PHOTO: Old Lunenburg, N.S.. (Photo courtesy of Thinkstock)

For the first time in more than a decade, the Government of Canada is updating its nomination list, the Tentative List for World Heritage Sites, for potential sites to be considered for inclusion on the list of World Heritage Sites. The list, last updated in 2014, has 11 sites listed for possible inclusion, of which five have already been inscribed as World Heritage Sites. The most recent site inscribed was Mistaken Point, NL, which was recognized in July 2016.

Now, Catherine McKenna, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change and the Minister responsible for Parks Canada, is asking Canadians to chime in and add their ideas for the next set of candidates to the World Heritage list.

“As we prepare to come together as a nation to celebrate our 150th birthday in 2017, I invite Canadians and communities from across the country to nominate their unique and exceptional places for consideration as future World Heritage Sites, so we can share more of our treasures with the world,” said MCkenna.

Canada's new nominees for UNESCO World Heritage Sites will be announced in 2017 in celebration of the 150th anniversary of Confederation.

As part of the nomination process, Minister McKenna also announced the formation of Ministerial Advisory Committee which will review the nominations. The Government is seeking Canadians with expertise in natural and cultural heritage to participate on the committee. The committee will include Indigenous representation.

World Heritage sites are sites considered to have “Outstanding Universal Value,” and include such globally recognized destinations as the Pyramids of Egypt and Australia's Great Barrier Reef.

"The designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Site is reserved for humanity's most outstanding achievements and nature's most inspiring creations,” said McKenna. “This is an opportunity for all Canadians to think about the natural, historic and cultural wonders in their communities.

Only two nominations per year can be submitted by a country for consideration. Parks Canada is Canada's representative for the UNESCO World Heritage Convention.

Canada’s World Heritage Sites

Canada is home to 18 UNESCO World Heritage sites, including:

British Columbia
SGang Gwaay

Alberta/British Columbia
Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks

Alberta
Dinosaur Provincial Park
Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump
Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park

Ontario
Rideau Canal

Quebec
Historic District of Old Québec
Miguasha National Park

Newfoundland and Labrador
Gros Morne National Park
L'Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site
Mistaken Point
Red Bay Basque Whaling Station

Nova Scotia
Joggins Fossil Cliffs
Landscape of Grand Pre
Old Town Lunenburg

Northwest Territory/Alberta
Wood Buffalo National Park

Northwest Territory
Nahanni National Park Reserve

Yukon Territory/British Columbia
Kluane / Wrangell-St.Elias / Glacier Bay / Tatshenshini-Alsek

For information on nominating a site, visit: www.pc.gc.ca.

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