The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
The Honourable David Anderson, Minister of the Environment, has tabled before Parliament amendments to the Canada National Parks Act. These amendments will allow for the removal of lands from Pacific Rim National Park Reserve of Canada (British Columbia) and Riding Mountain National Park of Canada (Manitoba) for the purposes of Indian Reserves. "Parks Canada is committed to strengthening its relationships with Aboriginal communities," Minister Anderson said. The amendments will see the removal of 86.4 hectares of land from Pacific Rim National Park Reserve. In addition, these amendments to the Canada National Parks Act will fully re-establish the Keeseekoowenin Ojibway First Nation Reserve 61A on the north shore of Clear Lake in Riding Mountain National Park. Provided for in a 1994 Specific Land Claim Settlement Agreement, most of the associated lands were removed from the legal description of Riding Mountain in 2000 with the passage of the Canada National Parks Act. Inadvertently, a five-hectare strip of land was not removed and only by amending the Canada National Parks Act can that omission be rectified. This initiative supports the Government of Canada's goal of improving the quality of life for Aboriginal Canadians, which was identified as a priority in the recent Speech from the Throne.
