British Columbia has quietly ceded control of 1,140 hectares of Nuchatlitz Park on Nootka Island to the Nuchatlaht First Nation. This follows a precedent-setting B.C. Supreme Court ruling last year that Aboriginal title can supersede park protections on Crown land. The ceded land includes old-growth forest and critical habitat, and public access is no longer assured.
Globe Climate: B.C. cedes provincial park to Nuchatlaht First Nation
Canada
AI Summary
TL;DR: Key points with love ❤️
British Columbia has quietly ceded control of 1,140 hectares of Nuchatlitz Park on Nootka Island to the Nuchatlaht First Nation. This follows a precedent-setting B.C. Supreme Court ruling last year that Aboriginal title can supersede park protections on Crown land. The ceded land includes old-growth forest and critical habitat, and public access is no longer assured.
Trending- 1 1996: Nuchatlitz Park was established.
- 2 Last year: The B.C. Supreme Court declared that the Nuchatlaht First Nation had proved Aboriginal title to 1,140 hectares of land.
- 3 Currently: British Columbia has ceded control of the parkland to the Nuchatlaht First Nation.
- 4 Yesterday: Prime Minister Mark Carney called upon the Canadian Armed Forces to airlift people from Sandy Lake First Nation due to wildfires.
- 5 Thursday: The International Energy Agency released its 2025 World Energy Investment report.
- Aboriginal title can now supersede park protections on Crown land
- Public access to parts of Nuchatlitz Park is no longer assured
- Nuchatlaht First Nation is building a road and plans development on the land
- Potential implications for other Indigenous land claims and park protections
What: British Columbia ceded control of a large portion of Nuchatlitz Park to the Nuchatlaht First Nation.
When: Last year (B.C. Supreme Court ruling); this week (noteworthy reporting).
Where: Nuchatlitz Park, Nootka Island, off the west coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.
Why: A precedent-setting B.C. Supreme Court ruling declared that the Nuchatlaht First Nation had proved Aboriginal title to the land, establishing that Aboriginal title can supersede park protections on Crown land.
How: The B.C. government quietly ceded control of the land. The First Nation is now building a road through the former parkland and plans to develop their title lands with 'really strict guidelines'.