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NORTHWEST TERRITORIES
The Gwich'in Tribal Council does not accept the Yukon government's changes to the Peel land use plan.

"I don't approve of the changes the Yukon government made," said Norman Snowshoe, Gwich'in Tribal Council vice-president. "They were made in isolation from the other First Nations involved in the planning process."

The Peel Watershed Planning Commission began researching the Peel watershed area - which is roughly the size of New Brunswick - in 2004. It released its Final Recommended Land Use Plan in 2011.

The process involved the Yukon government and the four affected First Nations governments; the Yukon's Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation, the Tr'ondëk Hwëch'in, the First Nation of Na-Cho Nyak Dun and the NWT's Gwich'in Tribal Council.

The plan called for the protection of 80 per cent of the watershed, leaving 20 per cent open for development.

There would be two designations within the 80 per cent protected area. Fifty-five per cent would be considered Special Management areas and would be protected permanently.

The other 25 per cent would be temporarily protected and reviewed every few years.

Roads and trails would not be permitted within the conservation area.

Snowshoe said this is the plan the Gwich'in want.

But in February 2012, Yukon revised the plan.

It released "Eight Principles" the government says it will use to guide its decision about the plan. Those include "respect private interests" and "active management," according to the government's website.

"We support active management of the landscape rather than prohibitions to use and access," the website stated.

But access is exactly what Snowshoe fears.

"The access issue is huge because any access leads to more development," he said. "We have to make sure development is controlled in that area."

The principles led to the development of the plan's New Land Use Designations, said Manon Moreau, the director of corporate policy and planning with the Yukon's department of Energy, Mines and Resources.

Moreau said the Yukon's revision to the plan aim to balance both conservation and development.

"I think that's where we're seeking some feedback from the public on how to bridge that gap," she said. "We'll continue to work with First Nations on addressing their concerns."

The new designations are Restricted Use Wilderness Areas (RUWA) and RUWA - Wilderness River Corridor. Both designations would permit development.

Snowshoe said the principles and new designations were developed without consultation with First Nations.

"It was not part of the framework agreement that we all agreed to when we first started to develop the plan," he said.

He said First Nations governments supported the final plan presented by the commission and the Yukon government's revisions are only adding more time to the process.

"That extra time that has been allocated to the planning process has been a result of the modification of the Yukon government," he said. "We are disappointed this has taken this long."

Snowshoe attended a community meeting about the plan in Tsiigehtchic last month. Community consultations are taking place in both the Northwest Territories and Yukon. Consultations, including online feedback, are scheduled to finish on Feb. 25.

Moreau said further meetings will take place between the Yukon government and First Nations governments.

"Our senior officials will be meeting with the senior officials of the affected First Nations to determine next steps," she said.

But Snowshoe said he will not support plans that allow for development in areas the Gwich'in believe should be protected.

"The area has historically been very significant to the Gwich'in. It was a place of good harvesting, people utilized that area for centuries," he said. "It's very pristine and untouched by development. We want to keep that area as it was and is."

Snowshoe said he hopes additional information regarding the plan will be available in late spring.

"It is very important that our readers know that we are optimistic about finalizing the plan as tabled by the commission," he said. "We are working with the other parties at the table to try and finalize

that."

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