Transfer of Crown Land to Contribute to the Settlement of the Wiikwemkoong Islands Boundary Claim Environmental Study Report
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FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL STUDY REPORT – WIIKWEMKOONG ISLANDS BOUNDARY CLAIM – PROPOSED LAND TRANSFER AUGUST 2019 Transfer of Crown Land to Contribute to the Settlement of the Wiikwemkoong Islands Boundary Claim Environmental Study Report A Project under the Class Environmental Assessments for Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) Resource Stewardship and Facility Developments Projects (RSFD) and Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) Provincial Parks and Conservation Reserves (PPCR) Ministry of Indigenous Affairs August 2019 This Final Environmental Study Report has been prepared as a Project Plan Report for the Wiikwemkoong Islands Boundary Claim – Proposed Land Transfer as a part of the Category C Project Evaluation and Consultation Process as outlined in Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry Class Environmental Assessment for Resource Stewardship and Facility Development Projects and the Class Environmental Assessment for Provincial Parks and Conservation Reserves. FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL STUDY REPORT – WIIKWEMKOONG ISLANDS BOUNDARY CLAIM – PROPOSED LAND TRANSFER AUGUST 2019 Cette publication hautement spécialisée Environmental Study Report n'est disponible qu'en anglais conformément au Règlement 671/92, selon lequel il n’est pas obligatoire de la traduire en vertu de la Loi sur les services en français. Pour obtenir des renseignements en français, veuillez communiquer avec le ministère des Affaires autochtones au 1-866-381-5337 ou [email protected]. 2 FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL STUDY REPORT – WIIKWEMKOONG ISLANDS BOUNDARY CLAIM – PROPOSED LAND TRANSFER AUGUST 2019 Contents List of Tables .............................................................................................................. 6 1.0 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................. 8 2.0 PROJECT PROPOSAL ...................................................................................... 10 2.1 Project Description .............................................................................................. 10 2.2 Description of Study Area ................................................................................... 14 3.0 PRELIMINARY PROJECT PLAN ...................................................................... 28 4.0 IDENTIFICATION AND EVALUATION OF ALTERNATIVES ........................... 30 4.1 Proposed Approach: Transfer the Proposed Settlement Lands ......................... 30 4.2 Alternative 1: Ontario does not pursue a negotiated settlement of the Wiikwemkoong Islands Boundary Claim (Null) ................................................... 30 4.3 Alternative 2: Re-Negotiate Proposed Settlement Lands ................................... 31 5.0 EVALUATION AND CONSULTATION PROCESS ............................................ 33 5.1 Approach to the Evaluation of Environmental Effects ......................................... 33 5.2 The Evaluation and Consultation Process: Category C Projects ........................ 34 FIGURE 1: COORDINATED PPCR AND RSFD CLASS EA PROCESSES ............ 35 6.0 CONSULTATION ............................................................................................... 36 6.1 Summary of Consultation Activities to Date ........................................................ 36 6.2 First Nation and Métis Communities ................................................................... 43 7.0 POTENTIAL ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS AND MITIGATION MEASURES . 44 7.1 Proposed Approach: Transfer the Proposed Settlement Lands ......................... 44 7.2 Alternative 1: Ontario does not pursue a negotiated settlement of the Wiikwemkoong Islands Boundary Claim (Null) ................................................... 48 7.3 Alternative 2: Re-Negotiate Proposed Settlement Lands ................................... 49 3 FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL STUDY REPORT – WIIKWEMKOONG ISLANDS BOUNDARY CLAIM – PROPOSED LAND TRANSFER AUGUST 2019 8.0 RESULTS OF EVALUATION ............................................................................. 51 9.0 APPENDICES .................................................................................................... 52 Appendix A - MAP OF PROPOSED SETTLEMENT LANDS ................................... 53 Appendix B - RESOURCE USERS ACTIVITY SUMMARY, IMPACTS ASSESSMENT, & POTENTIAL MITIGATION OPTIONS ................................... 55 Bear Management Areas: ................................................................................... 59 Traplines: ............................................................................................................ 64 Bait Fish Harvest Area: ....................................................................................... 