Nunavut Planning Commission submits territory-wide land use plan for approval

After 16 years and four drafts, Nunavut is one step closer to having a territory-wide land use plan. 

The 129-page document, released late on Tuesday, is the largest plan of its kind in the world, covering one fifth of Canada's land mass.

The latest draft, in 2021, was the subject of hearings across the territory last year. Work on the plan started in 2007. 

The governments of Nunavut, Canada and Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. will now review the land use plan. It won't become legally binding unless they approve it. 

The plan sets out which areas of the territory are open for development and which are protected. It also tells developers where projects, like mines, will be allowed and under what conditions. 

The plan divides Nunavut into three categories: limited, conditional and mixed use. Limited has the strictest protections, while conditional sets certain requirements for developers and mixed use leaves the door open. 

In the plan, 65 per cent of Nunavut's land would have a mixed use designation, while about 12 per cent would be conditional use and 19 per cent would be limited use. The rest is considered established parks, which don't fall under the plan. 

Inuit organizations get final say on Inuit land

Paul Okalik, Nunavut's first premier, says he's been part of the process since the beginning. 

Okalik now works for the World Wildlife Fund as their Arctic specialist, and said the plan represents progress, especially with its protections for caribou calving grounds. 

Unlike previous versions, this recommended plan says Inuit organizations will have the final say over development on Inuit-owned lands. Okalik worries that means those lands could be opened up for development.  

"The plan, as it is, will allow Inuit organizations to ... negotiate away the precious calving grounds that the Inuit in the communities feel so strongly in protecting," Okalik said.

"So that part I find as a setback ... That part I struggle with."

Existing right held by companies in Nunavut, like mining companies, aren't affected by the plan. 

'A reasonable balance'

In the document, the Nunavut Planning Commission says the plan aims "to protect and promote the existing and future well-being of the residents and communities" in Nunavut. 

Nunavut Senator Dennis Patterson has criticized previous versions of the plan for being too restrictive when it comes to potential land development. 

"I hope there's been a better balance achieved with this version. And that's all anyone should expect is that there's a reasonable balance between development and protection," Patterson said. 

Patterson also said the plan also leaves the door open for critical mineral exploration. 

"It's encouraging to me that there's a clear understanding of the significance of our mineral resources ot Nunavut's economy."

It's been a long road to get to the plan. In 2014, the commission sued then Prime Minister Stephen Harper over his decision not to fund hearings on the land use plan. 

"Progress has been slow … even though there's been 30 years since the land claim was signed," Patterson said. 

The commission said the 2023 plan is meant to be a living document, but it will be fully reviewed in seven years.