Daniel MacIsaac
Northern News Services

NNSL (July 26/99) - The creation of the Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act is designed to put decision-making into the hands of Northerners.

Before the act, it was the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development that issued permits for land use and the NWT Water Board that issued water licences.

When established by the end of the year, the Mackenzie Valley Land and Water Board is intended to function as a Mackenzie Valley-wide board that will incorporate existing boards in the Gwich'in and Sahtu regions.

Roland Semjanovs, communications officer with the Mackenzie Valley Environmental Impact Review Board, called the progress in completing the act "very dramatic" and "a definite change in favour of aboriginal groups."

Semjanovs said that until now it was DIAND that has headed up reviews for companies like Diavik interested in developing Northern resources.

"But that has fallen aside," he said, "so that new diamond projects will come under the new Mackenzie Valley act -- so we're out of business."

In general, it is those Aboriginal groups with unsettled land claims that have voiced concerns over board developments.

Speaking from Lutsel K'e on Thursday, Grand Chief Felix Lockhart said the Akaitcho band would be holding meetings to discuss developments and clarify their own position within the process.

But Semjanovs said Bertha Rabesca of the Dogrib band -- another group with an as-yet unsettled claim -- has been working on the board for more than a year.

"Her involvement hasn't diminished the Dogribs' ability to negotiate one bit," said Gwich'in Tribal Council President Richard Nerysoo.

Nerysoo said the announcement in Calgary was an indication that Ottawa is respecting the terms of the Gwich'in Final Agreement in proceeding to implement the Mackenzie board.

"The act provides Northerners with the opportunity to take a significant role at both the regional and territorial level," he said. "If we accept that there's a need for us to take a more proactive role in decision-making then we can have a positive effect -- we can't allow decisions to be made for us any longer."

Northern potential

MLA Jake Ootes also attended the Calgary conference and called the process "fascinating" because of the "absolutely giant" potential for oil, gas and mineral development in the NWT.

Ootes said David Luff, vice-president of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers, put that potential in context -- providing statistics showing that the NWT currently has a greater level of oil reserves than the East Coast's Hibernia project and the same level of oil reserves as Alberta-- but with far less development having taken place here.

"So what we're saying is that we have the reserves of Alberta but we've only done one-hundredth of the drilling," he said. "And including minerals, we have more resources here in the North than Alberta and Texas combined."

Ootes, who said he was disappointed by the lack of government representation in Calgary, said the hurdles to Northern development can be overcome.

"Let's start encouraging aboriginal groups in their aims and desires so we can all get benefits from that," he said, "and so we can understand these issues and the dramatic potential that exists."