WHEREAS non-timber forest products, including wild mushrooms, can offer wide-ranging health and economic benefits;

AND WHEREAS world-wide demand for gourmet mushrooms is increasing, as well as awareness of their availability, nutritional content and value as a natural resource in the Northwest Territories;

AND WHEREAS commercial wild mushroom harvest may represent a significant economic development opportunity for residents of the Northwest Territories;

AND WHEREAS a large crop of valuable morel mushrooms associated with forest fire burns is anticipated this year in areas accessible by road on traditional Aboriginal lands;

AND WHEREAS these areas are in regions with land claims currently under negotiation;

AND WHEREAS residents, including members of local Aboriginal organizations, have no regulatory

mechanism to allow benefit from wild mushroom harvest, while unregulated, out-of-territory entrepreneurs are actively harvesting the resource;

AND WHEREAS in 2006, the forest management division of the Government of the Northwest Territories’ Department of Environment and Natural Resources made commitments to advance this industry, including a commitment to draft a policy paper to lead the process for developing appropriate policy and regulations for non-timber forest products by 2014;

AND WHEREAS updates to legislation to regulate the commercial harvest of wild mushrooms are still required;

AND WHEREAS this legislation is not expected to come forward in time to govern this year’s harvest;

NOW THEREFORE I MOVE, seconded by the honourable Member for Weledeh, that the Government of the Northwest Territories, prior to summer 2014, honour its commitments and work with those Northwest Territories First Nations and entrepreneurs that have an interest in harvesting morels and other mushrooms, to implement interim measures that regulate and manage the commercial harvest of wild mushrooms;

AND FURTHER, that the Government of the Northwest Territories immediately begin drafting legislation to provide for the responsible management of the wild mushroom resource and provide a comprehensive response to this motion within 60 days.