The respondents owned mineral claims located within Wells Gray Provincial Park.
The Crown refused to issue the park use permits necessary for the respondents to explore or work the claims, effectively denying them the opportunity to exploit their mineral rights.
The respondents sought compensation.
The Supreme Court of Canada held that the denial of the permits constituted an expropriation of the respondents' interest in the land (a profit à prendre), as it recovered the rights granted to them.
Therefore, the respondents were entitled to compensation under the Ministry of Highways and Public Works Act.
