Ottawa Eliminating Regional Water Boards in N.W.T.

Print this Article | Send to Colleague

The federal government is pushing ahead with its plan to eliminate regional land and water boards in the Northwest Territories despite aboriginal opposition.

The changes, designed to speed up the permitting process for mining and oil and gas projects, were first suggested more than six years ago by the federal government, which said it wanted to fix the regulatory regime in Northern Canada.

Local Opposition

Regulatory officials say that since that time the boards have made changes to address industry concerns by standardizing their procedures, clarifying the approval process, and adopting timelines for their work.

According to the mining industry, eliminating the three regional boards will not address the biggest problem now facing mining companies in some of the most resource-rich regions of the territory  – unsettled land claims. The federal plan to centralize the approvals process doesn't include a key change to the system that was recommended by Neil McCrank, who the federal government hired to review the regulatory system. He said the land and water board should have final say on water licences and land use permits instead of the federal minister.

When McCrank first proposed eliminating the regional land and water boards, aboriginal leaders protested. That hasn't changed. The Tlicho are considering going to court to argue the changes are a violation of their land claim and self government agreement.

Back to Canadian Water and Wastewater Association eBulletin