September 3, 2015 (YELLOWKNIFE) – Leaders from the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) and Aboriginal governments, who are partners in devolution, met in Yellowknife today to discuss a range of issues related to lands and resource management at the second Intergovernmental Council meeting
As a key feature of the Devolution Agreement, the creation of an Intergovernmental Council allows governments to cooperate and collaborate on matters related to lands and resource management. The meetings help strengthen the territorial government’s relationships with its Aboriginal partners, a main priority of the 17th assembly.
Leaders from the GNWT, Inuvialuit Regional Corporation, Northwest Territory Métis Nation, Sahtu Secretariat Incorporated, Gwich’in Tribal Council, Tłı̨chǫ Government, Acho Dene Koe First Nation, Salt River First Nation, Denínu Kų́ę́ First Nation and the Kátł’odeeche First Nation were involved in the meeting and discussed a range of lands, water and resources issues including resource revenue sharing, capacity building, the state of the resource economy and an update on conservation work in the NWT.
At the Intergovernmental Council’s inaugural meeting in September 2014 direction was given to set up a Finance Working Group to finalize the allocation calculation under the Resource Revenue Sharing Agreement. With this work now complete, Aboriginal governments received their first share of resource revenues on July 31, 2015. Approximately $6.3 million has been distributed to Aboriginal governments in one of the most robust resource revenue sharing frameworks involving public lands in the country.
The Intergovernmental Council has identified a number of priorities for the upcoming year, including a focus on capacity building and collaborative work around the Land Use Sustainability Framework.
For more information, contact
Roya Grinsted
Media Relations
Government of the Northwest Territories
867-669-2308
Bob Simpson
Director, Intergovernmental Relations
Inuvialuit Regional Corporation
867-777-7040
Ursula Vogt
Executive Director
Northwest Territory Métis Nation
867-872-2770
Ethel Blondin-Andrew
Chairperson
Sahtu Secretariat Incorporated
867-589-4719
Diane Baxter
Gwich’in Tribal Council
867-777-7900
Laura Duncan
Tłı̨chǫ Executive Officer
Tłı̨chǫ Government
867-392-6381
Alex Fanni
Acho Dene Koe First Nation
780-690-4109
Carol Ann Chaplin
Senior Adminstrative Officer
Denínu Kų́ę́ First Nation
867-394-4335
Allen Stanzell
Chief Executive Officer
Salt River First Nation
867-872-0396
Peter Redvers
Kátł’odeeche First Nation
867-874-6701