Crown Lands

Most Crown land in Ontario is administered by the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR), however, national parks, Indian reserves and some harbours, airports and canal systems are controlled by the Canadian federal government. Provincial parks and conservation reserves are Crown lands that are planned, developed and managed by Ontario Parks.

In total, Crown land makes up about 87% of Ontario's land mass, or 937,000 square kilometres. Land on the beds of most navigable lakes and rivers is considered provincial Crown land. These beds alone constitute over 164,000 square kilometres, mostly under the Great Lakes system. With the exception of that "land under water", there is very little Crown land in southern Ontario. In northern Ontario, provincial Crown land makes up over 95% of the land base.

The rules governing the administration of Crown lands other than provincial parks and conservation reserves are laid out in a provincial law known as the Public Lands Act. In this statute, the term "public land" means Crown land. However, outside the statute, the term public land is sometimes used to mean any land that is controlled or owned by a provincial, federal or municipal public agency. On land which is truly "owned" by any of these agencies, the Act does not apply.

Wabakimi Provincial Park is surrounded by Crown lands that lie in four different MNR administrative districts (Sioux Lookout, Dryden, Thunder Bay & Nipigon). These public lands are designated as general use areas. Descriptions of the commercial and recreational land uses and activities currently permitted in each of these general use areas are available in their respective policy reports posted in the Crown Land Use Policy Atlas.

General Use Areas

Crown Land Camping

Ontario's Crown land provides the opportunity for many outdoor recreational activities including canoeing and camping. Although most Crown land is available for the enjoyment of both Ontario residents and visitors, access to some Crown land may be restricted or limited. Under authority of the Public Lands Act, the MNR may post signs to limit certain kinds of travel or activity (including camping) on Crown land for reasons of public safety or environmental protection. Visitors to the Wabakimi area should contact the local MNR District office for more information about the Crown land in the area they hope to visit.

Residents of Canada may camp free of charge on Crown land for up to 21 days at any one site, except where posted otherwise.

In Northern Ontario, non-residents of Canada 18 years of age or older who purchase a Crown Land Camping Permit may camp on Crown land that is not a regulated (green) zone or under some other similar restriction.

Forest Management Units

For the purpose of forest management, Ontario's Crown forest (or Forest Management Planning Area) is divided into 47 geographic planning areas known as forest management units (FMU's). Before any forestry activities can take place in a FMU, an approved forest management plan (FMP) must be in place.

Most FMU's are managed by individual forest companies under a Sustainable Forest Licence (SFL). The SFL holder is responsible for carrying out the following activities subject to MNR regulations and approvals:

• forest management planning
• harvesting
• access road construction
  
• forest renewal and maintenance
• monitoring and reporting

To assist in the delivery of new directions in forest management and to be efficient in forest management planning, the MNR plans to reduce the number of individual FMU's through amalgamation. FMU names and numbers will be changed as these amalgamations occur.

Currently, seven FMU's lie on the Crown lands adjacent to, or near Wabakimi Provincial Park. With pending almalgamations, this number will be reduced to five by 2011.

Existing Forest Management Units in the Wabakimi Area

NOTES:

1. Effective April 1, 2010, the Armstrong FMU will be amalgamated with the Lake Nipigon FMU into the Lake Nipigon FMU.
2. Effective April 1, 2011, the Black Sturgeon FMU will be amalgamated with the Spruce River FMU into the Black Spruce FMU.