Lesley Cabott, MCIP Stantec Consulting Ltd. North and the Atlantic Region

This presentation can be part of  a panel that is focused on the Future of Northern Planning. The theme will be "how can we make plans that governments, residents and northerners can do, support, implement and celebrate"?  Lesley will present a number of planning opportunities and constraints that northern planning process need to consider and adapt to to achieve success. She will also put forward a strategic approach to planning that includes doing the big strategy first - be a land use framework or protected areas strategy.

Shawn Francis, M.Sc., P.Biol. – Principal, S. Francis Consulting Inc.

After more than two decades of efforts, North Yukon is the only approved Chapter 11 regional land use plan in Yukon. Most recently, the Peel Watershed resulted in a protracted legal challenge with an uncertain future. Two other processes—Teslin and Dawson—were initiated but not completed. Why has Yukon had such limited success in developing and approving regional land use plans?

While there may be many contributing factors, this paper will argue that a major challenge has been the lack of formal recognition by governments regarding the important role of regional planning in project-level assessment processes, such as YESAA. In the absence of well-designed regional plans, project-level assessments will continue to struggle with landscape-level management concerns that are often beyond the scope of the individual project being assessed. This paper will explore this situation and suggest methods that can improve the success of regional land use planning in Yukon. Suggested methods include improved issues-scoping by governments prior to initiating a planning process, using cumulative effects assessment approaches to explore future issues and consequences, and designing regional plans so they provide effective landscape-level decision-support tools for project assessors and regulators.

Darha Phillpot – Manager Land Use Planning, The Government of Northwest Territories, Department of Lands

On March 31, 2014, the administration and control of lands and resources in the Northwest Territories (NWT) was devolved from the federal government to the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT). The GNWT’s Land Use and Sustainability Framework identifies land use planning as a strategic direction for the GNWT as it assumes its new roles and responsibilities.
 
The Land Use Planning Unit, within the Land Use and Sustainability Division, Department of Lands, leads GNWT participation in the development, approval and periodic review of regional land use plans pursuant to Aboriginal land, resources and self-government agreements in the Northwest Territories. More broadly, the unit leads GNWT efforts to support and promote effective land use planning in all regions of the NWT.
 
The unit is in the process of developing the GNWT’s Land Use Planning Program and advancing work on a Strategic Framework for Land Use Planning. The Strategic Framework will address the GNWT’s vision for land use planning, articulate the GNWT’s mandate, commitments, and goals for land use planning, and identify priorities. The Framework will guide the GNWT’s Land Use Planning program, including the development of a suite or portfolio of policy guidance developed over time to address land use planning priorities.

The presentation will provide an overview of work done to date on the development of the Framework and will engage participants in discussion about the appropriate role for government given the specific land claim and legislative regime that governs regional land use planning.