integrated into this larger process.
How long will the Park Management process take?
Depending on whether Ontario chooses to undertake a larger integrated recreation management plan, the process could take from one to four years, with new Park Management Plans being reviewed every 10 years.
The parties have agreed that the larger process will not delay the waterway park planning process. The waterway park process will begin in the second year after the signing of the settlement agreement.
What involvement will the public have in the Park Management process?
There will be opportunities for public consultation at various stages in the creation and management of the new waterway class park. The province's Environmental Assessment Act consultation provisions will be followed, including the notification of the public at specified stages and the opportunity for feedback and input into the park management plan.
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