Page 11 - Moose Deer Point First Nation

The community of Moose Deer Point First Nation occupies three
different parcels of land on the shores of the point. They are
Isaac Bay, King Bay, and Gordon Bay. The three parcels have a
combined land area of 250.5 hectares. Our community is in three
parcels partly because of how we settled, but also because this
is how the government of Canada defined us when we became
a reserve in 1917.

In 2009, we made an agreement with Ontario Parks and the
Ministry of Natural Resources to transfer 263 hectares of public
land to Moose Deer Point. This transfer allowed us to connect
the parcels into one bigger territory. We are now working with
Canada to have this new parcel designated as reserve lands.

Parcel Name Location Size in Hectares

King Bay South shore of the point 107 hectares
Isaac Bay North shore of the point, 96 hectares
along Twelve Mile Bay
Gordon Bay Twelve Mile Bay 47 hectares

Our territory is in the Muskokas and has typical Muskoka
terrain—a lot of exposed bedrock, some forests, and many
wetlands or swamps. There is significant shoreline in our
territory, where most of our community is located.

All of the land in our territory is owned by the First Nation.
Individuals don’t own land in the same way as other Canadians,
or like many other First Nations. When a person wants to build a
house on our First Nation, they pick an area and then ask Chief
and Council for approval to build on that spot. On other First
Nations, community members can “own” parcels of land.

Moose Deer Point First Nation 9

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