Bathurst Island Land Withdrawal

Summary#

The Withdrawal from Disposal of Certain Tracts of Territorial Lands in Nunavut (Bathurst Island) Order is a federal order under the Territorial Lands Act that removes about 2000 square kilometres of land on northern Bathurst Island from being sold or granted for new surface or subsurface uses. The withdrawal lasts for 10 years starting from when the order was made (February 10, 2022) and was published in the Canada Gazette on March 2, 2022.

What it does#

• Withdraws the listed tracts of land on northern Bathurst Island (adjacent to Polar Bear Pass National Wildlife Area and Qausuittuq National Park) from disposal for 10 years. This covers both surface and subsurface rights.
• The area covered is about 2000 square kilometres as described in the Order’s schedule.
• Allows some exceptions:
  • Disposal of material under the Territorial Quarrying Regulations is still permitted.
  • Existing rights and interests already in place before the order remain valid. That includes:
    • Prospecting permits and the staking or recording of mineral claims that were granted or staked before the order.
    • Leases, licences or renewals tied to those pre-existing claims or petroleum interests.
    • Surface leases that are needed to exercise those existing rights.
• In practical terms, the Order stops new prospecting or staking of mineral claims on the identified lands while the withdrawal is in effect.

Who's affected#

• Mining and oil-and-gas prospectors and companies that might have planned to explore or develop on that part of Bathurst Island.
• Local and regional governments and organizations involved in land use planning, including Parks Canada (which worked on establishing the adjacent park).
• Inuit organizations and communities, notably the Qikiqtani Inuit Association, which was consulted about the withdrawal.
• People and groups concerned with wildlife conservation, especially those interested in the Peary Caribou (a herd that uses the area for calving).
• Anyone interested in future economic development of the area, because the withdrawal pauses new claims while longer-term planning is finished.

Why it matters#

• This is a short-term protection step to keep the land available for conservation and planned use while the Nunavut Land Use Plan is completed and approved.
• The area was partly excluded from the final park boundaries because of its economic potential, but it is also important calving habitat for the Peary Caribou. The withdrawal aims to avoid new developments that could harm that habitat until land-use rules are in place.
• The withdrawal preserves options: it prevents new claims but does not cancel existing rights or ongoing operations that were already authorized before the order.
• Background context: Qausuittuq National Park was established on September 1, 2015, and an earlier interim withdrawal that covered the area expired on December 12, 2019. The current order renews protection while land-use planning continues.