Joffre Lakes Provincial Park will remain closed until Sept. 15, the province announced Friday.
The Líl̓wat Nation and N’Quatqua First Nation announced they were "shutting down" access to the park in a joint statement on Wednesday, Aug. 23.
In a statement sent to Glacier Media the following week, the Nations said their access to resources has not been prioritized and the Harvest Celebration closure was proposed five weeks ago.
“While successes have been gained through our partnership in terms of implementing a cap on the number of visitors and a Day-use pass permit, access to the resources by Líl̓wat and N’Quatqua has not been prioritized,” the statement said.
The two First Nations also said their goals have been on hold for many years and were left "overshadowed by importance placed on tourism" at Pipi7iyekw – Joffre Lakes Park. As a result, the First Nations decided they would be "shutting down" the park.
George Heyman, Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy, issued an update on Sept. 8.
"Over the past two weeks, we have had continued discussions with Lil'wat and N'Quatqua First Nations about access to Joffre Lakes Provincial Park. Today, we have decided to keep the park closed until Sept. 15," Heyman said in a statement.
"This additional week will allow for productive discussions to continue toward a collaborative resolution that supports reconciliation.Our government's goal is to find an agreement that will give space and privacy for cultural activities, while ensuring public access to the park in a responsible and sustainable manner.
"We thank the Nations for continuing these discussions with us. We acknowledge that this decision has an impact on people's plans and are working hard to provide certainty for everyone through a mutually acceptable agreement."
Check back with Pique for more as this story develops.
