December 03, 2004

Premier Gary Doer announced today that Manigotagan River is the province’s newest provincial park.

Situated near the mouth of the Manigotagan River about 115 kilometres north of Pine Falls, adjacent to the northwest tip of the Nopiming Provincial Park, this pristine and breathtaking area of about 7,432 hectares will now be protected by a 750-metre boundary from each bank.

"We could not have done this alone; we conducted extensive public consultations with local First Nations, communities and stakeholders as we worked toward this goal of creating this new park and tripling the boundary size, which was previously only
250 metres. There was a strong will to see this park become a reality and protect this spectacular river," said Doer.

This boundary will ensure the river’s water quality, natural splendor, and cultural and recreational values found in this corridor will be preserved for generations to come.

The Manigotagan Provincial Park is home to majestic wildlife including moose, black bears, wolf, caribou and eagles. It is also home to spectacular plant life including prickly pear cactus, Canada yew (the only yew found in Manitoba), elderberry and green ash.

The new park will:

• provide a backcountry setting for activities such as canoeing and traditional cultural activities that depend on a largely undisturbed environment,

• preserve the Manigotagan River’s aquatic and shoreline habitats,

• promote public appreciation of the natural and cultural values of the Manigotagan River corridor and emphasize the need to respect and maintain the river’s values and water quality, and

• be managed in a manner which will recognize and respect treaty rights and the goals and values of the regional communities.

In addition, the province announced its full support for the nomination of the UNESCO world heritage site encompassing 43,000 square kilometres spanning the Manitoba- Ontario border.

The Little Grand Rapids, Poplar River and Pauingassi First Nations of Manitoba and the Pikangikum First Nation of Ontario have signed an accord in support of the nomination.

"The support was made possible with the foresight used in the creation of Atikaki Wilderness park in the 1980s and the foresight and hard work of local First Nations in putting forward their traditional territories that they have looked after for generations," said Doer. "We are committed to working closely with the accord First Nations governments and the governments of Ontario and Canada to bring the dream of a UNESCO site to reality."

Since 1999, the province has designated six permanent provincial parks and nine new park reserves were created. In addition, park reserve status was extended for four park reserves and 21 wildlife management areas were designated.

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