Mr. Speaker, the Government of the Northwest Territories made a mandate commitment to develop a strategy for improving the way that waste is managed in the Northwest Territories.
Waste management is a shared responsibility, and improving waste management in the NWT requires a collaborative approach that considers the diverse interests of all groups producing and managing waste.
Seven new environmental monitoring and research projects are receiving funding through the Northwest Territories Cumulative Impact Monitoring Program (NWT CIMP).
Every year NWT CIMP funds environmental monitoring and research projects which aim to provide valuable scientific and traditional knowledge for resource managers, governments and communities to use when making decisions.
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to announce that the Northwest Territories Cumulative Impact Monitoring Program is providing $1.7 million this year to support
28 monitoring and research projects. Funding recipients include Indigenous governments and organizations, universities, and territorial and federal government departments.
The Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) released its Waste Resource Management Strategy and Implementation Plan earlier today. The Strategy and Implementation Plan is the GNWT’s 10-year roadmap for improving the way that waste is managed throughout the NWT.
There are four overarching goals that the Strategy and Implementation Plan focuses on:
YELLOWKNIFE (June 28, 2019) – New regulations to protect wildlife in the Northwest Territories (NWT) are set to come into force under the Wildlife Act on July 1, 2019. Known as ‘Phase 2’ regulations, these amendments are the result of three years of extensive consultation and collaboration with Indigenous governments and organizations, wildlife co-management authorities, hunters, industry and tourism groups, as well as the public.
The Protected Areas Act came into force today, providing the legislative framework for creating a network of permanent protected areas that conserve the ecological and cultural worth of the Northwest Territories’ (NWT) most valued places, now and into the future.
The Act allows the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) to work collaboratively with Indigenous governments and organizations to establish and manage protected areas in a way that protects biodiversity, ecological integrity and cultural continuity.
Mr. Speaker, this Assembly made a mandate commitment to improve food security in the Northwest Territories through the effective co-management of wildlife including caribou. Our government is therefore taking significant steps with our co-management partners to support the recovery of our struggling barren-ground herds, including investing an additional $6.8 million over five years for conservation and recovery efforts.
The Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) is pleased to have received continued federal support for an ongoing collaboration with Natural Resources Canada - Canadian Forest Service that helps to monitor the state of NWT forests and better understand the impacts of climate change.
Mr. Speaker, although last year’s fire season was a significant break from years past, we know that each fire season brings its own unique challenges.
Over the winter, most of the territory experienced below average precipitation, and the few weeks of record breaking warm temperatures we saw earlier this spring caused snow to disappear weeks earlier than usual in some areas.
Mr. Speaker, the Government of the Northwest Territories made a mandate commitment to develop a territorial climate change strategy that takes into account Northern energy demands and the cost of living, while reflecting international and national commitments to lower greenhouse gas emissions.
Last year on May 1, the Government of the Northwest Territories released the 2030 Northwest Territories Climate Change Strategic Framework. This is our government’s coordinated, comprehensive response to mitigating and adapting to climate change, outlined in the following three goals:
