Parks Canada is looking to hear from Canadians and Indigenous groups as they seek inputs on a new draft management plan for Georgian Bay Islands National Park including Beausoleil Island National Historic Site.
Located in the world’s largest freshwater archipelago, only 90 minutes north of Toronto, Georgian Bay Islands National Park offers a great opportunity for new and urban Canadians to discover incredible biodiversity. Home to over 30 species of amphibians and reptiles, visitors to the park are invited to enjoy the natural beauty of the landscape through various overnight options and day-trip experiences. The landscape of barren, glacier-scraped rock and windswept pines that fired the imagination of the Group of Seven artists, dominates northern Beausoleil Island, the park’s largest island and the hub for visitor activities.
Beausoleil Island is also a national historic site, where human cultural heritage is evident for today’s visitors to discover. For over 7,000 years, people have been living in the beautiful Georgian Bay Islands landscape, where Parks Canada is committed to presenting and celebrating the contributions of Indigenous peoples, their histories and cultures, as well as the special relationship Indigenous peoples have with traditional lands and waters.
Parks Canada is currently preparing a management plan for Georgian Bay Islands National Park, including Beausoleil Island National Historic Site. The management plan will guide decisions and actions in protecting, presenting and operating the park for the next decade and beyond. The draft management plan has identified opportunities related to resource conservation in a fragmented landscape and long-term asset sustainability in the wake of climate change. It aims to enhance visitor experiences and facilitate easier access, strengthen the park’s formal relationships with Indigenous communities, and find ways to improve park awareness and community support.
The new draft management plan for Georgian Bay Islands National Park illustrates Parks Canada’s commitment to protecting and presenting natural heritage in Canada, while also providing an opportunity for Canadians to experience and discover the national park.
The best way to ensure Parks Canada’s proposed management plan for Georgian Bay Islands National Park represents the perspectives of all of Canada’s diversity is for a broad range of people to participate in the consultation process. Parks Canada is inviting Canadians to share their perspectives during live-online public consultation meetings. Sessions will take place in English on March 23, 2022, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., and in French on March 24, 2022, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Those interested in attending either of these online consultation meetings are asked to register at least 24 hours in advance by emailing info.gbi-ibg@pc.gc.ca in order to receive the meeting’s connection details.
Feedback can also be shared by completing an online questionnaire at www.pc.gc.ca/gbi , sending comments in writing by email to info.gbi-ibg@pc.gc.ca or by mail to:
Public Consultations – Georgian Bay Islands National Park
901 Wye Valley Rd, Box 9
Midland, ON L4R 4K6
