ECONOMY, ENVIRONMENT AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Commitment 1.3.1 – Using the Land Use and Sustainability Framework to be clear and transparent, we will:
Finalize the Recreational Leasing Management Framework, and the plan for the Yellowknife Periphery Area.

Recreational Leasing Management Framework

The Recreational Leasing Management Framework was approved and released publicly in March 2017 (milestone 1). The Framework guides the Government of the Northwest Territories’ (GNWT) approach to the management and administration of recreational leasing opportunities in the NWT. It applies NWT-wide on both Territorial and Commissioner’s Land.

Yellowknife periphery area recreation management plan

The GNWT is developing a recreation management plan for the lands outside and around Yellowknife, Detah, and Ndılǫ that are well-used for outdoor recreation. The plan will not be a comprehensive land use plan.

A recreation management plan in the Yellowknife periphery area will position the GNWT to:

• Improve the coordination between GNWT departments on recreation resource management

• Make informed decisions about strategic investments in recreation infrastructure

• Support the recreation and tourism industry that depends on access to a diversity of high quality recreational opportunities

Prior to releasing the final plan (milestone 2), the initiative involves comprehensive public engagement and meaningful consultation with Aboriginal governments and organizations to collect information on values and recreation management issues within the Yellowknife periphery area.

The plan will outline:

• The type of recreation opportunities desired in the area, including where the GNWT may offer more cabin lot leases and where it should avoid issuing them

• Strategies and actions to address area-wide issues like waste management, public education, and parking

• Strategies and actions to address specific issues within particular locations in the study area