N.W.T. making good progress on conservation goals, auditor general finds
Canada's auditor general says the Northwest Territories government is "on track" to meet its conservation goals.
The Office of the Auditor General of Canada presented its report on conservation areas in the Northwest Territories to MLAs and the public on Friday. It covers the territory's work on this issue from 2016 to 2024.
The report looked at the government's progress in addressing three of the territory's conservation priorities: ensuring long-term funding for conservation areas, strengthening management of protected areas, and establishing new protected and conservation areas.
The auditor general found the territory had made "timely progress" on achieving the goal of ensuring sustainable conservation funding — largely because of the "N.W.T.:Our Land for the Future" conservation agreement signed last year.
The agreement provides $375 million to Indigenous governments in N.W.T. for conservation initiatives, with funding coming from the federal government and private donors.
"This crucial step underscores the government's commitment to implementing an Indigenous-led approach to protected and conserved areas. It will support Indigenous peoples' stewardship of their lands while also helping the territory expand its conservation network," auditor Jerry DeMarco told reporters on Friday afternoon.
The auditor general's report said the territory is also on track to meet its other two conservation goals, although there are issues with the management of Territorial Protected Areas that need to be addressed, including a need for more monitoring to determine how co-management partnerships are working.
Recommendations
The auditors also flagged that many of the territory's hiring decisions related to the management of protected areas were made without input from Indigenous partners, and they recommended that the territorial government change this.
The report also said that the territorial government's continued reliance on short-term federal funding to manage protected areas was a concern, as it lead to many jobs being filled through short-term contracts, resulting in high turnover.
"We heard from Indigenous governments and Indigenous organizations that the increased turnover placed a burden on their staff to share their Indigenous knowledge each time a new employee from the government joined the operational team of the territorial protected areas," the report says.
The report also urges the territorial government to work with the Tłı̨chǫ Government and Dehcho First Nations to develop a plan and timeline by the end of 2025 for five proposed protected areas where negotiations are currently stalled.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CTV News
31 minutes ago
- CTV News
‘Mission impossible': Why the Bank of Canada faces ‘risky' June rate decision
The Bank of Canada is set for an interest rate decision on Wednesday. Tiff Macklem, governor of the central bank, holds a press conference at the Bank of Canada in Ottawa on Wednesday, March 12, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick OTTAWA — OTTAWA — Few would confuse Hollywood action star Tom Cruise with Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem. But while Cruise rides a plane in tailspin to his latest box office smash, some economists say Macklem finds himself in his own high-stakes circumstances with the central bank's interest rate decision on Wednesday. Macklem's mission is to chart a path for interest rates that keeps Canada's economy afloat at a precarious moment without straying from its inflation-taming mandate. 'It really is mission impossible,' said Andrew DiCapua, principal economist at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce. The latest data show price pressures could be building up again in Canada at the same time some economists warn of a tariff-induced slowdown on the horizon, pulling monetary policy in opposite directions. 'The bank really is in a difficult position here, but they really should be resuming rate cuts to get their interest rates lower to somewhere around two per cent, again, to cushion the Canadian economy for what's to come,' DiCapua argued. The Bank of Canada's policy rate stands at 2.75 per cent following a pause at the central bank's last decision in April, snapping a streak of seven consecutive cuts. Most economists expect the central bank will hold rates again on Wednesday. In April, Macklem said the Bank of Canada would pause issuing any formal forecasts and be less forward-looking than usual until it gained more certainty on how the economy would react to ever-shifting tariff threats. President Donald Trump threw a new wrench into the gears of global trade late Friday when he announced plans to double existing tariffs on steel and aluminum entering the United States to 50 per cent starting Wednesday. After Statistics Canada reported a surprisingly strong 2.2 per cent annualized rise in real gross domestic product for the first quarter on Friday, money markets were betting overwhelmingly in favour of another rate hold this week. BMO last week firmed up its call for another hold in response to the latest economic data, now projecting a cut to instead come in July. 'The key point here is that the GDP figures are sending no obvious distress signals so far in 2025,' BMO chief economist Doug Porter said in a note to clients. But the question for some economists isn't what the economy has done — it's what comes next. The Bank of Canada's own surveys of businesses published in early April showed sentiment was 'sharply' lower amid the tariff uncertainty, with many firms putting investment and hiring plans on hold. StatCan said the main reason Canada's economy was growing in the first quarter was because many businesses were trying to rush ahead of the tariffs, ramping up exports and stockpiling inventories. Macklem said at the G7 Finance Ministers' Summit in Kananaskis, Alta., last month that the Bank of Canada was expecting a run-up in economic activity in the first quarter, but that the months that follow 'will be quite a bit weaker.' 'They're really waiting for a shoe to drop, so to speak,' said DiCapua. There were early signs of economic pain in the April jobs figures released last month, with the trade-sensitive manufacturing sector contracting by roughly 31,000 positions and the unemployment rate rising two ticks to 6.9 per cent. A slowing economy usually takes the steam out of inflation as Canadians swap spending for saving, but April inflation data showed underlying price pressures were instead heating up. Cutting interest rates can encourage businesses and consumers to spend — mitigating an economic hit — but also risks fuelling inflationary pressures. 