The Mackenzie Valley, Gwich’in, Sahtu, and Wek’eezhii  Land and Water Boards are pleased to announce the release of several important new policy and guideline documents. These documents were developed by the Standard Procedures and Consistency Working Groups and approved by the Mackenzie Valley Land and Water Board for application throughout the Mackenzie Valley. The new policies and guidelines will become effective June 1, 2013.

The documents include:

NEWS RELEASE

May 16, 2013

May 16, 2013 - The Mackenzie Valley Land and Water Board (MVLWB) is pleased to announce the release of a number of new policies and guidelines for application throughout the Mackenzie Valley, namely:

The February Newsletter of the Land and Water Boards of the Mackenzie Valley is now available. This edition's content:

             -   MVLWB and National Energy Board Sign Memorandum of Understanding

             -   Sahtu Winter Oil and Gas Activities

The Land and Water Boards have upgraded their public registries with a new operating platform. The appearance of the registries will be slightly different and subject to change as the sites are fine-tuned, but the content has not changed.  Please update your links to our online registries, and if you have any  questions or concerns about its usability, feel free to contact  MVLWB Information Technology Specialist Rhonda Miller at rmiller@mvlwb.com

The Land and Water Boards of the Mackenzie Valley have completed, and are pleased to present, a comprehensive draft policy framework related to community engagement and Board consultation under the Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act (MVRMA).

The MVLWB has re-issued its Clarification of Spill Reporting Expectations notice to correct an error in the first bullet of the previous notice.

The Board regrets any inconvenience this error may have caused.

This edition of the MVLWB Newsletter features updates and articles about recent Land and Water Board activities, plus details of land use permits and water licences issued by the Land and and Water Boards.

BUILDING COMMUNITY CAPACITY THROUGH TECHNICAL TRAINING INITIATIVES

The Wek’eezhii Land and Water Board would like to congratulate Ms. Sarah Elsasser for completing her Graduate studies at Laurentian University and receiving her PhD in Boreal Ecology. Her long hard road is finally over and we’re happy to have her working with Team Wek’eezhii!!

The Wek’èezhìi Land and Water Board would like to recognize Mike Nitsiza for his inspired and dedicated service during his 2008-2011 term with the Board. Mike’s service to the land, the water, and the people of Wek’èezhìi will always be remembered.

The WLWB would like to extend a warm welcome to Joseph Mackenzie, our newest Tłįcho-appointed Board member.

In addition, we are very happy to welcome Rita Mueller back to the Board. Rita has recently been reappointed to the Board by the Federal Minister.

The Draft Engagement Policy and the Draft Guidelines for Applicants and Holders of Water Licences and Land Use Permits address concerns raised by Aboriginal governments/organizations and applicants to the regulatory process respecting consultation and engagement.

Applicants and holders of water licences and land use permits will now need to refer to the Standards for Geographical Information Systems (GIS) Submissionsand the Document Submission Standards when submitting applications, plans, reports, GIS data, and other material related to their developments.

The Draft Guide to the Land Use Permitting Process outlines the Land and Water Boards’ requirements regarding land use permit applications and related submissions.  Please submit your comments to Angela Plautz ataplautz@mvlwb.com by May 31, 2012 using the Comment Table which is attached to the 

The Boards received direction from AANDC to use their Water Use Fee Calculator when issuing water licences.