Beginning January 26, 2021, the WLWB will be holding a Technical Session for the Rayrock - Type A Water Licence and Type A Land Use Permit Applications (W2020L8-0003 and W2020X-0005). This session will be held virtually via Zoom Video Conference, as well as at Tree of Peace in Yellowknife. However, due to COVID-19 restrictions, only invited guests may attend in person. Those invited guests must bring their own laptop, headset, and mask to the session.

The Land and Water Boards of the Mackenzie Valley (the Boards), the Mackenzie Valley Review Board, the Government of the Northwest Territories, and Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada are excited to host the Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act (MVRMA) Workshop 2021 online from March 9 - 11, 2021. This year’s workshop theme is Well-being and the MVRMA: Making good resource co-management decisions in the Mackenzie Valley.

The Land and Water Boards of the Mackenzie Valley are pleased to launch the 2021 Youth Multimedia Contest! Contest details are below. Please encourage our Youth to participate, and include the hashtag #landandwater when using social media to promote the contest.  To access the entry form, click here.

The Public Hearing for Diavik Diamond Mines (2012) Inc.’s Type A Water Licence Amendment Application to deposit Processed Kimberlite to Mine Workings, is starting today and will run until December 18, 2020. This hearing is virtual, and members of the public can participate by:

On December 16, 17, and 18, 2020, the Wek'èezhìı Land and Water Board will be holding a public hearing for Diavik Diamond Mines (2012) Inc.’s Type A Water Licence Amendment Application to deposit Processed Kimberlite to Mine Workings. Members of the Public can participate in the hearing by:

The Government of the Northwest Territories’ Department of Environment and Natural Resources 2020 Youth NWT Water Stewardship Multimedia Contest deadline is fast approaching!

NWT youth aged 25 and under are invited to enter submissions in one of the following categories that capture their connection to water:

The Land and Water Boards of the Mackenzie Valley have released a communique regarding Crown Consultation in relation to the LWBs’ Online Review System (ORS) items. Please see the attached for further details.

The Land and Water Boards of the Mackenzie Valley (the Boards) are inviting comments and recommendations on the draft Standard Water Licence Conditions Schedules (Schedules), which will be incorporated into the Standard Water Licence Conditions Template.  Reviewers can submit comments and recommendations on the draft Schedules using the 

Today is the first day of the two-day Public Hearing for the De Beers Canada Inc. – Type A Water Licence and Type A Land Use Permit Amendment Applications. The hearing will take place at the Explorer Hotel, in Katimavik Room B and C in Yellowknife, NT, as well as via Zoom for those that cannot join in person. For access to the zoom link details, contact Angela Love.

September 22-23, 2020, the Mackenzie Valley Land and Water Board will be running a virtual technical session which is intended to provide a forum where parties can discuss their concerns regarding the new application MV2020L4-0005 directly with the proponent and their consultants. Please note that the technical session is not a public hearing and the Board members and their legal counsel will not be participating. It is the Board's wish that the technical session be as informal as possible in order to promote discussion.

Coming up September 8-10, 2020 there will be a Public Hearing for the town of Hay River’s Municipal Type A Water Licence Application, MV2019L3-0010. The hearing will be held in Hay River, NT, at the Hay River Recreation Center - Multipurpose Room as well as virtually. For those wishing to attend, see the attached document for details.

Public Hearing Agenda

There will be a Pre-Hearing Conference Thursday, August 27, 2020, from 3:00 to 4:00 pm MT for the March 2020 Amendment Applications for the Gahcho Kue Project Water Licence and Land Use Permit Application (MV2005L2-0015 & MV2005C0032). The conference will be run via teleconference and is intended for those wanting to be an intervener in this specific process so that they can learn/understand how the hearing will go and ask any questions on the process. For further details, including how to call in, please see the attached document. 

The Tłı̨chǫ̨̨ Annual Gathering is happening today, and anyone interested can watch online. 

The Wek’èezhìi Land and Water Board (WLWB) did not receive any Interventions for the Government of the Northwest Territories’ Department of Infrastructure's (GNWT-INF’s) Type A Proceeding for the Tłı̨chǫ All-Season Road. In addition, no requests to appear and make representations at the hearing were received. On August 5, 2020, the WLWB received GNWT-INF’s consent to dispose of the matter without a public hearing. Therefore, the public hearing scheduled by the Board for August 20, 2020 has now been cancelled under subsection 41(3) of the Waters Act.

Due to the pandemic, the format for this year's Tłı̨chǫ Annual Gathering has changed. The in-person portion has been cancelled, and the remaining events will be online. For further details, click here. 

Beginning tomorrow, July 7, 2020, the Mackenzie Valley Land and Water Board will be running a virtual technical session which is intended to provide a forum where parties can discuss their concerns regarding the amendment applications to files MV2005C0032 and MV2005L2-0015 directly with the proponent and their consultants. Please note that the technical session is not a public hearing and Board members and their legal counsel will not be participating. It is the Board’s wish that the technical session be as informal as possible in order to promote discussion.

The report for the Resource Co-management in the Mackenzie Valley Workshop, that took place in February 2020, has now been released. To read the report, click the attachment below.

Resource Co-management in the Mackenzie Valley Workshop 2020 Report 

The WLWB received Diavik Diamond Mines (2012) Inc.’s (DDMI’s) response to Interventions on the A21 Underground Mining Proceeding. Since no requests to appear and make representations at the hearing were received, DDMI has consented to the disposition of the matter without a public hearing. Therefore, the public hearing scheduled by the Board for May 13, 2020 has now been cancelled under subsection 41(3) of the Waters Act. 

The Mackenzie Valley Environmental Impact Review Board has released their Perspectives Paper on Evolving Impact Assessment in the Mackenzie Valley and Beyond. This paper provides their perspective on key themes in environmental impact assessment, considering emerging practices in the Mackenzie Valley and across Canada. You can access it here. 

GNWT-ENR has issued a letter to all holders of water licences in the NWT regarding their compliance and enforcement strategy during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Any questions about this should be directed to Brett Elkin, A/ADM Operations.

The Land and Water Boards of the Mackenzie Valley (LWBs) are pleased to announce the release of the Standard Water Licence Conditions Template. This Template will be used during the review and approval process for new licences, renewals and amendments (including amendments initiated by the licensee, the LWBs, or as part of an assignment process). Please note, this is not a comprehensive list of all the conditions that may be included in licences issued by the Boards, and not all conditions will be included in all licences.

In light of the rapidly changing situation regarding the risks of transmission of COVID-19 in the NWT, the Land and Water Boards of the Mackenzie Valley (GLWB, SLWB, WLWB, MVLWB) are taking a proactive approach to limit the possible spread of the virus by closing its offices to the public, effective March 19, 2020.

Coming up March 3, 2020 at 8:30 am, the Wek'èezhìı Land and Water Board will be hosting a Technical Session for Diavik Diamond Mines Inc. (DDMI) Water Licence (W2015L2-001) Amendment Application to allow for underground mining of the A21 Kimberlite pipe. The session will be held at the Explorer Hotel in Yellowknife, in Kat D and E. This session is intended for Parties engaged in the process to meet and discuss questions or concerns with DDMI and their consultants directly. For further details, see the attached agenda.