The Sahtu Secretariat Lands & Resources Department

Our department within the Sahtu Secretariat Incorporated, (SSI), is relatively young. Within the last five years, a lot of activities have been undertaken, and many agencies are still unfamiliar with us. Therefore we would like to present a brief overview of what we have done and what we do:

Our Clients

Because we are a part of SSI, we assist the three District Land Corporations, the land corporations that they are made of, the five Renewable Resource Councils and the SSI Board.

Technical Assistance With Reviews and Referrals

Our Lands & Resources Department provides technical assistance to all of the Districts related to the natural resources and the demands made on them.

It reviews all industrial and commercial applications, regulatory changes, draft legislation, innovations in technology, and applications for research within the Sahtu Settlement Area.

It is important to us that we have a knowledge of the Sahtu system of government and how the companies work with the SSI Council and various co-management Boards.

We respect how communities and the Council(s) review activities and provide their input. While we provide our reviews to the District Land Corporations, we ask “Is it working? Is it meaningful to them and the department? Do activities turn out the way they want them to”.

SSI Representation

It also represents the Sahtu Secretariat Incorporated on:

• Cummulative Impact Monitoring Program,(CIMP);
• Protected Areas Strategies,(PAS);
• Northern Contaminants Program,(NCP);
• Northwest Territories Wildlife Act Working Group;
• First Nations Forestry Program, FNFP); and
• Others, such as some types of litigation and environmental hearings.