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LIIDLII KUE/FORT SIMPSON
Grand Chief Herb Norwegian derided the cancellation of Wildlife Act public hearings last month, saying they needed to be rescheduled so Deh Cho residents could bring forward their concerns about the act. When the rescheduled meeting was held in Fort Simpson on June 17, Norwegian was the only member of the public in attendance.

Dehcho First Nations Grand Chief Herb Norwegian was the only member of the public to attend the public hearing on the Wildlife Act held in Fort Simpson on June 17. - Roxanna Thompson/NNSL photo

The need for consultation and references to the Dehcho Land Use Plan are among the concerns the Dehcho First Nations has about the new Wildlife Act.

Aside from Norwegian, the only other person who attended the public meeting on the Wildlife Act, aside from members of the Standing Committee on Economic Development and Infrastructure, was Carl Lafferty, the regional superintendent of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

The public meeting was originally scheduled for May 13, but it was cancelled along with meetings in Nahanni Butte, Fort Providence and Behchoko because six members of the committee were unable to travel.

Speaking to the committee on June 17, Norwegian said Dehcho First Nations (DFN) had planned to have a number of chiefs attend the original meeting, but now people have moved on to other issues. Norwegian said he felt it was still important to do a brief presentation on the concerns DFN has about the new act.

Issues settled in Yellowknife

The concerns include the need for the minister of environment and natural resources to consult with DFN as the act progresses. Many times issues are only settled in Yellowknife, said Norwegian.

"It's important there's clear consultation by the minister," he said.

The act also needs clear references to the Dehcho Land Use Plan, which it is lacking at this point. The plan is 95 per cent complete and once it is in effect, it will have bearings on the Wildlife Act, he said.

Norwegian also said the act needs to recognize that DFN will have exclusive land that it will have primary authority over once the Dehcho Process is settled. An understanding of how the act will dovetail or coexist with DFN's authority will have to be reached, he said.

The Wildlife Act is a serious undertaking and could have serious repressions if it isn't done properly, said Norwegian. As a harvest, hunter and trapper, Norwegian said the act is particularly close to him.

"When I'm out on the land trapping, it's my job to make sure everything is well taken care of," he said.

Committee member Weledeh MLA Bob Bromley encouraged DFN to be involved in the development of the regulations for the act where a lot of the specifics of the act will be laid out. If the third reading for the act is passed this year, the act won't come into effect until 2014 and then the regulations will still have to be developed, he said.

Yellowknife Centre MLA Robert Hawkins, the chair of the committee, said the act will be reviewed five years after it is passed and then every seven years after that, allowing chances for changes to be made.

The act, which updates provisions for the protection of wildlife and their habitats, will replace the 1988 Wildlife Act. The meeting in Fort Simpson was the eighth public hearing the committee has held since April 2, gathering thoughts and feedback on the act across the territory. The committee was also scheduled to be in Nahanni Butte and Fort Providence on June 18 and finish in Behchoko on June 19.

The committee plans to report what it heard as well as its recommendations on the act to the legislative assembly this fall, said Hawkins. If there are suggestions to change the act, they will be proposed to the minister of environment and natural resources.

Hawkins said attendance at the public meetings has been modest to very good with only a few low turnouts. Some common concerns and suggestions have been made throughout the territory.

A variety of people have requested the act include reporting measures for all groups, including aboriginal people, for harvesting management purposes. The act is about wildlife management and conservation, but people argue it is hard to manage a harvest without knowing what and how much is being harvested, Hawkins said.

People have also spoken both for and against the change in the residency requirement for resident hunting licences that reduces the wait from two years to one. Most people have said they want the change to make the requirements compatible with other jurisdictions across Canada, while others are concerned about the potential influx of new hunters, he said.

There are currently about 1,000 resident hunters in the NWT.

In addition to the public meetings, people can also send written submissions to the committee about the act until June 24.

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