Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) is looking at an issue of access to conservation areas with admission fees along the Grand River that some Six Nations community members have faced.
At the July 23 general council meeting, SNEC stated they believed community members only needed to provide proof of status to gain access to the conservation areas free of charge. But councillors in the meeting detailed concerns from community members on being subjected to admission fees to gain access to conservation areas.
A 2022 Parks Ontario blog entry details that Indigenous peoples have access to provincial parks or conservation reserves at any time, free of charge.
“For Indigenous people wishing to enter a provincial park within their traditional territory to exercise their Aboriginal and treaty rights, day access is provided free of charge.”
SNEC says it will continue it’s dialogue with Conservation Ontario, Parks Ontario and Parks Canada to provide clarification to the community.
CJKS requested a comment from Parks Ontario but did not receive a response ahead of publication.
