Work is already underway for the Northwest Territories 2020 Environmental Audit.
Independent auditors and employees from the GNWT's Department of Environment and Natural Resources (ENR) held a public open house at Northern United Place on Tuesday to collect feedback from Yellowknife residents about environmental management in the Northwest Territories.
SA国际影视传媒淚tSA国际影视传媒檚 an audit that happens of the environmental management system every five years in the territory and itSA国际影视传媒檚 a part of the Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act system,SA国际影视传媒� said Julian Kanigan, manager of the Cumulative Impact Monitoring Program with ENR.
The GNWT facilitates an independent auditor to assess the system every five years, who then makes recommendations to the government in a report. Part of the 2020 audit will be checking in on the implementation of the recommendations from the last audit in 2015. The (MVRMA) came into force in 2000 and there have been three previous audits, with the first being in 2005.
The most recent audit in 2015 occurred after devolution, meaning it was the first one the GNWT was fully responsible for, rather than the federal government.
Auditors held an open house in Inuvik in February and will do the same in Deline, Fort Simpson, Behchoko, Hay River and Fort Smith in April and May.
SA国际影视传媒淲eSA国际影视传媒檙e hosting these public open houses to hear from community members about how they feel the environmentSA国际影视传媒檚 being managed,SA国际影视传媒� said Kanigan.
SA国际影视传媒淚n addition to that, there's interviews with folks that are actually involved in the regulatory system or in monitoring and those kinds of things.SA国际影视传媒�
Over the years the audits have narrowed in their focus, said Kanigan.
SA国际影视传媒淪ome of the older audits looked at all of the different valued components we call them. Air, water, wildlife, all of those things, which is hard for one audit to do. The 2020 audit, with respect to environmental trends, is really focusing in on water.SA国际影视传媒�
The focus on water quality and quantity was chosen by the Audit Steering Committee, SA国际影视传媒渢o allow a more in-depth and focused evaluation of the information available on water quality and quantity in the NWT, including both scientific and traditional knowledge,SA国际影视传媒� stated Dorothy Westerman, a communications planning specialist at ENR in an email.
The steering committee - made up of Indigenous, territorial and federal government representatives - was also involved in selecting the auditor.
SA国际影视传媒淭he Audit Team will also report on potential contributing factors to any changes in water quality and quantity, the significance of those trends, and provide recommendations to address any gaps identified,SA国际影视传媒� stated Westerman.
A clause in the MVRMA states that the responsible authority, in this case, the GNWT, needs to examine trends in the environment to see how cumulative changes to the environment are brought on by development and natural change like climate change, said Marc Lange of North by North Consulting, which forms a joint venture between a few consultants to work on this audit.
SA国际影视传媒淢y role will be to focus on mostly two areas,SA国际影视传媒� said Lange. SA国际影视传媒淭he regulatory system and the cumulative impacts monitoring.SA国际影视传媒�
The territorial government will provide information on watersheds in the Northwest Territories for the auditors to assess.
SA国际影视传媒淲here thereSA国际影视传媒檚 been multiple years of information collected they want us to look at it and say what are the trends?SA国际影视传媒� Lange explained. SA国际影视传媒淲hatSA国际影视传媒檚 happening with the water through time in these locations? Is it better, worse, the same?SA国际影视传媒�
Residents at the open house on Tuesday voiced concerns over a number of environmental issues including arsenic from Giant Mine, best practices for individuals and industry using the land and future infrastructure projects like the But the 2020 audit can't make recommendations about future projects, said Lange.
SA国际影视传媒淎ny concern that we hear about over the next couple months is definitely something weSA国际影视传媒檒l consider as part of the audit,SA国际影视传媒� he said.
SA国际影视传媒淏ut when it comes to a particular project that could be reviewed in the future, thatSA国际影视传媒檚 not so much within the privy of our audit. WeSA国际影视传媒檙e sort of looking in the rearview mirror a little bit, or a retrospective look at how things have performed over the last five years.SA国际影视传媒�
The audit is costing the government $200,000 and the recommendations within it are not binding, rather, they are SA国际影视传媒渢ake it or leave it recommendations" for the government to consider Lange explained.
SA国际影视传媒淵ou paid someone to think very thoroughly about this and hereSA国际影视传媒檚 what weSA国际影视传媒檝e come up with," he said.
"And for the most part, what ISA国际影视传媒檝e seen from previous audits, the governments and the parties make serious efforts to try and implement it. WeSA国际影视传媒檒l be checking that in particular, in this audit.SA国际影视传媒�
As well as attending open houses in their communities, Lange encouraged people to give their feedback through the which will eventually be available under the Have Your Say section of .
"Because our recommendations to government will be based on what we hear,SA国际影视传媒� he said.
The audit report will be released to the public sometime in early 2020.
