Parks Canada’s draft plan would guide Auyuittuq National Park management for the next 10 years. It was developed by a planning team appointed by the Qikiqtani Inuit Association and Parks Canada, following 2024 consultations in Pangnirtung and Qikiqtarjuaq. The draft sets objectives including 100 per cent Inuit employment through a 2026–2036 Inuit Employment Plan, support for Inuit outfitters and local businesses, youth activities in both communities, and more regular work with Inuit Knowledge groups. Source↗

The plan would shape how Parks Canada directs staff time, spending priorities, visitor services, research and access decisions in and around a park closely connected to Pangnirtung and Qikiqtarjuaq. It identifies climate-driven travel hazards as a public-safety concern and says research involving Inuit and grounded in Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit should be strongly encouraged. Source↗

The Parks Canada page does not state a public-comment deadline, a date for review by the Joint Park Planning and Management Committee, or the next approval step. Atiilu News Desk should seek confirmation from Parks Canada and the Qikiqtani Inuit Association on whether comments are still being accepted and when a final plan could be considered.

The draft assigns zoning to the Northern Fiords, an area left unzoned in the 2010 plan. It says visitors using motorized access in Zone III parts of the Northern Fiords would have to travel with a Nunavut Inuk. It also restates annual visitor restrictions: Mattaatujjana (Maktak Fiord) and Illaulittuuq (Coronation Fiord) are closed to visitor access from Aug. 25 until freeze-up for Inuit traditional activities, while the Northern Fiords have a March 1 to May 31 visitor closure during polar-bear denning season. Zoning does not apply to Inuit exercising rights under the Nunavut Agreement. Source↗