Six resource companies, Noranda among them, have sold and donated their mineral rights in the northwest corner of the Yukon. The move will result in the creation of a new park, Vuntut.
Two-thirds the size of Prince Edward Island, the new park will cover about 435,000 hectares, according to news reports. Another 272,000 hectares to the south have also been relinquished.
The federal government paid $1.25 million to the companies. However, a spokesman for the Nature Conservancy of Canada, which aided in forming the new park, said the real value of the parkland is well above the federal government payment.
The companies include Norcen Energy, Gulf Canada, Petro-Canada, Inverness Petroleum, Noranda and Suncor.
The land has been inaccessible for 20 years because of land claims disputes. The Vuntut Gwitchin people of the area were in favor of a park.
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