The British Columbia NDP government has banned non-Indigenous Canadians from accessing a provincial park until the end of the week.
Joffre Lakes Provincial Park has been off-limits to visitors since April 26, so local First Nations can “connect with” the park, despite it being Crown land.
Located approximately 35 kilometres east of Pemberton along Highway 99, Joffre Lakes Provincial Park is known for its awe-inspiring landscapes and serene ambience.
However, BC Parks says Joffre Lakes Park will remain off-limits to recreational visitors until at least May 17.
In a statement released by BC Parks, the agency said the closure aims to “recognize the importance of the Pipi7íyekw /Joffre Lakes Park area” to the two Indigenous communities and to provide them with dedicated time “to connect with the land.”
Former BC United candidate Caroline Elliott raised concerns about broader implications in an X post on Friday — suggesting the decision to close the park on the basis of “traditional territory” could signal a lurch away from the basic principles of Western property rights.
“The Joffre Lakes closure was done on the basis of the park being in the Nation’s traditional territory, where Title has been asserted, but not established in the courts,” Elliott explained.
“So for now in a place where the mere assertion of Title confers the right to prohibit public access to public spaces, then we all need to be aware that over 100% of BC’s landmass is claimed as un-ceded traditional territory by one or more of the province’s 100+ indigenous groups.”
Day-use access to the park will resume on Saturday, at which point visitors aged 12 and up will again be required to book a free day-use pass in advance.
According to Líĺwat Nation Political Chief Ku̓kwpi7 Skalúlmecw Dean Nelson, B.C. Parks made the decision, in part, on account of the Crown land lying on “unceded territory.”
“Joffre Lakes Park lies within the unceded territories of the Líl̓wat Nation and N’Quatqua and is integral to who we are,” Nelson said. “While the park’s creation helped preserve the area from industrial activity, it also disrupted our traditional use of the land.”
The decision to restrict non-Indigenous access to the park follows the B.C. government’s decision to recognize the Haida Nation’s Aboriginal title to all of Haida Gwaii.
The agreement, signed in April 2024 and re-confirmed by the federal government in February, affirms Haida Indigenous ownership of the archipelago, including lands, freshwater bodies, and foreshore to the low-tide mark.
Critics have raised concerns that the decision ignores the property rights of non-Indigenous landowners, who were not consulted on the land title change.