It is the Nunavut Planning Commission's job to put together a land use plan that sets out how people will manage the lands, waters and wildlife in the Territory while encouraging different kinds of land use.

The plan allows for the management of competing interests for land. The NPC looks carefully at many types of information in drafting the plan. For example, it's important to know where camps are. A community might be interested in expanding its fishery.

Inuit-owned lands are of special interest. Roads, ports, hydro development, caribou protection and many other issues are raised. The land use plan gives guidance and direction to mining, oil and gas companies, or any organization that wishes to use the land.

While many issues are common across Nunavut, there are distinct and differing lifestyles of Inuit and special situations which exist in specific areas, so the territory-wide plan also has three regional chapters.

The Nunavut Planning Commission is an Institution of Public Government established as an independent public agency with its roles and responsibilities set out under the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement (NLCA), Article 11, Land Use Planning. The Commission is a co-management organization with distinct authority and decision making responsibilities protected under the NLCA.

The NPC consults with government, Inuit organizations and many other organizations but it is the Commission’s responsibility to make the final decisions on how land use plans will be developed and how the plans will manage the land in Nunavut. Once these decisions are made the plans are sent to Government for approval. We also include Nunavut Tunngavik and the RIAs in the approval process. As a co-management regime we have members appointed by Nunavut Tunngavik, the three Regional Inuit Associations, the Government of Canada and Government of Nunavut.

The Nunavut Planning Commission has an important mandate under the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement to prepare and implement land use plans that guide and direct resource use and development. Land use plans do not tell Inuit where to camp or hunt. Land use plans tell others how Inuit want the land and water used today and into the future. The NPC plans for land outside of community boundaries. The Municipalities are responsible for preparing their own community plans.

Land use planning is a process to decide how best to use the land and resources to achieve your future goals.

Land use plans apply to land, water and resources, and they consider the social, cultural, economic and environmental concerns associated with land use. 

Under the NLCA, land includes freshwater, salt water and resources. Resources include fish, wildlife, minerals, oil and gas, other forms of energy like hydro power, gravel, tourism sites, etc.

Land use planning is important because people use the land, water and wildlife for different reasons. Some people camp and hunt for food; others enjoy hiking, watching wildlife or learning about Inuit culture, and there are others that want to use the land and water for development such as commercial fishing, outfitting, building mines or hydro dams.  

Sometimes people disagree on how the land should be used. People might not want a mine built because it is where they go hunting and / or the area might have cultural importance. Land use planning works to solve these disagreements.

Land use plans in Nunavut deal with how resources will be used and how the land, water and Inuit culture will be protected as development occurs.

Land use plans must protect the rights of Inuit set out under the NLCA. For instance land use plans must:

• Devote special attention to protecting and promoting the existing and future well-being of Inuit and Inuit Owned Lands;
• Reflect the priorities and values of residents;
• Take into account cultural factors and priorities;
• Give great weight to the views and wishes of the municipalities;
• Be consistent with NLCA Article 5, Wildlife and Article 7 Outpost Camps, and
• Take into account Inuit goals and objectives for Inuit Owned Lands.

Land use plans bring many different people to the table to talk about how to balance development with protection of the environment and Inuit goals. By working together we can use land use plans to identify what types of land use communities support, where it should occur, and how it should occur.

The money that comes from developing resources and the jobs that are created are worth billions of dollars. These land uses provide benefits today, tomorrow and into the future.

A good land use plan sets the minimum requirement for how development of the land should proceed. Plans bring the community voice into the decision making process so government and developers will address the concerns of Inuit.

Approved land use plans tell government, the Nunavut Impact Review Board and Nunavut Water Board, RIA land managers and developers which types of development are appropriate, and identify key goals and issues for communities.  This information helps them assess projects which reduces the costs and time associated with environmental assessment and approval processes.

A plan is finished when it is approved by Inuit and government. Once plans are approved everyone has to follow them. Land use plans are reviewed periodically but people can ask to have them changed at any time. Where a land use plan exists, the Commission checks all projects to make sure they follow the rules in the plan. This is called a conformity determination. The Commission must check projects for conformity before any  permits or authorizations are issued. Otherwise projects that break the rules may go forward and damage an area important to Inuit. We need to work together to make sure that land users follow the land use plans developed for the Inuit and communities of each region. An important rule in the North Baffin Land Use Plan requires that ships avoid the floe edge in April, May and June.