July 14, 2000

Talks start on benefit deals for territorial parks

Talks between NTI and GN negotiators on an Inuit impact and benefit agreement for Nunavut’s territorial parks began last week.

JANE GEORGE
Nunatsiaq News

IQALUIT — Representatives from the Nunavut government and Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. sat down for the first time last week in Iqaluit to start talks on an impact and benefit agreement for territorial parks.

"It will capitalize on tourism and economic opportunities such as outfitting and guiding and minimize any potential impacts on Inuit," said NTI president Paul Quassa.

Under the Nunavut land claims agreement, the GN and Inuit have to reach an IIBA before territorial parks can be officially established. Negotiators will agree to one umbrella agreement with specific attachments for each territorial park.

John Lamb, NTI’s director of implementation, said this IIBA will be an "important pole" as territorial parks attract more users and the system grows.

The agreement should be ready by March, 2001.

It will not be likely that NTI negotiators will ask for any of the compensation payments made as the result of impact and benefit agreements worked out with Ottawa to cover Nunavut’s national parks.

The agreements dealing with Auyuittuq, Quttinirpaq and Sirmilik, which were signed in August, 1999, included $3 million in compensation for the Qikiqtani Inuit Association, as well as $200,000 for scholarships.

Meanwhile, negotiations for the IIBA for another new national park, Ukkusiksalik, at Wager Bay in the Kivalliq region, have hit another slow stretch.

In May, after three years of negotiations — and some 22 years since the first proposal for the park — the Kivalliq Inuit Association and the governments of Canada and Nunavut were able to sign off on many portions of an IIBA for the park.

At that time, it looked as if the agreement would be signed by summer. Among other issues, the impact of a recently signed regional land use agreement on the IIBA has to evaluated.

"We thought be were close to an agreement. Now, we’re hoping for the fall. It’s definitely not going to happen before that," said Elisabeth Seale, chief negotiator for Canada and the new superintendent of Nunavut’s national parks.