Application supplement: National Wildlife Area permit under the Wildlife Area Regulations in Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut

Official title: Application supplement for a National Wildlife Area permit under the Wildlife Area Regulations in Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut

All information included in this application will be treated as confidential. Personal information collected as part of the permitting process is protected under the Privacy Act.

Important: Please submit this document along with the document “Application for a National Wildlife Area permit under the Wildlife Area Regulations” if your project will take place in a National Wildlife Area in Yukon, the Northwest Territories or Nunavut. Refer to Appendix 1: Instructions section below while filling out this document.

Status of land

What is the status of land (Federal Crown, Territorial Crown, Inuit Owned Lands, other Indigenous Private Lands)? Please list all that apply.

Local Involvement in project

Representative 1

Name:

Name of organization and position title:  

Mailing address (number and street, incl. p.o. box if applicable):

City:

Province/territory:

Postal code:

Email:

Daytime telephone:

Other telephone:

Fax (if applicable):

Are they participating in the project? yes / no

If yes, describe how.

Representative 2

Name:

Name of organization and position title:  

Mailing address (number and street, incl. p.o. box if applicable):

City:

Province/territory:

Postal code:

Email:

Daytime telephone:

Other telephone:

Fax (if applicable):

Are they participating in the project? yes / no

If yes, describe how.

Have you consulted more than two representatives? yes / no

If yes, please attach a document detailling the other representatives’ contact information and their involvement in the project. List these documents in Appendix C.

Plain language summary

Have you included a plain language summary with this module? yes / no

A plain language summary must be provided in English for projects occuring in Yukon and the Northwest Territories. A plain language summary must be provided in English and Inuktitut or Inuinnaqtun for projects occuring in Nunavut.

Appendix 1: Instructions

Status of land

Applicants should check all types of land on which the described activities will take place.

Nunavut

Lands in CWS’s protected areas in Nunavut include both federal crown land and Inuit Owned Land (IOL). IOLs (surface rights) are owned and managed by the relevant Regional Inuit Association (RIA). More information on land tenure in Nunavut can be found at:

Tunngavik map or ArcGIS map

Projects requiring access to IOL within a CWS protected area may require an IOL access permit issued by the relevant RIA. Please contact the relevant RIA to obtain the appropriate permissions

Qikiqtani Inuit Association (QIA)

Kivalliq Inuit Association (KivIA)

Kitikmeot Inuit Association (KitIA)

Yukon

The Nisutlin River Delta NWA is predominantly federal crown land with a few small parcels of lands owned and administered by the Teslin Tlingit Council. Please contact the Teslin Tlingit Council if your activities will occur on, or impact, Site Specific Settlement Land (SSSL) within the NWA.

More information on land tenure in the Yukon.

Refer to applicable land claim agreements for additional information.

Local involvement in project

An effective consultation process requires collaboration with Indigenous groups and coordination and cooperation with stakeholders, as appropriate. For each community associated with the protected area(s) listed on the permit application, applicants are expected to consult with the appropriate local community representatives, Committees, Boards, and Councils, as well as appropriate regional Committees, Boards, and Councils outlined in relevant Land Claim Agreements (see table below for more information). Proof of consultation, including a record of all communication with listed parties (include dates of phone calls, emails, and any materials provided as mail outs), as well as the response received from each group, is required before CWS can issue a new permit. State how consulted parties are participating in your project, if at all (e.g. providing advice, supplying goods, hired to assist you, etc.). Attach a separate sheet if more space is required to outline all points of contact.

Ensure that ALL activities you are planning to conduct within the protected area(s), and permitted under your Protected Area permit, are included in any consultation efforts you make; CWS will not be able to authorize any activities that have not been included in an applicant’s consultation package. Information must be provided for every organization consulted, as well as the representative for that group. A description of their participation in the project is required (e.g. providing advice, supplying goods, hired to assist you, etc.). For more than two representatives, attach a document at the end of this supplement.

Where appropriate, CWS may rely on existing consultation mechanisms and processes to ensure that Crown obligations to consult are discharged. These existing mechanisms could include environmental assessment and regulatory approval processes conducted by territorial Boards and Commissions, if these processes adequately document and address issues raised by Indigenous groups.

If, after reviewing the information gathered by the permit applicant and territorial review Boards and Commissions, CWS is not satisfied with the level of consultation and engagement with Indigenous peoples, CWS may initiate additional consultation activities before making a decision on issuing a new permit. In addition, in Nunavut only, CWS will consult with the specific Area-Co-management Committee (ACMC) responsible for the protected area(s) listed on your permit application before issuing a new permit or an amendment to an existing permit.

Plain language summary

Applicants are required to submit a brief, plain language (non-technical) summary of their project as an attachment to their completed and signed permit application. CWS may, at its discretion, send an applicant’s plain language summary to relevant community and/or regional co-management boards, committees or councils that may provide CWS with an external review of the application. The summary should be no more than three pages in length (excluding attachments) and provide enough information to give readers a good understanding of the nature and scope of the project. The plain language summary may also be useful to include in consultation packages sent out by permit applicants (refer to the Local Involvement in Project section above).

