RIDING MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK
PARKS CANADA NEWS
Boating and Paddling
Motor boaters and paddlers play a key role in keeping zebra mussels and other aquatic invasive species out of park waters. As such, Parks Canada is enhancing its Aquatic Invasive Species Prevention Program in Riding Mountain National Park by offering Seasonal Permit Orientation Sessions to engage frequent lake users to help us protect park waters. The Seasonal Permit Orientation Sessions will provide visitors with hands-on experience to empower them to become stewards of park waters.
Upon completion of the Seasonal Permit Orientation Session and mandatory inspection, visitors will be issued a seasonal permit and can enter Riding Mountain National Park waters as often as they like provided they do not launch anywhere outside of the park, providing them with the convenience of not having to renew their permits every week throughout the season.
These sessions will last from 1.5 – 2 hours and will begin May long weekend and run until July.
Seasonal Permits will provide frequent visitors with the convenience of not having to renew their permits every week throughout the season. Upon completion of the Seasonal Permit Orientation Session and mandatory inspection, visitors will be issued a seasonal permit and can enter RMNP waters as often as they like provided they do not launch anywhere outside of the park.
Are you:
A boater or paddler that wants to know more about Aquatic Invasive Species?
A boater or paddler who is interested in a Seasonal Permit for your boat?
Do you:
Live in or around Riding Mountain National Park?
Want to share the knowledge and skills gained with your family and friends?
Then the Seasonal Permit Orientation Session is for you!
You will learn more about the Aquatic Invasive Species Prevention Program in Riding Mountain National Park, participate in hands-on skill development, complete a written quiz and be provided with the tools necessary to share your knowledge with everyone you know.
Upon completion of the session and your initial mandatory inspection, a seasonal permit will be issued to use your vessel within Riding Mountain National Park waters. When you launch your motorboat, canoe, kayak, paddleboard, and inflatables outside of RMNP, your permit becomes invalid. In order to re-enter park waters, re-inspection is mandatory.
Sessions will take approximately 1.5-2 hours to complete and will be located at the Visitor Centre in Wasagaming unless noted in specific communities. Sessions are being planned for Dauphin, McCreary and Rossburn, dates to be determined.
2019 Schedule for Seasonal Orientation Permit Sessions in the Visitor Centre in Wasagaming
Pre-registration is required and can be booked by calling 204-848-7275
May
May 18, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
May 18, 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. FULL
May 19, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. FULL
May 19, 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m FULL
May 20, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. FULL
May 20 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
May 22, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. FULL
May 25, 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. FULL
May 28, 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. FULL
June
June 1, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. FULL
June 1, 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. FULL
June 4, 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. FULL
June 6, 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. FULL
June 8, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
June 8, 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. FULL
June 9, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
June 15, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
June 16, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
June 15 & 18, 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
June 20, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
June 22, 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
June 29, 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
July
July 6 & 13, 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
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WASAGAMING, MANITOBA October 17, 2018 – The Cannabis Act has come into force, meaning that cannabis is now legalized and regulated in Canada. Relevant provincial and territorial cannabis laws will be applied at national parks, national historic sites, and national marine conservation areas. Visitors will need to inform themselves on the applicable provincial/municipal laws on cannabis use when planning their trip to a Parks Canada place. When planning a trip, visitors should also be aware of regulations relating to transporting cannabis across provincial/territorial borders.
In Riding Mountain National Park, cannabis consumption is being regulated in accordance with provincial/municipal regulations.
In accordance with Manitoba laws on cannabis use, the following regulations should be respected at all times;
Public consumption (including Day Use Areas): cannabis consumption is not permitted in day use areas.
Campgrounds: In Parks Canada campgrounds, cannabis consumption will be limited to campsites as they are considered temporary residences. Therefore, cannabis consumption will not be allowed in shared public spaces within campgrounds (i.e. kitchen shelters, washrooms, trails, roads or anywhere else outside a person’s campsite).
Trails: cannabis consumption is not permitted on trails.
Playgrounds: cannabis consumption is not permitted near playgrounds.
Parks Canada accommodations (oTENTiks, Yurt, micrOcube, Cairns Cabin): cannabis consumption is not permitted inside of Parks Canada accommodations.
Parks Canada is the country’s largest tourism provider and we are committed to providing visitors with exceptional and meaningful experiences at our places. As a federal agency, Parks Canada is supporting the implementation of the Government of Canada’s initiative to legalize non-medical cannabis possession, sales, and consumption. please visit https://www.pc.gc.ca/cannabis, or for information about cannabis legalization and regulation in Canada visit http://www.canada.ca/cannabis
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Minister McKenna affirms ecological integrity is the first priority in the management of Parks Canada
News provided by Parks Canada through Cision Communications May 7, 2018
Canada’s national parks and protected areas play a critical role in shaping our national identity, protecting wildlife and our natural heritage, fighting climate change, and supporting jobs and local economic development across the country. The Government of Canada is committed to preserving Canada’s natural and cultural heritage for generations to come.
