Prairie NWA reorganized into five NWAs

Summary#

This is a proposal, published in the Canada Gazette, Part I on June 1, 2024, to change how the old Prairie National Wildlife Area (NWA) in southern Saskatchewan is organized. The plan would remove 19 scattered parcels from the Prairie NWA and create five new, smaller NWAs made up of the highest-value habitat units; it is not law yet and is open for public comment for 90 days.

What it does#

• Removes the existing Prairie National Wildlife Area (the scattered 26-unit area) from the list of protected NWAs in Saskatchewan.
• Creates five new NWAs from the Prairie NWA units judged to have the highest conservation value:
  • Great Sandhills National Wildlife Area — 474.7 hectares (units 20 and 21).
  • Harris Sandhills National Wildlife Area — 372.1 hectares (unit 13).
  • Longspur National Wildlife Area — 193.4 hectares (unit 11).
  • Moose Mountain Creek National Wildlife Area — 162.7 hectares (unit 27).
  • Thickwood Hills National Wildlife Area — 298.6 hectares (units 6 and 7).
• Delists the other 19 units (they would no longer be governed by the Wildlife Area Regulations).
• Keeps and explicitly authorizes certain public activities in the five new NWAs that already existed in the Prairie NWA:
  • Wildlife viewing, hiking and non-commercial berry picking.
  • Sport hunting (including with dogs off‑leash for migratory/upland birds) within specified daylight hours, provided hunters follow federal and Saskatchewan rules and do not use toxic shot.
• Signals that after delisting, the government may divest (trade, transfer to conservation organizations or Indigenous groups, or sell) delisted parcels while saying treaty and Indigenous rights would be respected.

Who's affected#

• Local permit holders, especially cattle ranchers and farmers who held grazing or haying permits on Prairie NWA lands. The government estimates permit applications would drop from 24 to 12 because of the delisting.
• Hunters, hikers and other recreational users of the newly designated NWAs, who would generally keep the same permitted activities.
• Environment and Climate Change Canada (the federal department that manages NWAs), which would change how it focuses enforcement and management effort.
• First Nations, Métis organizations and tribal councils near the lands; the department consulted many Indigenous groups and conducted an assessment that found no direct treaty impacts, but some Indigenous organizations raised concerns about future land divestment.
• Environmental non-government organizations (ENGOs): some supported the change, while a few disagreed and prompted small adjustments to the proposal.
• Communities or buyers who might acquire delisted parcels in future land dispositions — the final use of those lands is not decided yet.

Why it matters#

• Conservation focus: the change concentrates federal protection on the parts of the Prairie NWA that have the most intact habitat and important species at risk, which could make on-the-ground conservation more effective.
• Less red tape for some land users: delisting lower-value units is expected to cut permit paperwork and small administrative costs for local permit holders (the government estimates administrative savings and net benefits over 10 years).
• Possible changes in land ownership or use: delisted parcels could be transferred, sold, or otherwise disposed of later. That could affect local land use and Indigenous interests depending on what happens at the disposition stage.
• It’s a proposal, not final: anyone can comment during the 90‑day consultation period. If adopted, the regulations would come into force on the day they are registered.