Federal government announces funding to restore Wood Buffalo National Park
An aerial view of Fort Chipewyan, Alta., on the boundary of Wood Buffalo National Park is shown on Monday, Sept. 19, 2011. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh December 21, 2020 - 3:14 PM
OTTAWA - The federal government has more than doubled previous funding commitments for Canada s largest national park to answer environmental concerns from Indigenous groups and a United Nations agency.
Wood Buffalo National Park â a UNESCO World Heritage Site â is to receive nearly $60 million over the next three years to consider threats from hydro and oilsands development and climate change.
That s in addition to $27.5 million announced earlier, Environment and Climate Change Minister Jonathan Wilkinson said Monday.
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Indigenous communities in the Wood Buffalo area are facing heightened feelings of isolation after closing themselves off to all non-essential traffic in March.
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Try refreshing your browser. Indigenous leaders struggle to support mental health as community access remains restricted Back to video
But after 10 months, community leaders are also witnessing the emotional and mental health toll that comes when a community isolates itself.
Since March, Chief Allan Adam of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation says there has been an increase in young people in Fort Chipewyan that have died from alcohol abuse. To compare, no one in the community has died from COVID-19.
We re just frustrated : Missed UNESCO deadline a setback for Wood Buffalo National Park, advocates sayÂ
Advocates in northern Alberta and the N.W.T. say a missed deadline in the protection of Canadaâs largest national park means the federal government is not taking its conservation seriously.Â
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Parks Canada had until Dec. 1 to update UNESCO on conservation efforts in park that straddles Alberta, N.W.T.
Posted: Dec 15, 2020 6:00 AM CT | Last Updated: December 15, 2020
Wood Buffalo National Park in 2018.(Lennard Plantz/CBC)