Parker's Notch facts for kids
Parker's Notch is a unique part of the Northwest Territories that sticks out into Nunavut on Victoria Island. It's named after John Havelock Parker, who used to be a leader (called a Commissioner) of the Northwest Territories. This special area is part of the Inuvik Region in the Northwest Territories and the Kitikmeot Region in Nunavut.
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Where is Parker's Notch Located?
Parker's Notch can be found on the Wollaston Peninsula. This is in the southwestern part of Victoria Island. The notch extends south from the 70th parallel north, which is an imaginary line around the Earth. It includes most of a lake called Quunnguq Lake.
How Parker's Notch Was Formed
Parker's Notch was created because of a special agreement. This agreement is known as the Inuvialuit Final Agreement (IFA). It was signed on June 5, 1984, after ten years of talks.
The Inuvialuit Agreement
The Inuvialuit Final Agreement set up the Inuvialuit Settlement Region. This agreement gave the Inuvialuit people legal control over a very large area of land. This land measured about 91,000 square kilometers. They also gained rights to resources like oil, gas, and minerals found underground. This covered about 13,000 square kilometers.
The Inuvialuit also got the right to hunt and gather food anywhere in this area. They became partners with the government in managing wildlife. This meant they helped take care of animals and nature. In return, the Inuvialuit agreed to share some access to their traditional lands.
Setting the Border
The agreement also decided where the border would be between the Inuvialuit region and the Northwest Territories. This border included a special "notch" of land on Victoria Island. This notch was made to include Quunnguq Lake.
Quunnguq Lake was a very important place for the Inuvialuit. They had traditionally hunted and fished there for a long time. Including the lake in the IFA helped protect their access to it. The existence of Parker's Notch was later confirmed again in 1993. This happened with the creation of the Nunavut Act.
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