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.
Efforts to designate a portion of the east side of Lake Winnipeg a world heritage site are making progress. The Manitoba government announced Monday that new land-preservation plans for the Little Grand Rapids and Pauingassi First Nations have been approved. It's part of a bid to have a 43,000-sq-km region of boreal shield, straddling the Manitoba-Ontario border, named a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Conservation Minister Gord Mack-intosh said the nominated area is now the largest legally protected area of boreal shield in North America. Partnership Pimachiowin Aki Corp. _ a partnership between five First Nations and the Manitoba and Ontario governments _ is spearheading the effort for UNESCO recognition. Approved land-management plans for the Poplar River, Bloodvein and Pikang-ikum First Nations' traditional-use areas and two provincial parks are also part of the UNESCO bid. The UNESCO bid is one of the reasons the NDP government has given for its controversial decision to run the Bipole III power line down the west side of Lake Winnipeg rather than the shorter east-side route. UNESCO stands for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.
