Minister of Environment and Natural Resources for the Northwest Territories, Robert C. McLeod announced today that 12 new environmental monitoring and research projects are receiving funding through the Northwest Territories Cumulative Impact Monitoring Program (NWT CIMP). Total funding for these new projects is $760,000.

“The Government of the Northwest Territories is committed to supporting NWT CIMP. These environmental monitoring and research projects, which use scientific and traditional sources of knowledge, are critical for the future of the north and sustainable development in the territory,” said McLeod. “A healthy environment is essential to the longevity of our land and for northerners now and in the future.”

These projects will be funded over the next three years and will be conducted in partnership with various Indigenous organizations, Canadian universities, and territorial and federal government departments.

Current projects with a water focus include a multidisciplinary investigation of recovery in Yellowknife area lakes from 50 years of arsenic pollution, conducted by Mike Palmer of Carleton University. Another project is examining the impacts of wildfires on northern stream ecosystems, researched by Mike Pisaric of Brock University. Heather Jamieson of Queen’s University is investigating regional variability in geochemistry and what impacts industry has had on the geochemistry.

This week’s announcement brings the total number of current projects funded through NWT CIMP to 16. Other project topics include tracking the influence of permafrost thaw in peatlands on aquatic health and the collection of Traditional Knowledge to better understand changes in boreal and barren-ground caribou habitat.

NWT CIMP is currently focused on caribou, water and fish, three valued components that decision-makers agree are of critical importance to NWT residents.

A list of projects funded from 1999–2019 can be found online.

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