68 Sustainable Forest Licences: ............................................................................. 70 Commercial Fish Licences: ................................................................................ 74 Recreational Trails / Hiking / Cross Country Skiing: ........................................... 80 Access Points: .................................................................................................... 82 Recreational Trails - Snowmobile / ATV: ............................................................ 84 Recreational Canoe/Boating Routes / Portages / Campsites / Shore Lunch Locations / Beaches: .......................................................................................... 86 Tourism Industry: ................................................................................................ 92 Land Tenure: .................................................................................................... 105 Historic Land Use Sites: ................................................................................... 113 Access Corridors .............................................................................................. 114 First Nation and Métis Communities ................................................................. 116 Planning Authorities .......................................................................................... 117 Local Non-Indigenous Communities ................................................................. 120 General Comments .......................................................................................... 123 4 FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL STUDY REPORT – WIIKWEMKOONG ISLANDS BOUNDARY CLAIM – PROPOSED LAND TRANSFER AUGUST 2019 Appendix C - REFERENCES, LINKS, AND APPLICABLE MANUALS AND GUIDELINES .................................................................................................... 124 5 FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL STUDY REPORT – WIIKWEMKOONG ISLANDS BOUNDARY CLAIM – PROPOSED LAND TRANSFER AUGUST 2019 List of Tables Table 1: Species at Risk – Ecodistrict 6E-17 (Manitoulin and Adjacent Islands) ...... 16 Table 2: Location Reference Table (Toma Kinoshameg Fishing Boundary Area) .... 17 Table 3: Location Reference Table (Heywood Island) .............................................. 17 Table 4: Species at Risk – Ecoregion 5E (Georgian Bay) ....................................... 19 Table 5: Location Reference Table (Interchange and Exchange Blocks) ................. 20 Table 6: Location Reference Table (Wolf Creek Block) ............................................ 22 Table 7: Location Reference Table (Mahzenazing Lake Block) ............................... 24 Table 8: Location Reference Table (Collins Inlet Block) ........................................... 25 Table 9: Location Reference Table Philip Edward Island (aka Gwiinokgwiindek Mnisheh) and Surrounding Islands ........................................................................... 27 Table 10: Summary of Public Feedback / Concerns Pre-Final ESR ......................... 37 Table 11: Potential Impacts and Environmental Effects associated with Selection of “transfer of Crown land” alternative........................................................................... 45 6 FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL STUDY REPORT – WIIKWEMKOONG ISLANDS BOUNDARY CLAIM – PROPOSED LAND TRANSFER AUGUST 2019 DISCLAIMER Ontario accepts no responsibility or liability for any actions taken in reliance on any of the information contained in this report, or for any errors, inaccuracies and/or omissions contained in this report. In no event will Ontario be liable or responsible for any damages resulting from any such errors, inaccuracies or omissions nor will Ontario be liable or responsible for any lost profits, loss of revenue or earnings, claims by third parties or for any economic, indirect, special, incidental, consequential or exemplary damage including but not limited to any demands or causes of action in contract, tort or otherwise including any liability for negligence. The information contained in this report does not necessarily reflect Ontario’s understanding of the existing or asserted Aboriginal rights or title of Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory. The information contained in this report does not constitute an admission by Ontario of any sort and does not limit Ontario’s rights in any way. Wiikwemkoong input into this report should not be perceived as any sort of Wiikwemkoong statement regarding consultation obligations and rights. 7 FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL STUDY REPORT – WIIKWEMKOONG ISLANDS BOUNDARY CLAIM – PROPOSED LAND TRANSFER AUGUST 2019 1.0 INTRODUCTION This Environmental Study Report (ESR) has been prepared in accordance with a Category “C” project under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF)