By Canadian Press

Ottawa and First Nations in P.E.I. sign agreement to establish national park reserve

Jan 19, 2022 | 11:26 AM

LENNOX ISLAND, P.E.I. — Parks Canada signed a provisional agreement today with two First Nations to establish a new national park reserve on a pristine chain of islands along the northwest coast of Prince Edward Island.

The area is known as Hog Island Sandhills and has been described as the province’s last coastal wilderness and one of the most significant coastal dune ecosystems in Eastern Canada.

The islands are known in the Mi’kmaq language as Pituamkek (Bee-doo-um-gek), which means, “at the long sand dune,” and they have been used by the Mi’kmaq for 4,000 years.

The 30-square-kilometre site includes long beaches, a number of archeological digs and locations considered sacred to the Mi’kmaq.

An archeological survey was conducted in 2006 with the help of the Mi’kmaq Confederacy of Prince Edward, and a feasibility study was started in 2019.

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Negotiations are set to begin on a final agreement to formally establish the park, but no deadlines have been set.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 19, 2022.

The Canadian Press