Site management

 Prince of Wales Fort National Historic Site of Canada Management Plan - August 2011 (PDF, 2.2 MB)

Prince of Wales Fort National Historic Site of Canada Management Plan

The management plan for Prince of Wales Fort National Historic Site of Canada (NHSC) provides strategic direction for achieving Parks Canada’s integrated mandate, namely the protection of commemorative integrity; facilitation of meaningful visitor experiences; and fostering public appreciation and understanding of Parks Canada’s heritage places. The plan was developed with partner, stakeholder, staff, visitor, Indigenous and public involvement. It will be the primary public accountability document and provides Parks Canada staff with a framework for decision making. The management plan includes:

• A vision for the future;
• Two key strategies, which will guide the direction of Prince of Wales Fort NHSC over the next 15 years;
• An area management approach which provides management strategies specific to each of the three distinct locations – Prince of Wales Fort, Cape Merry Battery and Sloop Cove;
• A summary of the Strategic Environmental Assessment conducted for this management plan; and
• A description of activities and measurable actions to meet the performance expectations and targets set out in the Parks Canada Corporate Plan (2009).

Key strategies

Interpreter in period costume at the fort

Following is a description of the two key strategies. These strategies provide concrete direction for addressing the major issues facing Prince of Wales Fort NHSC and focus efforts and resources towards achieving the vision.

The first key strategy, Enriching the Visitor Experience, focuses on using the setting and the stories to develop and offer previously untapped opportunities.

The second key strategy, Engaging Others - Positioning Prince of Wales Fort NHSC in a Broader Context, focuses on expanding the site’s role from a local attraction to an important site within the family of national historic sites managed by Canada, within Canada’s history and within the worldwide community of fortifications.

Both of these strategies build on work that has been carried out during the implementation of the 2000 Prince of Wales Fort NHS Management Plan.

Area management approach

Archaeology of Prince of Wales Fort interpretation

Associated with the two key strategies are three area management approaches. Prince of Wales Fort NHSC is comprised of three very distinct locations, with each site providing different opportunities for facilitating the visitor experience and public outreach education. Since different management strategies are required to make progress at each of the sites, an area approach based on each of the locations – Prince of Wales Fort, Cape Merry Battery and Sloop Cove – will be most effective. Heritage resource protection, heritage presentation and education activities will differ at each of the locations.

Objectives and measurable actions specific to Prince of Wales Fort NHSC have also been developed that will meet the performance expectations and targets set out in the Parks Canada Corporate Plan in three areas: heritage resources conservation, public appreciation and understanding and visitor experience.

Strategic environmental assessment

In accordance with the “Cabinet Directive on the Environmental Assessment of Policy, Plan and Program Proposals” (Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency, 2004), a strategic environmental assessment was conducted on the management plan. The strategic environmental assessment process was integrated with the management planning process so that potential positive and negative effects were identified early in the process and appropriate mitigations and enhancements were incorporated in the plan. Some of the initiatives described in the plan are conceptual in nature and will require further assessment under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act (1992) when the specific project proposals have been developed.

In an effort to make this information available to you in a timely manner, this plan is currently only available in PDF format. Should you require an alternate format or a hard copy please contact us by emailing: manitoba@pc.gc.ca.