Coming up September 8-10, 2020 there will be a Public Hearing for the town of Hay River’s Municipal Type A Water Licence Application, MV2019L3-0010. The hearing will be held in Hay River, NT, at the Hay River Recreation Center - Multipurpose Room as well as virtually. For those wishing to attend, see the attached document for details.

Public Hearing Agenda

There will be a Pre-Hearing Conference Thursday, August 27, 2020, from 3:00 to 4:00 pm MT for the March 2020 Amendment Applications for the Gahcho Kue Project Water Licence and Land Use Permit Application (MV2005L2-0015 & MV2005C0032). The conference will be run via teleconference and is intended for those wanting to be an intervener in this specific process so that they can learn/understand how the hearing will go and ask any questions on the process. For further details, including how to call in, please see the attached document. 

The Tłı̨chǫ̨̨ Annual Gathering is happening today, and anyone interested can watch online. 

The Wek’èezhìi Land and Water Board (WLWB) did not receive any Interventions for the Government of the Northwest Territories’ Department of Infrastructure's (GNWT-INF’s) Type A Proceeding for the Tłı̨chǫ All-Season Road. In addition, no requests to appear and make representations at the hearing were received. On August 5, 2020, the WLWB received GNWT-INF’s consent to dispose of the matter without a public hearing. Therefore, the public hearing scheduled by the Board for August 20, 2020 has now been cancelled under subsection 41(3) of the Waters Act.

Due to the pandemic, the format for this year's Tłı̨chǫ Annual Gathering has changed. The in-person portion has been cancelled, and the remaining events will be online. For further details, click here. 

Beginning tomorrow, July 7, 2020, the Mackenzie Valley Land and Water Board will be running a virtual technical session which is intended to provide a forum where parties can discuss their concerns regarding the amendment applications to files MV2005C0032 and MV2005L2-0015 directly with the proponent and their consultants. Please note that the technical session is not a public hearing and Board members and their legal counsel will not be participating. It is the Board’s wish that the technical session be as informal as possible in order to promote discussion.

The report for the Resource Co-management in the Mackenzie Valley Workshop, that took place in February 2020, has now been released. To read the report, click the attachment below.

Resource Co-management in the Mackenzie Valley Workshop 2020 Report 

The Mackenzie Valley Environmental Impact Review Board has released their Perspectives Paper on Evolving Impact Assessment in the Mackenzie Valley and Beyond. This paper provides their perspective on key themes in environmental impact assessment, considering emerging practices in the Mackenzie Valley and across Canada. You can access it here. 

GNWT-ENR has issued a letter to all holders of water licences in the NWT regarding their compliance and enforcement strategy during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Any questions about this should be directed to Brett Elkin, A/ADM Operations.

The Land and Water Boards of the Mackenzie Valley (LWBs) are pleased to announce the release of the Standard Water Licence Conditions Template. This Template will be used during the review and approval process for new licences, renewals and amendments (including amendments initiated by the licensee, the LWBs, or as part of an assignment process). Please note, this is not a comprehensive list of all the conditions that may be included in licences issued by the Boards, and not all conditions will be included in all licences.

In light of the rapidly changing situation regarding the risks of transmission of COVID-19 in the NWT, the Land and Water Boards of the Mackenzie Valley (GLWB, SLWB, WLWB, MVLWB) are taking a proactive approach to limit the possible spread of the virus by closing its offices to the public, effective March 19, 2020.

Coming up March 3, 2020 at 8:30 am, the Wek'èezhìı Land and Water Board will be hosting a Technical Session for Diavik Diamond Mines Inc. (DDMI) Water Licence (W2015L2-001) Amendment Application to allow for underground mining of the A21 Kimberlite pipe. The session will be held at the Explorer Hotel in Yellowknife, in Kat D and E. This session is intended for Parties engaged in the process to meet and discuss questions or concerns with DDMI and their consultants directly. For further details, see the attached agenda.

Thank you for your recent participation at the Resource Co-management in the Mackenzie Valley Workshop 2020 held at the Explorer Hotel in Yellowknife.  We invite you to share your thoughts on the workshop, please follow the link to enter our survey.  This will help us greatly in organizing future workshops.

MVRMA Agenda and PPTs

The SLWB is hosting a community tour and is holding community meetings in Fort Good Hope (February 18), Norman Wells (February 19), and Tulita (February 20). The purpose of the meetings are to meet with the public regarding the processes of the Land and Water Boards of the Mackenzie Valley. 

Guideline for the Design, Operation, Monitoring, Maintenance and Closure of Petroleum Hydrocarbon-Contaminated Soil Treatment Facilities in the Northwest Territories (2020)

Coming up February 11-13, 2020, the Mackenzie Valley Land and Water Board will be hosting a Technical Session at the Hay River Recreation Centre for the town's Type A municipal licence renewal (MV2019L3-0010). This technical session is meant to provide a forum where parties can discuss their concerns about the Town of Hay River’s Water Licence renewal application directly with the proponent and its consultants. Please note that the technical session is not a public hearing; Board members and their legal counsel will not be participating.

The Wek'èezhìı Land and Water Board is currently seeking a Regulatory Specialist for our Yellowknife office. For further details, please see the attached job posting that closes Sunday, January 19, 2020. 

Coming up January 20-24, 2020 the MVLWB will be holding a Public Hearing on Giant Mine Remediation Project Post-Environmental Assessment Information Package (MV2007L8-0031) and Land Use Permit (MV2019X0007) application. It will be held at the Chateau Nova, in the Caribou Room, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. each day. This event is open to the public, however public input will be limited to a brief portion of the agenda, the majority of the agenda is for registered interveners.

Click here to register!

Coming up November 26 and 27, 2019 the MVLWB will be holding a Public Hearing on DeBeers Snap Lake Water Licence Renewal (MV2019L2-0004) and Land Use Permit Amendment (MV2017D0032) applications. It will be held at the Explorer Hotel, in the Katimavik B Ballroom, from 8:30am to 5pm. This event is open to the public, however public input will be limited to a brief portion of the agenda, the majority of the agenda is for registered intervenors. This Licence will see the Snap Lake mine move into active closure and includes consideration of the Final Closure and Reclamation Plan. 

For several years the Land and Water Boards have been involved with guest lecturing at Aurora College in Fort Smith as part of the Environment and Natural Resources Technology Program. On Wednesday October 30, 2019 representatives from both the Land and Water Boards of the Mackenzie Valley, and the Mackenzie Valley Environmental Impact Review Board, will be co-leading this year’s guest lecture and running a mock-simulation of the regulatory process from application to Environmental Assessment to permitting and licensing for registered students of the college.

Coming up October 22-23, 2019, the 10th Annual NWT Water Stewardship Strategy Implementation Workshop will take place at the Chief Drygeese Centre in Dettah, NT.

The workshop will bring water partners together to share recent implementation work and discuss how to continue to work together. This years theme is Northern waters in a changing climate, and MVLWB staff will be in attendance. For further details on this event, see the attached document.