The BC NDP government is allowing FNs to ban people from some provincial parks now.

[blackbird]

This is shocking.  The NDP Is really giving FNs control over certain provincial parks in BC and allowing them to close the parks to non-natives.

What is next?  This situation is growing worse.

"

To the applause of her colleagues, NDP MLA Rohini Arora stood in the legislature earlier this month, encouraging non-Indigenous British Columbians to describe themselves as a “settler,” “colonizer” and “uninvited guest” living on “Indigenous land.”

This divisive mindset is increasingly being put into action, with a number of parks in B.C. being temporarily closed to non-Indigenous visitors.

The most contentious of these is the repeat closure of Joffre Lakes Provincial Park during peak season, with access first denied by the Líl̓wat Nation and the N’Quatqua First Nation in 2023 for 39 days. In 2024, access was restricted for 60 days. Last week, it was announced that the 2025 closures will last more than 100 days.

The B.C. government also recently announced a short-term restriction on non-Indigenous visitors to the iconic Botanical Beach park on Vancouver Island. If Joffre Lakes is any guide, we can expect longer closures in the future.

The government’s endorsement of these closures sets a troubling precedent for other parks and public lands. As B.C.’s former deputy minister of energy and Aboriginal law expert Robin Junger pointed out , the Joffre Lakes closures were initiated on the basis of the park being within Líl̓wat and N’Quatqua traditional territory, where Aboriginal title has been asserted but not proven.

While Indigenous rights are protected by the Constitution, this does not give Indigenous groups the right to act unilaterally without consideration of the public interest, especially in cases where Aboriginal title hasn’t been legally established.

If the position of Indigenous groups, and seemingly the B.C. government, is that the mere assertion of Aboriginal title confers the right to prohibit access to public spaces, then there is nothing to prevent similar closures not just of other parks, but of any public lands throughout the province.  unquote

Caroline Elliott: Closures of B.C. parks to non-Indigenous visitors a sign of things to come

 

Edited Tuesday at 11:39 PM by blackbird

[blackbird]

"

Joffre Lakes Park to close three times in 2025

Gagandeep Ghuman

May 26, 2025 11:42am

Joffre Lakes Park will be closed to the public during three upcoming periods in 2025 to allow Líl̓wat and N’Quatqua Nations uninterrupted access to the land for cultural and spiritual practices.

The closures — Reconnection Periods — will take place from April 25 to May 19, June 13 to 27, and August 22 to October 23. During these times, Nation members will use the area for traditional activities such as hunting, fishing, harvesting medicines, and ceremony. Visitors will not be permitted access to the park.

“These changes wouldn’t happen if we didn’t assert our inherent rights. It’s our responsibility as stewards to protect the land; it’s been overused for too long by too many people,” said Líl̓wat Nation’s Political Chief Kúkwpi7 Skalúlmecw Dean Nelson.

The reconnection initiative began in 2023 and is part of a larger strategy to restore balance to Pipi7iyekw, the Ucwalmícwts name for Joffre Lakes Park. The Nations say the time is critical for both the land and the well-being of their communities, offering space for healing and cultural renewal.

“We are noticing the Whiskey Jacks are becoming less conditioned to approach people for food, and the Pikas are being seen in greater numbers without dogs visiting the park,” said Casey Gonzalez, Director of Title & Rights at Líl̓wat Nation.

The closures are supported through a joint Visitor Use Management Strategy developed in partnership with BC Parks. The province’s day-use pass system, which helps manage crowding and ecological impact, will resume on May 17 outside. Joffre Lakes is one of the most visited provincial parks in B.C., with annual visitor numbers nearing 200,000 before the pandemic. Years of overuse have led to concerns over littering, habitat degradation, and traffic congestion along Highway 99."

Joffre Lakes Park to close three times in 2025 - The Squamish Reporter

[herbie]

2 hours ago, blackbird said:

This is shocking

only to you

[blackbird]

What the BC NDP and FNs in that area of Joffre Lake Provincial Park are doing in banning non-natives is contrary to Section 15 of the Charter of Rights'

"

Section 15 – Equality rights

15. (1) Every individual is equal before and under the law and has the right to the equal protection and equal benefit of the law without discrimination and, in particular, without discrimination based on race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, age or mental or physical disability.   unquote

Discrimination has to have a sound basis.  There is no reason why natives can not do their reconnection with nature in the park while non-natives are present as well.  Nobody is stopping them from that.  We all pay for maintenance of provincial parks and have a right to the enjoyment of them.

The Canadian Charter or Rights either applies to everyone equally or it is not worth the paper it is written on.  If natives were banned from anything, they would be screaming discrimination.  But with the BC NDP it is ok the other way around.  

Edited Friday at 08:46 AM by blackbird