Protecting the way of life of Indigenous people under Section 35 of the Constitution Act and established Treaties is a critical part of the decision-making process when considering who can use an area in the Mackenzie Valley. 

That is why the Land and Water Boards of the Mackenzie Valley (LWBs) adopted the Mackenzie Valley Review Board’s Guidelines for Incorporating Traditional Knowledge in Environmental Impact Assessment (July 2005) during its December 2021 Full Board meeting. 

The purpose of the guidelines is to provide for fair and balanced environmental impact assessments, to encourage public participation in the process and to respect and value the benefits that Traditional Knowledge brings to good environmental decision-making. 

To learn more, please see the Guidelines section under the Policy and Guidelines page of the Boards' websites (mvlwb.com, slwb.com, glwb.com, wlwb.ca).