Good morning.

According to BC Parks’ website, Nuchatlitz Park on north Vancouver Island is a “peaceful” and “perfect” place to explore by kayak, and to camp along the coastline “as one sees fit.”

But kayakers discovered that’s not really the case: A large road is being constructed through the former parkland. As for camping, it’s unclear where someone might do that.

With zero fanfare from the provincial government, the provincial park has changed dramatically, Justine Hunter reports.

The B.C. Supreme Court declared last year that the Nuchatlaht, a First Nation with 180 members, has proven Aboriginal title to 1,140 hectares of land on the north end of Nootka Island, including part of the park.

What remains of the park is not marked, and the provincial government says it is up to visitors to ensure they are not trespassing. A lawyer close to the case says it is the first time parkland has been included in a title ruling from the courts.

The Nuchatlaht argued that the park was created without their approval and brought many visitors to the area without any benefit to the Indigenous community. A spokesperson for the First Nation says guidance for the public has yet to be determined.

It’s not the only place in British Columbia where parkland is in the mix in discussions with First Nations over land management and reconciliation. But Justine has found the provincial government has not been forthright about what’s on the table.

Last year, the province signed a groundbreaking agreement to recognize that the Haida Nation has Aboriginal title to all one million hectares of the Haida Gwaii archipelago. The province said it faced a court challenge from the Haida that it believes it was destined to lose.

The agreement includes a commitment from the Haida to leave privately owned lands unchanged and under B.C. authority.

But the area includes two provincial parks and a national park reserve. Continuing public access will be part of years-long talks to reconcile Haida laws and those of the province. Both provincial parks are currently operated by the Haida Nation.

The Ministry of Environment and Parks said in a statement Monday that changes that affect the general public will “involve consultation with island residents and other interest holders.”

Near the Lower Mainland, Joffre Lakes Provincial Park was closed this past weekend to the public and will remain that way until June 27. The closing is a result of talks with the local First Nations, and is intended to allow members to use their traditional lands without day trippers visiting the park’s turquoise mountain waters.

The number of days the park has been closed has grown since the first closings in 2023. In 2024, the bands and the province negotiated 60 days of closings, none of them in July and August. The band argues, and the province has come to agree, that the land needs time to recuperate from overuse and band members need time for traditional and cultural activities away from the crowds.

Last week, the provincial government put out a news release telling people that backcountry camping reservations and day passes will be available and required “throughout July and August.”

But the Lil’wat Nation, one of the two that claims the area, issued a statement on May 22 noting the closings will include Aug. 22 to Oct. 23. In total, the park will be closed for some 100 days between April and October.

Tamara Davidson, Minister of Environment and Parks, would not say if there is a limit to such closings. The reduction in visitors has been good for the park’s wildlife, she said, and the First Nations wanted access to a location that is important to their culture.

“It’s not about priorities, but more about balance. You have to find the right balance between each of them,” Davidson said.

B.C. has been creating parks since 1911. Throughout most of its history, the rights and title of Indigenous peoples were blithely ignored.

Parkland has been set aside, according to BC Parks’ mission statement, to protect the best examples of the province’s diverse environment, and also to provide “provincewide opportunities for a diversity of high-quality and safe outdoor recreation,” while at the same time maintaining a commitment to Indigenous reconciliation.

Thomas Isaac, an expert in Aboriginal law at the Vancouver law firm Cassels, notes it is the job of the provincial government to protect the public interest. That is not the job of the Indigenous groups fighting to regain control of their lands.

It is up to the provincial government to use the tools it has – and it has some, he argues – to protect parks like Nuchatlitz.

“It is up to governments to balance Indigenous interests with competing societal interests. That is the burden. And all the government of B.C. has been doing for the past three decades is running from that,” he said.

This is the weekly British Columbia newsletter written by B.C. Editor Wendy Cox. If you’re reading this on the web, or it was forwarded to you from someone else, you can sign up for it and all Globe newsletters here.