Canoe Islets Ecological Reserve is a BC Parks ecological reserve at the northwest entrance to Porlier Pass, adjacent to the south end of Valdes Island and 15 kilometres northeast of Chemainus. BC Parks says it was established to protect nesting cormorants and gulls.
The reserve is closed to the public.
Canoe Islets is not a visitor destination. Its public value is as protected seabird habitat and as part of British Columbia's ecological reserve system, which protects special natural ecosystems and supports research and education.
BC Parks lists the reserve in the Coastal Douglas-fir biogeoclimatic zone. Both its terrestrial and marine ecosections are Strait of Georgia, matching its island and marine-habitat purpose at Porlier Pass.
This is a place to learn about protection, not to visit on foot.
Because the reserve is closed to the public, planning should focus on understanding and respecting the closure rather than arranging a landing or recreation trip. BC Parks provides a detailed reserve description for research and education context, and research or educational activities require a permit.
Any authorized work should prioritize nesting protection.
Do not enter the reserve. Plan instead around distant, non-intrusive awareness from lawful marine routes outside the closed area, seabird-habitat education, map review, and ecological reserve research only with proper authorization.
Use maps for general information only, not legal boundaries or navigation. Respect the public closure, do not land, and do not disturb nesting cormorants, gulls, shoreline habitat, or marine reserve values.
