On January 18, another step was taken for the preservation of the Heart of the Boreal, the magnificent heartland of wilderness stretching across the Manitoba - Ontario border.

Elders and Chiefs representing Poplar River, Bloodvein River, Little Grand Rapids, Pauingassi, and Pikangikum First Nations joined the Premier at the Manitoba legislature. They announced that the formal bid for a United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Site for the east side of Lake Winnipeg was complete.

The UNESCO World Heritage Site designation is about identifying, protecting, and preserving cultural and natural heritage around the world that is considered to be of outstanding value to humanity. The bid has taken more than 18 months to complete, and it will be at least another 18 months before we hear whether the designation is granted. If selected, this will be a significant UNESCO World Heritage Site for Manitoba and Canada.

For ten years we have campaigned to raise awareness and gain protection for the Heart of the Boreal. This announcement is a reason to celebrate. Critics are wondering why bother with this designation? It doesn’t really affect things here in Manitoba. But it does matter.

To start with, we have a moral responsibility to do good by the planet. We have a moral responsibility to make sure our world our planet is healthy and sustainable for us, and our children and grandchildren.

We have a responsibility as Canadians to be good global citizens. Right now, however, Canada is recognized as a climate pariah. Our inaction on climate change, above all else, is losing us friends. Other countries care that we’re destroying our country, because while we do it, we’re destroying their atmosphere.  

The Heart of the Boreal is Manitoba’s chance to shine. We are actively seeking to enshrine the wishes of First Nations in legislation and make it possible for the traditional territories of these communities to be managed the way these communities want. And we are boldly taking pride in this stance, telling the world that we have the greatest intact forest left on earth, and this land that has been continually inhabited for at least 6,000 years is important for First nations cultures, and it is essential for the world.

This is Canada’s first World Heritage Site nomination that is based on both ecological AND cultural considerations.

Ecologically, it is so easy for me to know why this area is important. It is a vast store of carbon, it is a forest purifying our air, and it is a source of clean, pure freshwater for our ill-treated Lake Winnipeg. It’s the habitat of endangered woodland caribou -- one of the last strongholds in Canada. This alone is enough reason to protect this area.

Culturally, it is important for me, a Canadian of non-aboriginal descent, to recognize the contribution and the reality of the First Nations communities that we share this country with, upon whose ancestral homes this country was built. We need to recognize self-determination, and collaboratively work as allies.

Our country is facing a growing crisis, that my kid will be dealing with for decades. There is a separation between First Nations communities and other Canadians. This issue will not go away. And we need a model of how to work together.  The world heritage site nomination is an important reminder, showing a path forward for us, and helping us recognize the need to collaborate together.

Eric Reder
Campaign Director - Wilderness Committee Manitoba