Your plain language summary must include the following headings:

• Project title
• Applicant name and contact information
  • Include name, affiliation, mailing address, email and phone number
• Number of personnel and/or visitors that will be covered under the permit
• Project objectives
• Project location
  • Please include:
    • Name of each NWA that you are requesting a permit to access; and
    • A map showing the geographic coordinates of project activities (e.g., field camp, landing site, etc.). If your application involves cruise vessel activities, include a map of the proposed travel route/itinerary.
• Proposed date and duration of visit to each protected area
• Method of transportation(s)
  • This section should include a list of all modes of transportation (aircraft, vessel, small launch vessels, ATV, etc.) and frequency of use (projected number of hours for each mode of transportation).
• Summary of activities and rationale
  • Please provide a description of the activities you are planning to undertake while in the protected area (research methods, tourism activities (e.g., zodiac cruise, hiking, etc.)). Provide as much detail as possible for each activity (e.g., how many people, how long you will be doing the activity, location of each activity, etc.)
• Waste disposal
  • Briefly describe any wastes that may be produced (e.g., garbage, grey water, sewage, hazardous waste) and proposed disposal method.
• Potential environmental impacts and mitigation measures
  • Please include:
    • A summary of the potential environmental impacts of the project including a description of any disturbance or potential adverse effects that your project may have on migratory birds, species at risk and/or other wildlife species and their habitat; and
    • A brief description of mitigation methods and risk management techniques that will be used to reduce/minimize environmental impacts and/or wildlife disturbance.
• Measures to avoid dangerous wildlife encounters
  • Briefly describe what measures will be taken to avoid conflict with wildlife (e.g., food storage, deterrents, warning system, etc.).
• Community consultation and involvement
  • Please include:
    • A summary of how and when you have consulted with local communities, Indigenous groups, Boards, Committees and/or Councils regarding your proposed activities (e.g., email, phone, community consultation meeting, etc.);
    • How local community members are participating in your project (if applicable); and
    • How you plan to follow up with the associated communities after project completion.
• Future plans within the protected area (for research projects and/or multi-year permit requests only)
  • Include a brief description of your future plans within the protected area (short-term/duration of the multi-year permit at minimum)
  • Include details on your plans for dissemination and communication of the results.

If you are unable to provide any of the information requested above, please explain why.

For activities taking place in Nunavut, the plain language summary must be provided in English and Inuktitut or Inuinnaqtun.

Additional territorial review processes

Nunavut

The Nunavut Planning Commission (NPC) is responsible for the development, implementation and monitoring of land use plans that guide and direct resource use and development in the Nunavut Settlement Area. Pursuant to the Nunavut Agreement and Nunavut Planning and Project Assessment Act (NUPPAA), a project proposal to be carried out, in whole or in part, in the Designated Area where a land use plan is in effect must be submitted to and reviewed by the NPC for conformity with the terms of the land use plan. It is the responsibility of the applicant to submit their project proposal to the NPC using the NPC’s application system. The NPC is responsible for issuing a conformity determination and deciding whether the proposal is exempt from screening by the Nunavut Impact Review Board (NIRB).

The NIRB is responsible for assessing the potential biophysical and socio-economic impact of proposals and making recommendations and decisions about which projects may proceed. Under NUPPAA, if the NPC decides that a project is not exempt from screening, the NPC will send the project proposal to the NIRB for it to conduct a screening.

Please note, that under NUPPAA, the NPC has up to 45 days to issue its conformity determination and the NIRB has up to 45 days to carry out its screening assessment. For both agencies, any time required for the proponent to provide information required for their respective reviews does not count as part of these time periods. As the authorizing agency, CWS cannot issue a permit until after it has received either a positive conformity determination with notification that the project is exempt from screening from the NPC or a positive screening assessment from the NIRB stating that the project may proceed.

For more information and to submit the project proposal for review, please contact the NPC and NIRB:

NPC website

NIRB website

In accordance with the Nunavut Agreement an Inuit Impact and Benefit Agreement for National Wildlife Areas and Migratory Bird Sanctuaries in the Nunavut Settlement Area (IIBA) was concluded in August 2008. Under the IIBA, nine (9) Area Co-management Committees (ACMCs) were established to provide effective co-management of the protected areas by Inuit and ECCC-CWS in accordance with the Nunavut Agreement. Each ACMC is comprised of five Inuit from the community (or communities) most closely associated with the protected area and one ECCC-CWS employee. The role of the ACMC is to advise the Minister on all aspects of the planning and management of the NWA under their purview. In fulfilling its role and responsibilities, each ACMC will review permit applications for activities taking place within their respective protected area(s) and provide advice on permit conditions to the Minister. In addition, ACMCs will often provide a list of recommendations to permit applicants that are forwarded to the applicant as an appendix to their permit.

Depending on the nature of the activities for which an applicant is requesting a CWS permit, other authorizations may be required from the Government of Nunavut, other Government of Canada departments, Institutes of Public Government, Regional Inuit Associations and Wildlife Boards and local Hunters and Trappers Organizations. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that all authorizations are obtained prior to undertaking any project activities.

Yukon

A new project that takes place in Yukon and requires a permit or authorization will require, with few exceptions, an assessment under the Yukon Environmental and Socio-economic Assessment Act. It is the applicant’s responsibility to submit their planned activities to the Yukon Environmental and Socio-economic Assessment Board for screening.

Depending on the nature of the activities for which an applicant is requesting a CWS permit, other federal, territorial, indigenous or municipal authorizations may be required.