According to a Jan. 26 news release, funding for the Interim Resource Management Assistance (IRMA) program “is being boosted by the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT)” in efforts to “strengthen Indigenous governments and Indigenous organizations’ capacity to participate meaningfully in land and resource management processes.”
The IRMA program supports Indigenous governments and organizations that lack settled land and resource agreements and want greater engagement in areas such as environmental assessments, regulatory processes, permit reviews and “capacity development.”
The release notes that the program receives an average of $1 to $2 million dollars in requests “above the approved budget annually,” and that the GNWT “is now doubling its contribution.”
This now brings the total annual budget for this to more than $2 million.
“Additionally, the GNWT continues to discuss opportunities for complementary funding from the federal government to further increase the capacity for Indigenous governments and Indigenous organizations to participate in environmental assessment and regulatory processes,” states the release.
The release notes that this “renewed investment” enables northern Indigenous groups and governments in unsettled regions “to engage effectively in key processes related to land use, environmental protection and resource development.”
Environment and Climate Change Minister Jay Macdonald called this an “important step” in ensuring Indigenous stakeholders’ participation in these types of decisions.
“This investment helps build capacity for environmental assessments, regulatory processes and community engagement,” said Macdonald in a statement. “This increase demonstrates our commitment to supporting our Indigenous partners in shaping the future of their traditional territories.”
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