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Glimpse offered on land use plan

Roxanna Thompson
Northern News Services

Fort Simpson (May 26/06) - The recently completed Deh Cho Land Use Plan had its first introduction to the public on May 18.

Parts of the plan that pertain to the Mackenzie Valley Pipeline project were presented to the Joint Review Panel in Fort Simpson during general hearings on conservation areas and measures.

NNSL Photo/graphic

Heidi Wiebe, executive director, and Herb Norwegian, chairman of the Deh Cho Land Use Planning Committee, make a presentation on the newly completed plan to the Joint Review Panel. - Roxanna Thompson/NNSL photo


The Deh Cho Land Use Plan and background report were completed on May 15 and forwarded to the Dehcho First Nations for approval, said Heidi Wiebe, executive director of the planning committee.

If the plan receives approval before the Mackenzie Gas Project, it will have 25 conformity requirements for the pipeline.

If the pipeline is approved first, it will become grandfathered under the plan.

Even without approval, the Deh Cho Land Use plan has many valuable recommendations for how the project can be done right, Wiebe told the panel members.

"The plan reflects community values better than anything else I've seen that applies in the region, including the current regulatory system. Had all the community issues been dealt with, we wouldn't need a plan," Wiebe said.

A finalized plan would allow a way forward for economic development, Herb Norwegian, chairman of the planning committee, said.

The land use plan still needs to go through a number of layers of approval. The plan will be formally presented to Dehcho First Nations (DFN) leadership on May 31, Wiebe said.

DFN has stated they will indicate approval through a leadership resolution either at a regular leadership meeting or at the annual assembly at Kakisa, said Wiebe.

The plan will then be forwarded to the government of the Northwest Territories Minister of Environment and Natural Resources, as well as the federal minister of Indian and Northern Affairs for approval.

The plan will not be released publicly until it is approved by DFN.

Many of the other presentations made during the hearings on May 17-18 focused on concerns about possible effects on the land and animals of the Deh Cho region.

Specific concerns about woodland caribou were voiced by D'Arcy Moses for the Pehdzeh Ki First Nations from Wrigley and Peter Redvers for the Sambaa K'e Dene Band from Trout Lake.

During the two days of hearings, Chief Dennis Deneron and elder Edward Jumbo from Trout Lake made a presentation on Sambaa K'e's wildlife conservation efforts.

Five harvesters from Wrigley made brief statements after showing a video on the Blackwater spring hunt to illustrate the type of lifestyle they are trying to protect.

The JRP hearings will return to the Deh Cho on June 13 in Kakisa and June 14-15 in Fort Providence.