Management planning overview

A management plan is a public document that is prepared in consultation with Indigenous peoples and other Canadians. It sets out a long-term vision for a national park, and provides strategic direction to park management and partners to guide decision-making for a ten-year timeframe. It is the main public accountability document for a national park, and is the roadmap and compass guiding Parks Canada’s work in achieve its mandate.

In the Nunavut Field Unit, a management plan also outlines how park management will achieve measurable results in the implementation of the Nunavut Agreement and Inuit Impact and Benefit Agreements. In the case of Quttinirpaaq National Park, that is the Inuit Impact and Benefit Agreement for Auyuittuq, Quttinirpaaq and Sirmilik National Parks (the Baffin IIBA).

In the Nunavut Field Unit, the Baffin IIBA requires the draft management plan to be developed by a Park Planning Team, which is a joint Government/Inuit planning team consisting of an equal number of members appointed by Parks Canada and the Qikiqtani Inuit Association. Other key stakeholders and rights holders involved include:

• The Quttinirpaaq Joint Park Management Committee
• Inuit and Nunavummiut, specifically those in adjacent communities defined by the Inuit Impact and Benefit Agreements (i.e., Resolute Bay and Grise Fiord for Quttinirpaaq National Park in accordance with the Baffin IIBA)
• Parks Canada team members
• The Canadian public
• Other government bodies, key stakeholders, and interested parties

This infographic visualizes the management planning cycle, which involves four key phases:

1. The State of the Park Assessment: An internal assessment of the current state of the park that identifies management issues arising from the condition of the park and sets the stage for the management plan review. In the Nunavut Field Unit, this assessment ultimately aims to answer the question: how is the park doing in fulfilling the Parks Canada mandate and the requirements outlined in the IIBA?

   1. The Quttinirpaaq State of the Park Assessment that informed the development of the 2020 draft management plan was approved in 2018 and can be found here.


2. Scoping Submission: A high-level evaluation that ultimately identifies key opportunities and issues, vision elements, expected results, and the consultation approach for the draft management plan. In the Nunavut Field Unit, the scoping submission is prepared by the Park Planning Team.



3. Draft Management Plan: The preparation of a draft management plan sets out context, vision, strategies, objectives, and targets based on findings of the “state of” assessment and scoping submission. In the Nunavut Field Unit, the draft plan is prepared by the Park Planning Team and approved by the Quttinirpaaq Joint Park Management Committee as well as the Parks Canada Senior Vice-President of Operations.

   1. In preparation of the Quttinirpaaq 2020 draft management plan, the Park Planning Team undertook early engagement with key stakeholders, including Inuit in the communities of Resolute Bay and Grise Fiord, adjacent communities with a special relationship to Quttinirpaaq National Park in accordance with the Baffin IIBA. The draft plan has been reviewed by the Qikiqtani Inuit Association, and, was approved by the Quttinirpaaq Joint Park Management Committee.
   
   
   2. The approved draft plan proceeds to a formal consultation phase, during which input on the draft is sought again from key stakeholders and Inuit rights holders – particularly Inuit from the adjacent communities of Resolute Bay and Grise Fiord in the case of Quttinirpaaq National Park – to ensure they are satisfied with how their interests were incorporated into the draft plan.


4. Final Management Plan and Approval: In the Nunavut Field Unit, once consultations close and feedback is incorporated into a final version as needed, the final plan is approved by the Quttinirpaaq Joint Park Management Committee and the Nunavut Wildlife Management Board before ultimately being tabled by the Minister responsible for Parks Canada in Parliament.

Following approval of the final management plan, annual implementation reports are prepared to monitor and provide updates on the progress of park management in achieving management plan strategies, objectives, and targets.

This infographic describes the timelines involved to complete the new Quttinirpaaq management plan, which includes the following completed and anticipated steps:

• The State of the Park Assessment for Quttinirpaaq National Park, and the subsequent Scoping Submission, were prepared and approved in 2018
• The Draft Plan was ready for review in 2020, but consultations were delayed due to COVID-19
• Consultations open in 2022
• The Final Plan is anticipated to be tabled in Parliament in 2023