North Slave Metis settle caribou lawsuit with GNWT – Northern Journal

April 6, 2015

The North Slave Métis Alliance (NSMA) says it has begun “a new relationship” with the government of the Northwest Territories following the settlement of a longstanding court battle over their right to hunt caribou.

Environment and Natural Resources (ENR) Minister Michael Miltenberger recently sent a letter to NSMA president Bill Enge, promising the Métis an “equitable allocation” of tags for the struggling Bathurst herd, should the herd’s population rebound enough to once again allow for a limited Aboriginal harvest.

“We look forward to building a new relationship with NSMA as we manage these difficult decisions and work towards the long-term sustainability of this important resource,” Miltenberger concluded.

Enge said it’s the first time NSMA members will have had access to the herd since harvesting restrictions were first implemented in 2010. Since then, only the Tlicho Government and Yellowknives Dene have been given limited tags to harvest Bathurst caribou, prompting Enge to launch an NWT Supreme Court challenge seeking equal access.

Read More: http://norj.ca/2015/04/north-slave-metis-settle-caribou-lawsuit-with-gnwt/