Canadian Shield

Natural Region 16

STATUS OF NATIONAL PARKS:

While no national parks have yet been established in this natural region, in 1996 lands were reserved under the Territorial Lands Act for a national park in the Wager Bay area.

This area has been proposed for a national park since 1978. Wager Bay, a veritable inland sea, extends more than 150 kilometres inland from Hudson Bay. Glacier-polished islands and shorelines, colourful cliffs and tidal flats backed by rolling tundra give this area its special appeal.

Abandoned Hudson's Bay Post, Wager Bay © Parks Canada

A reversing falls and two polynyas (areas of the sea that never freeze) - one at the falls and the other at the mouth of Wager Bay - are features of special interest.

The wildlife has attracted hunters to this area since ancient times still abounds. Polar bears congregate here in summer and can regularly be seen along the shore; peregrine falcons and gyrfalcons nest on the cliffs; caribou roam the tundra hills. Tent rings and meat caches are found along the shoreline, indicating that the area has long been a favoured hunting ground. Residents from Repulse Bay and other Keewatin communities still travel to the area to hunt for seals and caribou and to fish for arctic char.

Wager Bay remains almost completely untouched. There are no permanent inhabitants, although a commercial lodge was built in 1987 that caters primarily to naturalists. The entire natural region lies within the Nunavut Settlement Area, as defined in the Nunavut Land Claim Final Agreement.