Nunavut Bird Sanctuaries Renamed

Summary#

These are final amendments to the Migratory Bird Sanctuary Regulations published as SOR/2025-99. They were registered on March 12, 2025 and published in the Canada Gazette on March 26, 2025. The main practical effect is renaming seven bird sanctuaries in Nunavut with Inuktitut names and updating the regulations and schedule to reflect Nunavut’s geography and co-management arrangements.

What it does#

• Renames seven migratory bird sanctuaries in the Nunavut Settlement Area with Inuktitut names identified by local co‑management committees:
  • Isulijarniq (former name: Dewey Soper)
  • Qaqsauqtuuq (former name: East Bay)
  • Ikkattuaq (former name: Harry Gibbons)
  • Kuugaarjuk (former name: McConnell River)
  • Akpaqarvik (former name: Prince Leopold Island)
  • Ahiak (former name: Queen Maud Gulf)
  • Naujavaat (former name: Seymour Island)
• Creates a new Part XIII in the schedule specifically listing Nunavut sanctuaries and updates place and region names that were out of date since Nunavut was created.
• Replaces the long title of the regulations with Migratory Bird Sanctuary Regulations and removes an obsolete section heading.
• Changes one permission in the regulations so that any person who holds, or is eligible for, a general hunting licence under the Wildlife Act, S.N.W.T. 2013, c. 30 may carry a firearm inside any migratory bird sanctuary lying north of the 60th parallel of north latitude for the purpose of taking fur‑bearing animals, big game, or sea mammals under that licence.
• Repeals several outdated items in the schedule (items in Part X) to clean up references.

Who's affected#

• Inuit communities and their local co‑management bodies (the Area Co‑Management Committees) in Nunavut, who proposed and approved the Inuktitut names.
• Environment and Climate Change Canada, which manages the sanctuaries and made the regulatory changes.
• Regional Inuit organizations and bodies consulted in the process, including Nunavut Tunngavik Inc., Qikiqtani Inuit Association, and Kivalliq Inuit Association.
• Local hamlets and Hunters and Trappers Organizations that were consulted about some name changes.
• People who hunt in northern sanctuaries: holders or eligible holders of an NWT general hunting licence may now carry firearms in migratory bird sanctuaries north of the 60th parallel for specified hunting purposes.
• The broader public who use maps, signs, or guidance about these protected areas (they will see new names and updated boundaries).

Why it matters#

• The changes implement part of the 2016 to 2023 Inuit Impact and Benefit Agreement (IIBA) by putting Inuktitut names into federal regulations. That supports local naming, co‑management, and reconciliation commitments.
• Renaming and updating the schedule reduces confusion caused by old territory names and outdated map references. That helps people, enforcement officers, and managers know which areas the rules apply to.
• Hunters operating in northern sanctuaries get a clearer rule about carrying firearms when they hold a qualifying general hunting licence.
• The amendments mainly update administrative and geographic details; the government says they do not add new burdens for businesses.