A First Nation in B.C. is hopeful a solution can be reached with the province over the amount of time a popular provincial park remains closed to recreational visitors.

Pipi7íyekw/Joffre Lakes Park, located on the unceded territories of the Líl̓wat and N’Quatqua First Nations, sees nearly 200,000 visitors a year.

The Ministry of Environment and Parks announced the park will be closed to visitors for 31 days between June 20-27 and Sept. 8-30 this year.

Líl̓wat Nation gave the province a deadline of June 2 to immediately recognize and implement their 75 reconnection days from April 19 to May 11, June 20 to June 27, and Aug. 23 to Oct. 5.

Dean Nelson, political chief of Líl̓wat Nation, said he has since heard from the province.

“We have received a response from the province regarding our correspondence on the proposed Joffre Lakes closure dates,” Nelson said. “We look forward to working collaboratively toward a resolution in the near future.”

In an email statement to CBC News, the ministry said its closure dates provide “predictability and supports” the needs of all park users.

“The number of days the park will temporarily close this year aligns with a commitment the Province made in 2023 for 30 days of closures,” said a spokesperson.

B.C. Parks continues to communicate with the Líl̓wat and N’Quatqua nations with respect to Joffre Lakes Park and looks forward to re-establishing a collaborative relationship, according to the spokesperson.

The park was closed to the public for a total of 68 days in 2025 and 60 days in 2024 for reconnection periods, which the Líl̓wat Nation said let members exercise traditional activities and allows the park to rest.

This year’s closure dates were announced on May 7 by the province.

Plants harvested for medicine, tinctures 

Nelson explains how there are valuable plants in the park that members harvest into teas, medicine and salves.

“The swamp tea, devil’s club, huckleberry, salmonberry,” Nelson said.

Plants in the park grow at different times of year and the closure dates would allow them to be harvested at the appropriate times.

“It’s a very short time,” Nelson said. “They’re just dates that we see important for our members to have this time, to be here on their own and to actually enjoy that time.”

The dates they have selected include what he describes as a homecoming of their children and the traditional Indigenous day. The dates also allow school children to connect with elders in the park. 

“We need to have that time when we need it,” Nelsons said. 

The park’s path has widened according to Nelson and he said more people are using the park.

“It’s pretty … run down, gets really used a lot and it doesn’t have time to regenerate,” Nelson said. 

Protecting public assets

Thomas Isaac, a lawyer who specializes in Aboriginal law, said the park belongs to the public.

“The public owns that park, and the public includes non-Indigenous and Indigenous peoples, let’s be very clear,” Isaac said.

He said the government appears to be trying to protect a public asset.

“The government has the right to manage public assets, it has the obligation to manage the park in the public interest, and it looks like it’s trying to do that,” Isaac said.

He believes that the province is trying to accommodate the nation’s request.

“I would say significantly so, by closing the entire park as opposed to portions of the park,” Isaac said. “There’s no obligation to accommodate all of [the dates] if they are unreasonable to the public interest.”

Last year, a peaceful ceremony was held by the Lil’wat and N’Quatqua First Nations at an intersection blocking access to the park, Highway 99 and Pemberton Portage Road, after the requested dates were not honoured.

Duffey Lake Road (Highway 99) is the main access route to the park, which Isaac points out is a provincial highway, and any blocking of it would be illegal.

“I have every faith in the Canadian legal system that if the First Nation has a concern, the legal system, which it has done in the past, will protect any of their reasonable legal interests,” Isaac said.