Proposed Northwest Territories Forest Act acknowledges Indigenous rights to harvest wood

By Liny Lamberink
CBC News
May 16, 2023
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Public hearings about the N.W.T.’s proposed Forest Act have been postponed this week because of an out–of-control wildfire.  A territorial committee is still scheduled to… talk about Bill 74, which, if passed, would mean people with Aboriginal or treaty rights to harvest wood for personal use would no longer require a permit to exercise that right. The bill was presented to a committee in late April where Deh Cho MLA Ron Bonnetrouge hinted at the significance of changing that rule in particular. “Many of our members have been charged in the past,” he said, referring to people harvesting wood as heating fuel or to build cabins.  The bill also deals with wildfire management, sustainable forest management, and the roles played by government departments, renewable resource councils, and forest management committees when it comes to the N.W.T.’s forests.

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