| Misipawistic Cree Push For Protected Land | 22 August 07 |
The Chief of the Misipawistic Cree Nation at Grand Rapids, Ovide Mercredi, says he rejects the idea of a National Park that would include his First Nation's traditional territory because he doesn't trust Parks Canada to protect the lands and prevent Banff-style development for tourists.Chief Mercredi says the Cree already do a better job than the federal or provincial governments when it comes to preserving the environment. Instead, the community is exploring the idea of creating a mechanism to protect land be governed by the Cree, including traditional land use in areas such as Long Point and tourism north of the existing First Nation community. Technical work and Federal-Provincial discussions about a Manitoba lowlands national park have been ongoing for 15 years. Manitoba Premier Doer promised in the 2007 spring election, new legislation for provincial protection of First Nation traditional lands. View the August 11, 2007 Winnipeg Free Press article View the Manitoba Wildlands Lowlands page Source: Winnipeg Free Press
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