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NORTHWEST TERRITORIES
The Harper government is promising to reverse cuts to vital water monitoring programs in the Mackenzie River Basin, but territorial Environment Minister Michael Miltenberger wants to see it in writing.

"Minister (Peter) Kent assured me that the positions in the Northwest Territories will remain functional and that the monitoring program promised for the Athabasca River will also be maintained," Miltenberger said Saturday.

"I want to see how those verbal assurances translate into writing."

It was announced earlier this month that Environment Canada plans to cut 776 jobs as part of a cost-cutting effort and the department warned that more cuts will come as it tries to meet budgetary demands imposed by the Conservative government.

Miltenberger had concerns about the potential impact on water monitoring, an essential component in the territorial government's water strategy and negotiations with other jurisdictions in the Mackenzie Basin, and raised them in meetings with federal officials earlier this year.

The territorial legislature was in an uproar Thursday when Miltenberger revealed federal plans to all but eliminate water monitoring on the Mackenzie River. MLAs demanded to know if Premier Floyd Roland had raised the issue with Stephen Harper during the prime minister's visit in Yellowknife.

Roland said Harper was pressed for time and "I wasn't able to connect directly on that subject," but expected his concerns to be passed on to the prime minister.

At a stop in Haines Junction, Yukon, Harper blamed bureaucrats acting on their own for shutting down 21

of 23 water-monitoring stations in the Northwest Territories.

The monitoring programs are intended to detect long-term trends, such as whether water quality gets better or worse as a result of industry, climate change or other factors.

"That was not authorized and the (environment) minister (Peter Kent) has ordered those to be started back up again," Harper said.

Kent said he only learned about the plan to shut down the monitoring stations Friday and immediately overruled it, said his spokesperson, Melissa Lantsman.

"As per usual, the government will consult with partners before any decisions are made," she said.

Miltenberger said Saturday he is also concerned what impact the Harper government's plan to cut $4.3 billion in spending will have on federal programs and services in the Northwest Territories as devolution negotiations go forward.

"It's a massive restructuring," Miltenberger said. "We're waiting to see what this means in a host of areas."

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