Government Announces New Measures to Transform Crown Lands Approvals, Access and Wait Times

On Tuesday Minister of Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture Gerry Byrne announced new measures to remove barriers when applying for, or securing property title to, Crown lands.

Changes include amending the Lands Act to better support title seekers trying to acquire legal ownership of Crown lands based on adverse possession.

Legislative measures include making it easier for applicants to prove adverse possession against the Crown by changing the required land possessory period from the current 20 continuous years immediately prior to January 1, 1977, to a period of 10 continuous years immediately prior to January 1, 1977.

Enabling the Provincial Government to issue a certificate declaring it claims no interest in a parcel of land.

Allowing the Minister the option to approve additional structures under Section 7 of the Lands Act related to shoreline reservations.

Providing more flexibility for applicants by allowing the removal of timeframes currently required under the Act.