New board may bring jobs
Members, possibly staff from regions, to relocate to city
Laura Busch
Northern News Services
Published Friday, December 6, 2013
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
The proposed NWT super board could bring a handful of new jobs to Yellowknife if staff positions are transferred to the capital along with board positions.
Bill C-15, the Northwest Territories Devolution Act was officially released to the public on Wednesday after being introduced to Parliament by Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada Minister Bernard Valcourt on Tuesday.
"I have asked the minister in the past if he could put them forward as separate bills, so the people of the North could truly debate them in a fashion that would work for them, but that is not the case," said Western Arctic MP Dennis Bevington, shortly after Valcourt opened the act to parliamentary debate on Wednesday.
The devolution side of the act would replace the Northwest Territories Act - described by Bevington as "an act that is virtually the constitution of the Northwest Territories" - in order to implement the changes agreed to in the devolution final agreement. It also repeals or amends several pieces of federal legislation which are in the process of being mirrored by the GNWT, including the Territorial Lands Act and the Northwest Territories Waters Act.
The bill also maps out the creation of a so-called NWT super board, which will be responsible for issuing all Class A and B water licenses, as well as all land-use permits, to development projects in most parts of the territory.
The changes essentially diminish the number of board members to 11 from 20, and eliminate the three regional boards.
Valcourt defended the government's right to dissolve the regional boards, saying the creation of a single board was negotiated in each individual land claim agreement.
"Every aboriginal group with whom these comprehensive land claims agreements were concluded knew that at one point a board could cover the whole of the Northwest Territories," he said in Parliament on Wednesday.
The re-vamped Mackenzie Valley Land and Water Board will be headquartered in Yellowknife. The act also places time limits on decisions made by the board and on how long a file can sit on a minister's desk awaiting approval. It does not set time limits for federal appointments of board members. These time limits are welcome news to industry.
"We've been pounding that drum forever," said Mike Bradshaw, executive director of the NWT Chamber of Mines.
Knowing how long the permitting process will take will give investors the certainty they need to do business in the territory, he said. As promised under devolution, territorial ministers will gain the power to sign off on land and water licenses, however these details are not outlined in the bill.
A separate document outlining which authorities the federal minister will delegate to the territory will be released in the coming weeks, officials said during the technical briefing. Requests for further details from the federal department were not answered by press time.
If passed, the changes to the MVRMA will take effect in 2015.
Proposed changes to land and water boards in Bill C-15
Water Board, headquartered in Yellowknife
- One member nominated by the Gwich'in, appointed by federal minister
- One member nominated by the Sahtu, appointed by federal minister
- One member directly appointed by the Tlicho
- Two members nominated from the unsettled regions, appointed by federal minister
- Two members nominated by the GNWT, appointed by federal minister
- Three members directly appointed by federal minister
- One chairperson, directly appointed by federal minister
Source: Bill C-15
