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Serial smugglers keep RCMP busy TheRCMPseeasteadystream of coffee makers juice jugs cereal boxes and laundry detergent stuffed with drugs or booze. See page 3. Hay is for horses but this river has rice After 30 years of seeding wild rice around the NWT Pat Bobinski says 2015 saw a record crop. See page 22. EKATI BEST IN THE WEST Emergency rescue team wins national skills competition. See page 23. Fort Simpson knows how to rock and roll Thebandthestolenprototype guitar and the NWT commu- nity that rallied to nd it in time for the show to go on. See page 16. Senator holds no punches in tell-all memoir Senator Nick Sibbeston was not shy when he penned his memoir which he released this week. See page 8. V IS IT W W W .N O R J.C A A national award winning independent newspaper serving northern Alberta and the Northwest Territories since 1977 1.00 September 22 2015 Vol. 39 No. 21 BY CRAIG GILBERT TheGNWTsnewdraftlandsprotec- tion plan blew through Tom Hoefers ofce like a Great Slave gale. TheexecutivedirectoroftheNWT- Nunavut Chamberof Mines said last weekhisorganizationwasshocked by the content of the 12-page NWT Conservations Areas Action Plan 2015-2020. The voice of the North- ernminingandexplorationindustry since 1967 is worried the amount of land the draft plan proposes forbid- ding industrial development on will createuncertaintyintheexploration communityandsignalinvestorsthat the NWT is closed for business. The number raising alarms ap- pears in one reference near the end ofthedocumentindicatingthatupto 40 per cent of the NWTs 1.2 million square-kilometrelandmasscouldbe protectedfromdevelopment.Assess fragmentationandtheneedsfornew conservationareastoensurecontinued connectivity between core protected areas and to contribute towards a target of 40 per cent in conservation areas in the NWT reads Action 5.2. Each of the plans actions has a timeframe attached. Addressing that 40 per cent target is scheduled for year ve 2019-2020 but a re- view of the Territorial Parks Act is scheduled to begin this fall. Today about 130000 sq-km or slightly more than nine per cent of the NWT is off-limits to industry. In 2013 10.4 per cent of Canadas Act 23146 sq-km are withdrawn for surface development but may permit subsurface development with conditions. Changes to either of those types of protected land re- quire an act of parliament. Land use plans subject to review everyveyearsprohibitdevelopment feedback on it. The plan circulated to stakeholders including First Na- tions environmental and industry associations asks what is missing andwhethertheplanallowsenough exibility and space for a diversity of conservation values to be part of our collective conservation narrative. Thediscussionandthoseopinions are important Miltenberger said. He said the document is an exten- sion of the national action plan for conservationwhichtracesitsgenesis backto1999andthatitshouldnotbe a shock to anyone involved. Thereisnonewlandidentiedin theplanandsomeofthoseareashave beenonthebookssince1970hesaid. Further he said the 40 per cent is split in two 20 per cent of the land would be completely protected from developmentwhiletherestwouldhave conservationdesignationsforavariety ofreasonsculturalrecreationalbut wouldbeopentodevelopmentshould it be deemed warranted. He said there are six levels of protection within the Parks act and ve of them allow some form of development. See Land on page 6. land area including freshwater lakes and about 0.9 per cent of its marine area was protected it is a signatory to an international accord aimed at protecting 17 per cent of land and 10 per cent of marine areas world- wide by 2020. National parks 102930 sq-km in NWT prohibit any surface or sub- surface development while areas protected by the Migratory Birds inagivenareaforaslongasthey are in place. The only one in the NWT is the Gwichin Land Use Plan which protects almost 6000 sq-km. MichaelMiltenbergerministerre- sponsiblefornanceandtheenviron- ment told the Journal last week the plan would create more certainty for investors not scare them off. Hestressedtheplanisstilladraft and that the GNWT is looking for Government mining industry miles apart on proposed land protection plan Nobody is going to put their money in that 20 per cent where there is protection against development. Tom Hoefer NWT-Nunavut Chamber of Mines Brad Caribou Legs Firth aproaches the Centennial Flame on Parliament Hill in Ottawa Sept. 19 accompanied by local artist and activist Jaime Koebel. On Sept. 21 Firth ofcially completed an ultra marathon for water protection awareness that started in Vancouver B.C. on June 1. For more on his 4400-kilometre journey and the cause head to page 14. PhotoTsulGraphics