ECONOMY, ENVIRONMENT AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Commitment 1.1.8
We will support mineral exploration and the mining sector, by implementing the Mineral Development Strategy, capturing opportunities to build transportation infrastructure that enables resources to get to market, closing the skills gap in the mining sector, implement the Mining Incentive Program, developing and proposing a Mineral Resources Act, and supporting Aboriginal governments to build capacity in dealing with mining-related activities.
Mineral Development Strategy
The Mineral Development Strategy (MDS) was developed in collaboration with the NWT and Nunavut Chamber of Mines using a consultative approach.
The MDS is organized into five key pillars:
- Creating a Competitive Edge;
- Establishing a New Regulatory Environment for the NWT;
- Enhancing Aboriginal Engagement and Capacity;
- Promoting Sustainability; and
- Enriching Workforce Development and Public Awareness.
Mining Incentive Program
The NWT Mining Incentive Program (MIP) (milestone 2) provides funding to prospectors and exploration companies who propose new exploration projects or are already carrying out NWT mineral exploration work.
The MIP is intended to stimulate and sustain mineral exploration activities throughout the NWT and reduce the risk associated with grass roots mineral exploration - exploration that is vital to a healthy, sustained, and productive mining industry.
The MIP is an initiative of the MDS and was developed in response to the findings of a Stakeholders Engagement Panel. The MIP is modeled after successful incentive programs offered by other Canadian jurisdictions.
Mineral Resources Act
The Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment (ITI) is committed to developing and introducing a new Mineral Resources Act (MRA) during the 18th Legislative Assembly (milestones 3 and 4).
The Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) assumed jurisdiction over mineral resources management in the NWT with Devolution on April 1, 2014.
Mineral resources in the NWT are currently governed by the Mining Regulations under the Northwest Territories Lands Act. This legislation was mirrored from the federal government at the time of Devolution.
A new Act will reflect the unique regulatory needs and priorities of the NWT and make things more transparent and simpler, by bringing the administration of mineral tenure and royalties together under one Act.
The MRA will support sustainable, inclusive mineral development in the NWT that helps us to manage our lands and resources in a way that benefits NWT residents, while increasing our competiveness in the mining sector.
The MRA will establish clear and modern rules for mining in the NWT, reducing risk and attracting investment.
The process to develop and implement a Mineral Resources Act will take several years and the first steps in the process have begun.
Regional Mineral Development Strategies
The GNWT assists and supports Indigenous government organizations in developing regionally driven strategic approaches to natural resources development through the delivery of workshops and strategy development assistance. Indigenous government organizations are able to discuss, formulate and learn from other examples of regional resource development strategies.
ITI is working with Indigenous governments on developing Regional Mineral Development Strategies. These strategies are owned by each region and allow policy decisions on exploration and resource development to be made by the land claimant for each settlement area. These strategies are designed in such a way as to work in harmony with other GNWT strategies. The Regional Mineral Development Strategies initiative supports implementation of MDS goal 3.2.
Related Mandate Commitments:
- Commitment 1.1.10 - We will ensure that residents have meaningful opportunities to participate in the assessment of potential benefits and risks associated with resource development, including hydraulic fracturing.
- Commitment 1.1.11 - We will develop and foster the knowledge economy by:
- Implementing the NWT Geological Survey Strategic Plan, including carrying out Slave Province geoscience studies, ensuring the availability of high quality geoscience knowledge to promote the successful exploration for and discovery of NWT mineral resources, and defining permafrost conditions that may impact future infrastructure development.
- Implementing the Resources and Energy Development Information (REDI) initiative to increase public awareness and understanding of NWT renewable and non-renewable mineral and energy resources and the means by which they can be developed in a responsible and sustainable manner.
- Commitment 1.1.12 - We will support the growth of Aboriginal business development corporations and the capacity of Aboriginal governments, through the completion and implementation of memoranda of understanding that reflect the economic opportunity objectives found in modern land claims.
- Commitment 1.2.9 - We will attract direct foreign investment, and cross-promote minerals, furs, fish, forest products, and tourism to investors and markets.
- Commitment 1.3.2 - In order to advance the territorial vision of land resource management in accordance with the Land Use and Sustainability Framework, we will evolve our legislative, regulatory, and policy systems by:
- Developing and proposing a Mineral Resources Act
- Making amendments to the NWT Mining Regulations