The Lands Branch is accountable for the management of thousands of square kilometres of Crown lands. This includes establishing policy, planning, setting fees, reviewing and approving or denying applications, and specifying conditions for sale, lease, permit, or other dispositions. The Lands Branch provides advice and information on matters related to provincial Crown land administration, legislation, policies, procedures and guidelines to the public and provincial, federal, and local governments.
Responsibilities also include fulfilling land transfer requirements associated with 700,000 hectares in provincial land obligations to Indigenous people under treaty land entitlement and flood compensation agreements, assisting in the development of traditional and management plans on the east side of Lake Winnipeg, and geographical (commemorative) naming.
The Branch operates under The Crown Lands Act, The Wild Rice Act and The East Side Traditional Lands and Special Protected Areas Act
The Lands Branch of Natural Resources and Indigenous Futures has offices in Winnipeg and Neepawa as well as five regional offices throughout the province, contact us.
Crown Land and Federal Land Programs
The Lands Branch's Land Application Review Committee (LARC) reviews applications for Crown land permits, leases, sales, licenses of occupation, easements, etc. and recommends approval, conditional approval, or disapproval of the application. The process verifies that the land use classification of Crown land and proposed use of the land have been thoroughly reviewed, taking into account the needs of all relevant government departments and Crown agencies. Oversight and instruction are provided to the Real Estate Services Division (Department of Finance) who provide the administrative services associated with Crown land dispositions.
The Government of Manitoba recognizes it has a duty to consult in a meaningful way with Indigenous communities when any proposed provincial law, regulation, decision or action may infringe upon or adversely affect the exercise of a treaty or aboriginal right of that Indigenous community. The LARC ensures Crown consultation with Indigenous peoples related to Crown land proposals is undertaken in accordance with the provincial policies and guidelines where there is known potential for an adverse affect on treaty and aboriginal rights.
Since the federal government formally transferred natural resources to Manitoba in 1930 under the Natural Resources Transfer Act, the transfer of administration and control of land between the Crowns has continued. Manitoba’s Federal Land Programs include transactions with the Department of National Defense, Fisheries and Oceans, Small Craft Harbours, Transport Canada, Public Works, Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Agency and Parks Canada.
Treaty Land Entitlement (TLE)
The TLE unit is responsible for the Crown land clearance and transfer processes of land in accordance with the Treaty Land Entitlement Framework Agreement. ArcView GIS is used to identify land selection locations, produce shape files for distribution to other departments and agencies for review, calculate acreages, display previous dispositions, and produce reports for Manitoba, Canada, and First Nations. The branch maintains detailed and effective record keeping, status tracking and issue resolution systems and procedures.
The unit is also responsible for various non-TLE agreements and programs involving First Nations and Indigenous Communities. These include the Northern Flood Agreement, Grand Rapids Forebay Agreements, land exchanges and other requests from Canada and legal counsel. Currently these requests total 500,000 acres. Program staff ensure implementation is carried out in accordance with the respective land settlement agreements and relevant policies and legislation.
Operational Crown Land Plans
The on-going development and maintenance of the Operational land use codes and Crown Land Plans incorporate a GIS based platform/database for maintenance, inventory and management of Provincial Crown lands in Southern Manitoba.
East Side Traditional Lands Planning
The Lands Branch administers planning area designations and land management plans proposed by First Nations for approval by the Government Manitoba under The East Side Traditional Lands Planning and Special Protected Areas Act. The section currently works in partnership with four First Nations on the east side of Lake Winnipeg to realize strategic land use direction for more than 2 million hectares (5 million acres) of provincial Crown land.
The Lands Branch coordinates the interdepartmental review of proposed planning area designations and plan approvals, participates in the department's review of Crown land and resource use applications on the east side of Lake Winnipeg and represents the department on planning councils, management boards and the Pimachiowin Aki Corporation.
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