Nunavut Inuit org inks co-operation pact with CanNor

Patrick Borbey, the president of the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency, signed the QIA-CanNor MOU Sept. 26 on behalf of CanNor. (FILE PHOTO)

In a signed pact that’s light on specifics, the Qikqtani Inuit Association and the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency have agreed to work together on big resource extraction and infrastructure projects in Nunavut’s Qikiqtani region.

The two parties signed the memorandum of understanding this past Sept. 26, but it wasn’t made public until Nov. 6.

An influential unit with CanNor, the Northern Projects Management Office, plays a big role in the agreement.

CanNor’s projects management office, or the NPMO, is set up to help big infrastructure builders and resource developers navigate the northern regulatory system.

“Its work supports economic drivers in the territories by creating more certainty for industry and helping to ensure environmental assessments and permits proceed smoothly on northern projects,” the NPMO’s website says.

It’s also Ottawa’s go-to office for co-ordinating the numerous federal departments and agencies in the North and for acting on behalf of the Crown in consultations with aboriginal peoples.

In the QIA-CanNor pact, the two sides agreed the NPMO will lead the way on preparing for resource development and producing economic benefits for Inuit.

“The NPMO will lead the Parties in the development of a collaborative framework under which the Parties can advance coordination of respective efforts relating to projects in the Qikiqtani region. The framework would also seek to coordinate efforts and develop strategies to advance positive economic outcomes in relation to projects and associated initiatives,” the MOU said.

Though the deal contains few specifics, it says both sides agree on making environmental assessment and regulation more transparent, as well as “non-duplicative and effective.”

And the deal also says they agree on “the importance of resource development and regional infrastructure projects to the economic prosperity of the people and communities in the Qikiqtani region.”

Through a body called the Nunavut Project Committee, the two sides may meet from time to time to talk about specific resource projects.