Two major NWT Departments have officially merged into one entity.
The announcement came out on April 3rd that the Department of Land and Environment and the Department of Natural Resources have now joined together into one group; the Department of Environment and Climate Change.
The new Department will be helmed by Minister Shane Thompson, with a mandate to manage land, water, air, wildlife, and forests and lead and coordinate the Government of the Northwest Territories in understanding and adapting to a changing climate. This includes promoting, planning, and supporting the wise and sustainable use of natural resources, and protecting, restoring, and stewarding the environment for the social and economic benefit of all Northwest Territories residents, while maintaining ecosystem health.
Some of the policies of the new department include:
– “Fostering collaborative working relationships with other Government of the Northwest Territories’ departments, with federal, provincial, territorial, community and Indigenous governments, Indigenous organizations, and with other organizations on mutually beneficial administration of public lands and the management and sustainable use of the environment and natural resources.”
– “Evaluating interests relating to public land administration, environment, and natural resources, including ecological, social, cultural, and economic values, to make timely, balanced, sustainable, evidence-based decisions and recommendations.”
– “Maintaining and protecting the condition, quality, diversity, and abundance of the environment through comprehensive assessment and evaluation, and monitoring and compliance measures.”
There have been no job losses as a result of the merger. Forms and guidelines that existed under the previous departments may still be using their former names, but remain valid and will be updated as time goes on.
A new website has been launched for the department, which can be found by clicking here.
