Sirmilik National Park Management Plan Tabled in Parliament

November 18, 2016                       Pond Inlet, Nunavut                                             Parks Canada Agency

The management plan for Sirmilik National Park was tabled in Parliament yesterday. This management plan guides Parks Canada and the Sirmilik Joint Park Management Committee that cooperatively manage this park for the next 10 years.  

Canada’s national parks are gateways to nature, adventure, and discovery.

The new Sirmilik National Park Management Plan outlines the following key strategies:

• Celebrating the special connection between Sirmilik National Park and the Inuit of Pond Inlet and Arctic Bay;
• Developing Sirmilik National Park’s visitor experience program;
• Increasing Knowledge of and awareness about Sirmilik National Park.

The plan was developed through extensive public consultation and input from many people and organizations, including the Park Planning Team, the Joint Park Management Committee (JPMC), the Inuit Knowledge Working Group, the hamlet councils of Pond Inlet and Arctic Bay, school teachers and youth, Mittimatalik Hunters and Trappers Organization, Ikajutit Hunters and Trappers Organization, Community Land and Resources Committee (CLARC), the Canadian Wildlife Service and the Bylot Island Area Co-Management Committee, women’s groups and elders, Nunavut Tourism, the Government of Nunavut, Nunavut Federal Council, Qikiqtani Inuit Association, Inuit Heritage Trust, Baffinland Iron Mines, and local outfitters.

As we near the 150th anniversary of Confederation in 2017, the Government of Canada invites Canadians to experience and learn more about our environment. Canada’s national parks will play a big part in the celebration of Canada 150.

The Sirmilik National Park Management Plan is available for viewing on the Parks Canada website at: www.parkscanada.gc.ca/sirmilik

 

Quote

“Canada’s national parks, national historic sites and national marine conservation areas belong to all Canadians and offer truly Canadian experiences. I would like to thank everyone that has contributed to this plan. As the Minister responsible for Parks Canada, I applaud this collaborative effort and I am pleased to approve the first management plan for Sirmilik National Park.”

Catherine McKenna
Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Minister responsible for Parks Canada

 

 Quick Facts

• Sirmilik National Park (pronounced Sir-millick) means “place of glaciers” in Inukitut. The park is located on the northern tip of Baffin Island, covering 22,500 square kilometers. It is bordered by the communities of Arctic Bay and Pond Inlet, and adjacent to the proposed Lancaster Sound Marine Protected Area.
• The management plan was developed following the cooperative management process established under the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement (NLCA) and the Inuit Impact and Benefits Agreement for Auyuittuq, Quttinirpaaq and Sirmilik National Parks (IIBA).
• The plan was developed by the Parks Planning Team with members appointed by the Qikiqtani Inuit Association and Parks Canada. The Park Planning Team reported regularly to the Sirmilik Joint Park Management Committee (SJPMC).  The SJPMC is the advisory body for the park.
• The Qiqiktani Inuit Association, Inuit Heritage Trust, and Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated provided reviews of the entire management plan while the Nunavut Wildlife Management Board reviewed the wildlife and wildlife habitat components of the plan. The Canadian Wildlife Service reviewed the Bylot Island portion of the plan.
• Bylot Island, one of four areas of the park, is also a Migratory Bird Sanctuary managed by the Canadian Wildlife Service. The Inuit Impact and Benefit Agreement for National Wildlife Areas and Migratory Bird Sanctuaries in the Nunavut Settlement Area defines a separate and additional cooperative management regime for the Bylot Island Migratory Bird Sanctuary.

 

Related Links

Sirmilik National Park

@ParksCanNunavut

Facebook.com/ParksCanadaNunavut

Inuktitut version

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Contacts
Jenna Boon
Field Unit Superintendent
Nunavut Field Unit
867-975-4673
jenna.boon@pc.gc.ca

Media Relations
Parks Canada Agency
1-855-862-1812
pc.media@pc.gc.ca