'Outside of the current situation that we're in, I would say that the Bank of Canada should be holding interest rates,' DiCapua said. 'But the data that we are seeing come in, especially through the labour market ... is going to move the Canadian economy into a very weak position that should keep prices at bay. So it's kind of a risky balance here.' Stephen Brown, deputy chief North America economist at Capital Economics, said he expects the central bank will deliver three more quarter-point cuts at every other decision to bring the policy rate down to two per cent before the end of the year. 'Our view at Capital Economics is that it's worth cutting again in June as insurance against those downside risks and try and protect the economy a bit,' he said. There are also 'psychological' reasons for a June cut, Brown argued. Should the Bank of Canada keep rates elevated, businesses and consumers may hold back even more on their spending decisions, which can become a self-fulfilling prophecy that weakens the economy. 'If the bank doesn't cut here, because they're still very concerned about inflation, that's telling businesses and consumers that the bank doesn't necessarily have their back,' Brown said. CIBC chief economist Avery Shenfeld is among those calling for a rate hold this week. He said he sees the case for an interest rate cut too, but doesn't think the Bank of Canada's June decision is its final reckoning. 'No one interest rate decision in isolation would ever be a fatal error one way or the other, but I think the clock will start to tick louder on getting some interest rate relief if the economy remains soft,' Shenfeld said. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 2, 2025. Craig Lord, The Canadian Press
CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
Premiers huddle with Carney in Saskatoon to decide what major projects to prioritize
Prime Minister Mark Carney, front left, walks alongside Francois Legault, Premier of Quebec, as they are joined by first ministers as they arrives to take part in the First Minister Meeting at the National War Museum in Ottawa on Friday, March 21, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld SASKATOON — Canada's premiers are meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney in person for the first time since the federal election to pitch which major projects they think should get fast tracked. The recent campaign saw Carney vow to slash federal approval times on major infrastructure projects considered to be in the national interest to help make the country an 'energy superpower.' The full list of big industrial projects they're discussing is being kept secret, since they don't want to send a bad signal about anything that doesn't make the short list. But Ontario Premier Doug Ford says his pick is the Ring of Fire mining project in northern Ontario, while Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says she wants to see the Port of Prince Rupert become a major trade corridor. The first ministers are also expected to discuss breaking down interprovincial trade barriers, which would make it easier to purchase Canadian-made goods from other provinces and territories. Many provinces, including Quebec and Ontario, are coming to the table with legislation already put forward that would eliminate some of these longstanding blocks to internal trade. With files from Rob Drinkwater in Edmonton This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 2, 2025. Kyle Duggan, The Canadian Press
CBC
an hour ago
- CBC
Hants County residents voice concerns over 'undesirable' uranium mining proposal
Uranium mining in Hants County is such a hot-button issue there wasn't room for everyone who showed up at a meeting over the weekend. More than 100 people attended the meeting in Vaughan, N.S., on Saturday to learn more about the Nova Scotia government's plans for uranium exploration in the province and, for many, voice their opposition to any potential mining. "We believe there's no safe way to operate a uranium mine this close in proximity to an established community," said Chad Pothier, who was born and raised in the area and helped organize the meeting. The community is right next to one of three areas the province wants to open for uranium exploration after it lifted a ban on the practice earlier this year. Those areas include a 64-hectare site in East Dalhousie in Annapolis County, 80-hectare site in Louisville in Pictou County, and a 2,300-hectare site in Lower Vaughan in Hants County. Residents in Hants County have said they haven't received any notification from the government about possible exploration on or near their land. Pothier said he scrambled to organize Saturday's meeting after only recently learning the province was considering a return to uranium exploration. "It was gut-wrenching," he said. "I didn't even know where Millet Brook was [but] it's directly across from my property." History of mining opposition Many of the people in attendance signed a petition against uranium exploration in Hants County and provided their contact information to be kept current with the latest information. "I think it doesn't matter where in Nova Scotia we live, it's important to speak up against this undesirable, incredible proposal," said Elizabeth Skelhorn, who lives in Windsor. Skelhorn said she has family roots in the Martock and Windsor Falls areas and she's always been opposed to uranium mining over concerns about safety. The area has a history of residents advocating against uranium mining, which played a part in a moratorium being imposed by the province in 1981. That ultimately evolved into the outright ban. "I'm not certain that residents feel as though they've received answers from … 1980, and here we are in 2025 and they have the same questions and same concerns," said Kayla Leary-Pinch, councillor for West Hants Regional Municipality. Leary-Pinch, who represents the district where the uranium deposits have been identified, said she went to the meeting to listen to constituents. NDP House leader Lisa Lachance was in attendance, but organizers said PC MLA Melissa Sheehy-Richard, who represents the area, didn't come because she had received threats related to the province's plans for uranium exploration. Sheehy-Richard's office did not respond to a request for comment before publication. Lachance said the province is trying to push uranium exploration without anyone noticing and many Nova Scotians are upset about it, but urged everyone to remain respectful.
