Dane Gibson
Northern News Services

NNSL (Sep 01/99) - They plan to carve off a 22,000 square kilometre piece of paradise, and preserve it for generations to come.

Representatives from Parks Canada and the Kivalliq Inuit Association (KIA) are currently negotiating the establishment of a national park in the Wager Bay area. The two parties have been negotiating since 1997. They last met on Aug. 24 in Winnipeg and will meet again at Repulse Bay in November to hopefully finalize the agreement.

From his home in Arviat, KIA chief negotiator David Aglukark Sr. said they are past the half-way mark in the negotiations. The final agreement, he said, should leave a small window of opportunity for future resource development and at the same time protect the land and wildlife.

"We have nothing to lose in the creation of a park. The Inuit main interests are that the wildlife be protected and that the Inuit right to harvest animals for self-sustenance be protected. By establishing a national park, we kill two birds with one stone," Aglukark Sr. said.

While a national park means strict regulations surrounding development, companies have explored the Wager Bay area with promising results, particularly around the north end. Mineral potential is something they are considering in the negotiations.

"We know that every community in Nunavut is looking for work. If there is a possible way of putting people to work we don't want to close the door," Aglukark Sr. said.

"Our main interest right now is to create a park, but there are (Inuit) communities that have an interest in some mineral-rich areas. We're trying to be careful, and I think we can come up with some language that can be lived with on both sides."

Jim Johnston is the Parks Canada representative responsible for establishing new parks in Nunavut. He said they are currently hammering out issues such as terms and conditions of park management, boundaries, and how Inuit are going to be involved in decision making, land and wildlife management.

"The work that's going on now is the negotiation of an Inuit Impact Agreement, which is a requirement of the Nunavut Land Claim Agreement," Johnston said.

"We still have some major issues to deal with, but there's good momentum and it's been a positive process."

There are currently three national parks in Nunavut, Quttinirpaaq, Sirmilik, and Auyuittuq. Once the Wager Bay park is finalized, Johnston said they will begin work on establishing another park in the Baffin Region, on Bathhurst Island. It's all part of a plan to have 39 regions in Canada represented through the National Park system.

"We're working in a variety of regions to establish parks to preserve and protect an example of Canadian landscapes. It's a way to protect the features and natural ecosystems of each region," Johnston said.