Colville Lake Challenging Minister’s Caribou Decision in Court

The Colville Lake Renewable Resources Council, Behdzi Ahda First Nation and Ayoni Keh Land Corporation are asking the N.W.T. Supreme Court to overturn a decision made last month by the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources, according to CBC Canada.

In his decision, Minister Shane Thompson rejected the Sahtu Renewable Resources Board's decision to allow a conservation plan developed by the Colville Lake Renewable Resources Board to replace the government's tag and quota system, known as total allowable harvest, for the Bluenose West caribou herd. The Bluenose West herd's range includes the area between Great Bear Lake and the Arctic coast around Paulatuk.

In a letter to the board, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources said the status of the herd has not improved since a total allowable harvest was imposed in 2008. The department said the limit should remain until the population increases.

According to government survey numbers, in 1992 there were 110,000 Bluenose West caribou. That's now down to about 21,000 according to the government. Local First Nations leaders have questioned this number.