Thousand Islands Park Expansion

Summary#

This is a proposed Order Amending Schedule 1 to the Canada National Parks Act that would formally add about 80 parcels (roughly 9.3 km²) to Thousand Islands National Park. The lands have been owned and managed by Parks Canada since 2006; the change mainly gives them full legal park status and enforcement under the Act. The notice appeared in the Canada Gazette on April 9, 2022, and the public had 30 days to comment.

What it does#

• Adds 80 parcels of land (about 9.3 km²) to the legal description of Thousand Islands National Park by amending Schedule 1 of the Canada National Parks Act.
• Brings those lands under the Act’s rules and prohibitions so park regulations (for example on hunting, camping, fishing and protection of wildlife and habitat) can be enforced there.
• Formalizes a situation where these lands have already been held and managed by Parks Canada since 2006.
• The proposed Order would come into force when it is registered (the Gazette text describes the timing and next steps).

Who's affected#

• Local communities and visitors near the areas named in the notice (lands at Jones Creek, Landon Bay and LaRue Mills, about 40 km east of Kingston, Ontario).
• Indigenous partners who have longstanding ties to the area, notably the Mohawks of Akwesasne (the record says they were consulted and raised no objections).
• Conservation groups involved in the acquisition history, such as the Nature Conservancy of Canada, and the former land seller, the St. Lawrence Parks Commission.
• Recreational users and anyone who might have used those lands for activities now restricted under the national parks regime.
• The notice says there are no businesses currently operating on the lands, so economic impacts are expected to be minimal.

Why it matters#

• Putting the parcels on Schedule 1 gives the lands full legal protection under the Canada National Parks Act, rather than the more limited provincial trespass rules that applied before. That makes it easier to protect wildlife, old-growth forest and wetlands there.
• The added land helps keep a larger, connected natural corridor in the Frontenac Arch region. That matters for species at risk and for ecological resilience as the climate changes.
• The parcels have already been managed as part of the park for years, so for many people the practical change will be stronger legal clarity and enforceability rather than an immediate change in how the land is used.