Alternatives North has released a press release called for there to be no shortcuts to approval for the Mackenzie Valley Highway project.
Last week it was announced that the Mackenzie Valley Highway would be fast-tracked as a federal nation-building project. This would speed up federal approvals for the project, possibly allowing so to go through as soon as this fall.
Alternatives North says that this accelerated process could cause crucial assessments of the project to be incomplete or done poorly.
“We must follow the established NWT review process, hear the voices of the people, and prepare for real impacts on land and communities,” said Lois Little, spokesperson for Alternatives North.
The 800 km all-season road would pass through land that is critical to fish, wildlife, and way of life for communities along the route, cutting through already melting permafrost and critical habitat for boreal caribou.
Alternatives North says that a review conducted in two to three months, during the summer, is ‘not serious’.
NWT Deputy Premier Caroline Wawzonek has referred to a Memorandum of Understanding signed by several Indigenous governments as evidence that proper consultation is happening.
However, Fort Good Hope’s K’asho Got’ı̨nę people say that they have not been meaningfully consulted about the project.
