YELLOWKNIFE (July 23, 2015) - The Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) is pleased to announce, based on feedback received from public and stakeholder meetings on Thaidene Nene (TDN) held in Yellowknife last week, that, broad support is building for the GNWT’s balanced approach to find a solution that meets the many complex interests of northerners in TDN.
“I’m very encouraged to see that the collaborative process used so far in discussions is meeting with public support so far,” said GNWT Minister of Environment and Natural Resources J. Michael Miltenberger. “The mix of solutions proposed for TDN heralds a positive change in how the GNWT approaches the resolution of complex interests, some of which have been at play in this region for decades. The TDN process has enabled us to do an incredible amount of work with our partners in a very short period of time.”
At the first of public meetings held last week, the Minister addressed concerns expressed by some attendees that, with the addition of TDN to land already set aside for interim land withdrawals and land claims negotiations, there would be little left for exploration.
“In any negotiation, there are numerous interests that must be balanced,” said Minister Miltenberger. “The total land mass of the NWT is 1.3 million km2, which makes the Thaidene Nene area very small compared to all land available for development. We have excluded areas with high mineral potential, recognizing the important role of mining exploration and development in our economy. However, we also believe that a 'conservation economy initiative' can build a more diverse regional economy supported by TDN along with these potential exploration opportunities.”
The Minister assured the public that the GNWT is committed to ensuring all public interests continue to be considered in the process, including protecting the Northern lifestyle, securing a role for the public in ongoing implementation of the park (through a stakeholder working group), and fostering consensus-based decision-making by those parties represented on the TDN Management Board.
The GNWT hopes to continue to work with federal and Aboriginal governments, stakeholders and the public as essential partners in the establishment of the territorial conservation areas being proposed.
Further public engagement sessions on TDN continue next week in the following locations, from 7:00-9:30 p.m.:
July 27 – Fort Smith (Roaring Rapids Hall)
July 28 – Hay River (Ptarmigan Inn)
July 29 – Fort Resolution (Community Hall)
If you are unable to participate in any of these sessions, you can provide feedback in writing until August 15, 2015 to Darin Bagshaw at Darin_Bagshaw@gov.nt.ca.
For more information, please visit http://www.enr.gov.nt.ca/programs/thaidene-nene-area-interest.
Media inquiries:
Roya Grinsted
Cabinet Communications
Government of the NWT
Tel: 867-669-2308
Email: roya_grinsted@gov.nt.ca