Today, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Minister responsible for Parks Canada, Catherine McKenna, presented her response to an unprecedented level of public input on the future of Parks Canada, provided through the Minister’s Round Table, Let’s Talk Parks, Canada!.
In response to feedback received from more than 13,000 Canadians, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Minister responsible for Parks Canada, Catherine McKenna, has put forward three priorities for Parks Canada:
1. To Protect and Restore our national parks and historic sites – ensuring ecological integrity is the first priority in considering all aspects of the management of national parks – through focused investments, limiting development, and by working with Indigenous peoples, provinces and territories.
2. Enable people to further Discover and Connect with our national parks and heritage through innovative ideas that help share these special places with all Canadians.
3. Sustain for generations to come the incredible value – both ecological and economic – that our national parks and historic sites provide for communities.
Minister McKenna’s response provides direction for the future management of Parks Canada, and progress is already underway on a number of areas identified in the Let’s Talk Parks, Canada!
Through Budget 2018, the Government is making a historic investment of more than $1.3 billion to protect Canada’s nature, parks and wild spaces, which includes funding for Parks Canada to support Canada’s biodiversity goals and help conserve natural ecosystems. In addition, the government is making progress on expanding the system of protected areas in support of Canada’s international commitment to conserve 17 percent of our land and 10 percent of our oceans by 2020. The federal government, in collaboration with Inuit of Nunavut and the Government of Nunavut, is already working to create Canada’s largest protected area in Tallurutiup Imanga/Lancaster Sound, and plans to establish a national park reserve in the South Okanagan in partnership with Sylix/Okangan Nation and the Government of British Columbia.
To advance reconciliation and contribute to the greater involvement of Indigenous peoples in the management of Parks Canada places, the Minister’s response highlights the importance of recognizing and respecting Indigenous rights, history and cultures, and restoring connections to traditional lands and waters. The Government is investing $23.9 million through Budget 2018 to integrate Indigenous views, history and heritage into national parks, marine conservation areas and historic sites managed by Parks Canada. The Government is also supporting new and existing Indigenous Guardians programs at Parks Canada places and elsewhere, among other initiatives.
The commemorative integrity of our historic places is also essential. In an effort to strengthen heritage conservation, work is already underway to review legislative measures, financial tools and best practices. Minister McKenna also indicated that an emphasis should be placed on new interpretive programs, digital technologies and partnerships to help tell the stories of our diverse heritage, so future generations can better understand our rich and varied history.
Going forward, programs and initiatives will be developed to encourage a broader diversity of visitors to Parks Canada places, so that more Canadians – particularly youth and people with varying abilities – can experience the outdoors and learn about our heritage.
To further to this goal, starting in 2018 and beyond, the Government is offering free admission to Parks Canada places for youth 17 and under, and free admission for one year for new Canadians. This builds on the success of free admission for all Canadians in celebration of Canada 150. The Minister committed to investing in other initiatives that will make it easier for Canadians to discover nature and connect with history, such as expanding the Learn-to Camp program (up to 70,000 participants in 2017) and further developing the Parks Canada mobile app (with over 170,000 downloads to date).
In her response, Minister McKenna acknowledged the important role that the tourism industry and local businesses play in supporting economic activity and jobs in hundreds of communities located near Parks Canada places – demonstrating clearly how the environment and the economy go together.
The perspectives shared by Canadians during the Minister’s Round Table – Let’s Talk Parks, Canada! will help shape the future of Parks Canada places for decades to come. Parks Canada will review the action items in the Minister’s response and develop plans to implement them, over the short, medium and long-term.
Quote
“The unprecedented public feedback we received shows just how much Canadians everywhere care about our shared natural and cultural heritage. I am proud to share the practical steps we are taking in response to that feedback – such as making ecological integrity the first priority in decisions made about the future of our national parks, and ensuring more Canadians have access to nature and historic sites. I look forward to working with our partners in communities across the country, and with Indigenous peoples in particular, to protect, share and sustain Canada’s essential natural and cultural legacy for generations to come.”
The Honourable Catherine McKenna
Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Minister responsible for Parks Canada
https://www.canada.ca/en/parks-canada/news/2018/05/minister-mckenna-affirms-ecological-integrity-is-the-first-priority-in-the-management-of-parks-canada.
To view the Lets Talk Parks, Canada report click here:
http://www.letstalkparkscanada.ca/report