Thank you, Minister. Sergeant-at-Arms, would you please escort the witness out and in? We will go over activity, water management and monitoring beginning on page 83, with information items on page 86. Questions. Member for Yellowknife North.
Debates of March 10th, 2020
This is page numbers 557 - 606 of the Hansard for the 19th Assembly, 2nd Session. The original version can be accessed on the Legislative Assembly's website or by contacting the Legislative Assembly Library. The word of the day was thanks.
Topics
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The Chair Lesa Semmler
Member O'Reilly, are you ready? Member for Frame Lake, I will have you go first. Member for Frame Lake.
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Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake
Thanks, Madam Chair. I guess I would like to ask the Minister: there was a lot promised in the last Assembly about completing all the transboundary water agreements, but I don't think anything was actually signed. Can someone confirm that for me?
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Shane Thompson Nahendeh
Thank you, Madam Chair. For further detail, I will ask, with your permission, the deputy minister to answer that question. Thank you.
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Kelly
Thank you, Madam Chair. We have a signed agreement with Alberta, a signed agreement with British Columbia. We have an intentions document that is ready to go out for consultation in the coming weeks with the Yukon, updating our 2002 agreement. We are still in discussions with Saskatchewan. Nunavut has alerted us to the fact that they would like to finish their water stewardship strategy and, then, begin engaging in discussions about a transboundary water management agreement. Thank you, Madam Chair.
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Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake
Thanks, Madam Chair. That is good information to have, but I don't think it really answered my question, which was: what was accomplished in the last Assembly with regard to these agreements? I am just going to leave that. We had a lot of discussion in the House and outside of the House about the Teck Resources project. The Minister had indicated that the transboundary water agreement with Alberta was going to protect us in some way. Could the Minister actually give us an explanation as to how that agreement will protect us from upstream development in the future? Thanks, Madam Chair.
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Shane Thompson Nahendeh
Thank you, Madam Chair. For that detail, I will, with your permission, ask the deputy minister to provide that information. Thank you.
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Kelly
Thank you, Madam Chair. Under the Mackenzie River transboundary waters master agreement, there is agreement among all Mackenzie River basin board jurisdictions to work together to maintain aquatic ecosystem health; manage water use sustainably for present and future generations; respect the rights of each jurisdiction to manage water in its own use; provide early consultation and notification; and resolve issues cooperatively and harmoniously.
In our transboundary agreement with Alberta, we have used the water stewardship strategy that was developed collectively with Indigenous governments as our interests, and we have an agreement that includes a bilateral management committee that facilitates joint implementation of the agreement that classifies transboundary waters, establishes learning plans, and sets monitors and assesses the meeting of transboundary objectives. It also shares information and provides notification and consultation.
Our agreements include water quality and quantity objectives and monitoring and triggers for quality, quantity, and biology, as well, and learning about ground water, as well as including traditional knowledge in decision-making and classifying water bodies. Thank you, Madam Chair.
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Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake
Thanks, Madam Chair. Yes. I have read the agreements, as well. I understand that there is some information sharing, monitoring, and so on that is required, early notice of, perhaps, activities that might be happening upstream. What is actually in there to prevent changes to water quality and water quantity in a way that is going to adversely affect residents and the environment in the Northwest Territories? Thanks, Madam Chair.
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Shane Thompson Nahendeh
Thank you, Madam Chair. At this point in time, I will ask the deputy minister to answer that question in detail. Thank you, Madam Chair.
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Kelly
Thank you, Madam Chair. We have access to upstream monitoring data, which allows us to have an early warning system of change. We can track changes in water quality coming from Alberta towards the Northwest Territories border. We also have the risk informed management approach where water bodies are classified based on risk. At the lower levels of risk, like a level 2, we have learning plans in place. As you move up to level 3, you set objectives. Level 4 is, if an objective is not met, the upstream jurisdiction does what they need to do to return the water quality, water quantity, or biology back to below the objective. Thank you, Madam Chair.
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Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake
Thanks, Madam Chair. That is helpful, but I am still trying to understand. Are there some teeth to these agreements in that our government could dispute or ask an upstream developer, the upstream government, to stop or cease putting something into the water that is going to adversely affect us? Is that sort of authority found in the transboundary water agreements? Thanks, Madam Chair.
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Shane Thompson Nahendeh
Thank you, Madam Chair. Again, for that detail, I will have to ask the deputy minister to provide the information. Thank you, Madam Chair.
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