B.C. First Nation upset over shortened park closure dates

The Líl̓wat First Nation is demanding that the B.C. government respect closure dates that it has set at a popular park.

The First Nation says that in April it identified a total of 75 closure dates for Joffre Lakes over the spring and summer months.

The closures are meant to enable the Nation’s members to exercise their traditional activities on the land.

However, earlier in May, the province announced the park will only close to recreational visitors for a total of 31 days in the months of June and September.

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“We’re going to try to continue to get back to the table so that we can have a meaningful dialog,” Tamara Davidson, B.C.’s Minister of Environment and Parks, said.

“The closure dates for 2026 have been set and we have notified the public of that. We’ve been reaching out since February to try and get us back to table to have that meaningful dialog and we’ll continue to try do that.”

2:26 First Nations halt traffic on B.C. highway in protest of limited Joffre Lakes closure

The First Nation said the province announced the shortened dates without any engagement or discussion with their members.

They are asking for a response from the government by June 2.