Thanks, Madam Chair. When we were developing the water strategy, there were a number of things that we looked up, and land claim commitments were one of the main foundations for the Water Stewardship Strategy. There were a lot of concerns that were being brought forward about water because it's so important to people in the NWT, and we worked collaboratively with Indigenous governments and other water partners across the NWT to come up with that water strategy. Really, it was the foundation for the mandate for the transboundary agreements, as well. The Aboriginal steering committee is key. They have guided us. They guided the transboundary negotiations. They've guided all of the aspects of development and implementation of the water strategy. We've got the land claims as the foundation, and then we've got Indigenous participation the whole way through development and implementation. I hope that that answers the Member's question. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Member for Hay River South.
Thank you, Madam Chair. The other question I have is with respect to the monitoring and management is: is there any case law out there that's available, any challenges with upstream industries and that, doing work up there? Has there been any challenges from any of the Indigenous groups or the Government of the Northwest Territories to challenge? There's pulp mills or mining companies that may have potential damage for waters coming into the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Minister.
For that detail, I'm going to have to go to the deputy minister. Thank you.
Deputy Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I'm not specifically up to speed on case law specifically, but what I can speak to is the fact that we have participated as the government in environmental assessment processes for site-see and some other developments. The transboundary agreement, while it's cooperative in nature, we have a bilateral management committee for that. That management committee includes the assistant deputy minister from the NWT and from Alberta, and it has an Indigenous member, which is Tim Heron from the NWT Metis Nation, who sits on that bilateral management committee. That's where we bring concerns and address any issues that come forward for the transboundary agreement.
There's a whole dispute resolution mechanism that is built into the transboundary agreement, as well, if we can't come to an agreement, but the process there does not preclude us from using a legal method if required. What we are trying to do is collaboratively, through that bilateral management committee, as the first step. Then we take the opportunity to participate in environmental assessments as required, and then we have that dispute resolution mechanism. As I mentioned, we could still use legal recourse, if needed. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Member for Hay River South.
That's all. Thank you.
Thank you. Are there any further questions under water management and monitoring? Seeing none, please turn to page 88. Environment and Natural Resources, water management and monitoring, operations expenditure summary, 2021-2022 Main Estimates, $9,780,000. Does committee agree?
Agreed.
Thank you. Committee, we will now go to wildlife and fish, beginning on page 91, with information items up to page 94. Questions? Any questions? No questions? Member for Frame Lake.
Thanks, Madam Chair. Let's talk about caribou. The barren-ground caribou surveys were supposed to happen last year. They didn't because of COVID. What's happening this summer? Thanks, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Minister.
We are planning to do the survey this summer. Thank you.
Thank you. Member.
Thanks, Madam Chair. How much does it cost, and where is it found in the budget? Thanks, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Minister.
Thank you. For that detail, I will turn to the deputy minister. Thank you.
Thank you. Deputy Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. The surveys cost around $430,000. They are done every two years. The budget was set up to have that funding there every two years, and now we are off-cycle because of COVID. What we are doing is we are lapsing the $430,000 that we didn't spend on the surveys this year, and then we will be able to use that funding next year. We are going to adjust the cash flow so that that funding is available for every second year from then on. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Member.
Thanks, Madam Chair. I appreciate that. I just want to be crystal clear. The money can be carried over from last year to this year to allow for the survey work to be done? You don't have to cut internally, look for unused funds in other parts of ENR, or even within wildlife and fish to do the work? I just want to be really clear about that. Thanks, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Minister.
Thank you. My understanding is: we are lapsing it this year, and then we are able to pick up the money next fiscal year to do the job that we were going to do this year. Because of COVID, we aren't able to. We do have the money. I wouldn't say we are transferring; we are lapsing it this year and getting the money next fiscal year to do the survey. For any additional detail, I will ask the deputy minister to talk about the finances to it.
Thank you. Deputy Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. The only addition that I will make is that we will need to put forward a supplementary request for next year, but the Department of Finance is aware that we are lapsing the funding this year and that the work needs to be done next year. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Member.
Thanks, Madam Chair. I will put in a good word for you guys right now with the Finance Minister that I want them to approve that, and if they don't, they will have to answer to me. I am deadly serious. These herds are in a very, very desperate state. One of the most reliable ways that we have to determine their health is through the calving ground surveys. If the work is not done, we have no idea what's going on with the overall population. I shouldn't say "no idea." Our ability to predict and project is diminished dramatically. I know I am talking to scientists about this, so they get this. We have to have that work done. I expect that all of Cabinet is going to line up behind that. I do want to ask, though, about the wildlife research and management line on page 92. There's a $700,000 drop predicted or projected from what we spent last year. Can someone tell me why that is being reduced? Thanks, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Minister.
Thank you. $230,000 was the Inuvik Tuktoyaktuk Highway environmental assessment funding. It was sunsetted. $430,000 conservation and recovery of the Bathurst-Bluenose East barren-ground caribou herd. Funding fluctuates according to the calving plans. That's where that money that we had from talking about the survey. Thank you.
Thank you. Member for Frame Lake.
Thanks, Madam Chair. I appreciate that. I'll just go back and ask one other question. The $430,000 for the barren-ground caribou surveys, does that, then, have to be brought forward through a supplementary? Thank you.
Minister.
Thank you. Member.
Thanks, Madam Chair. You already have one vote. I appreciate that. I want to ask about work for caribou habitat protection. Where would I find it in the budget here? I see that there is a habitat and environmental assessment line. Is that where I would find money, how much, and what is actually being done to protect, I'll just pick on one herd, the Bathurst caribou herd?
Thank you. Minister.
For that detail, I will turn to the deputy minister. Thank you.
Deputy Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. My understanding is that the money for the habitat protection comes under the line item for habitat and environmental assessment. I don't have the exact number with me that we are using on that, but it's related to the pilot project that we have provided information on previously. I don't have the exact number at this time. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Minister.
We'll make that commitment to get that back to committee. Thank you.
Thank you. Member for Frame Lake.
Thanks, Madam Chair, and thanks to the Minister for that. I had understood that there were some meetings that were to take place in the fall, or maybe it was in January, with the Tlicho and some other Indigenous governments and communities to start to identify specific areas for habitat protection, critical habitat. Look, there is nothing else we can do on the harvest side, quite frankly. I do appreciate the work of the Minister and what he did in the media today, so maybe we can do some more enforcement stuff there. There's not much we can do with the harvesters to deal with that anymore. We have tried the predator stuff. That seems to have worked a little bit. The one area where we haven't done anything and is still outstanding, even in the range plan, is habitat protection. I had understood there were going to be some meetings. What is the status of that work, and have we actually started to identify areas that need to be protected, even permanently, for the Bathurst caribou herd? Thanks, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Minister.
For that level of detail, I will turn to the deputy minister. Thank you.
Deputy Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. We have begun work on all eight recommendations in the Bathurst caribou range plan. There has been a draft framework for the implementation of mobile caribou conservation measures. That was completed in March 2020, and we are currently working with Aurora Geosciences to develop detailed operational guidance based on a pilot program, which piloted mobile caribou conservation measures in the summer and fall of 2020. We have also, as the Member stated, met with the Tlicho government and identified caribou habitat as a value at risk under our wildlife management system and also identified key boreal and barren-ground caribou habitat. It's my understanding that we are now having meetings with other Indigenous governments to get their input, as well, to include with the Tlicho input, and my understanding is that those meetings are ongoing at this time. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Member for Frame Lake.
