The Government of the Northwest Territories, led by the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment (ITI), has taken the first steps to modernizing its petroleum laws. ITI completed the development and proposal of amendments to the Petroleum Resources Act and the Oil and Gas Operations Act in accordance with strategic policy directives such as the Petroleum Resources Strategy and under the mandate of the 18th Legislative Assembly.
ITI worked closely with the Intergovernmental Council Secretariat, Indigenous governments and organizations, industry representatives, and other key stakeholders throughout the development of these amendments. This process included community visits across the NWT, targeted stakeholder meetings, and a multi-platform engagement campaign.
With the use of policy and research work completed, ITI drafted two bills containing amendments which can be broken into three categories: administrative and technical improvements, transparency and public accountability, and significant discoveries. Those bills - Bill 36: An Act to Amend the Petroleum Resources Act and Bill 37: An Act to Amend the Oil and Gas Operations Act – were introduced in February 2019 and received assent in August 2019.
This presentation will provide an overview of the legislative initiative through its completion and passing in the Legislative Assembly and next steps, including coming into force dates and implementation.