BEAUFORT DELTA - The federal government plans to spend close to $22 million over the next five years for an environmental assessment of the Beaufort Sea before any offshore exploration proceeds in the region.

On behalf of Indian and Northern Affairs Minister John Duncan, Yukon Senator Daniel Lang made the funding announcement in Inuvik Friday afternoon, saying the federal government is working with the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation, the Inuvialuit Game Council and the Government of the Northwest Territories toward "sustainable economic development" offshore.

"It's imperative that we not only consider the significance of the economic opportunity in this vital area - not just for the region here but for Canada - but also we must accord the same importance to the preservation of the environment and the safety of the individuals involved in the industry," Lang said. "Industry is fully supportive of this process because it's going to give them much-needed information as well, so it's going to work for everybody involved."

The government promises that the Beaufort Regional Environmental Assessment (BREA) will gather new information about marine ecosystems and provide "cutting edge" research opportunities to scientists from all over Canada.

The assessment will be run through a partnership of stakeholders in the region, including aboriginal leadership, the Inuvialuit Game Council, and various federal and territorial government departments. It is set to look into areas such as spill preparedness and engineering techniques to find out what impacts offshore exploration will have on the environment and the people who live in the region.

The data collected during the assessment may influence the National Energy Board's current review of Arctic offshore drilling requirements, though no timeline for that review has been set. NEB announced it would review drilling procedures in May, after the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Lang said recommendations from this assessment will be presented to the NEB, but it's up to the board how it wants to consider that information. Currently, no drilling is scheduled to start in the Beaufort Sea until at least 2014, pending the board's review.

Frank Pokiak, chair of the Inuvialuit Game Council, which is involved in environmental monitoring of species throughout the region, said the council has been working toward an assessment of the Beaufort Sea since 2004, when representatives wrote a letter to the then-minister of Environment.

"If it wasn't for the Beaufort Sea, a lot of us wouldn't be here today - we depend on it so much," he said. "If anything ever happens offshore, that's going to be a disaster," he added.

"We want to make sure that we're prepared as best we can prior to any activity happening. We want to make sure that we have all the information in front of us to make our decisions," Pokiak continued, adding that there is no assurance the assessment will be finished by 2015, but the council hopes to continue research regardless.

"We always have ongoing research on the species that we harvest so hopefully even after the five years is over, there will be further funding to continue, especially with pressure on climate change and as you are aware, pressure on polar bear populations," he said.

There are no plans yet as to how the $21.8 million in federal funding will be divided, whether or not communities in the region will each get their own share for local research and no details yet as to how the actual assessment will be carried out.

Inuvialuit Regional Corporation Chair Nellie Cournoyea said all the stakeholders involved will work out their priorities together. She said the environmental assessment is just the first step to filling existing "knowledge gaps" about Beaufort Sea ecosystems.

"If we are to see major exploration and development activity in the Beaufort offshore, we first of all need to know exactly what is out there," she said.

"We need comfort that the appropriate measures and procedures have been established and firmly enforced to provide for the safe and environmentally friendly commercialization of the vast hydrocarbon resources of the Canadian Beaufort. In short, we need to know what we are doing before we do it."

More than 30 people showed up for the announcement at the IRC building, including local politicians, government employees and members of the public. Officials took media questions after the announcement but there was no chance for members of the public to ask their own questions.

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