Northwest Territories 

N.W.T’s Resources

Canada's northern territories have large, untapped resources of crude oil and natural gas. The Northwest Territories has abundant petroleum resources. With modern technology and higher prices for oil and natural gas, the North is attracting a growing number of petroleum producers. Considerable exploration and development is underway, especially in the southern part of the territory. Our industry has acquired offshore oil and gas interests and there are some active exploration programs in the Northwest Territories.

Encouraging Development

CAPP recently made a submission to the federal government’s Northern Regulatory Improvement Initiative that reflect the experience of our members north of 60.

View CAPP's submission: Northern Regulatory Improvement Initiative: CAPP’s Submission to Neil McCrank, Special Representative Minister of Indian and Northern Affairs Canada

The Government of Canada has released its report on the review of northern regulations – Road To Improvement – The Review of the Regulatory Systems Across the North

Regulatory Effectiveness

We work with local, provincial and federal regulatory officials to encourage a more efficient and effective regulatory environment. Because of the current complex regulatory system, we have helped develop a number of Regulatory Roadmaps that outline the regulatory processes in the Inuvialuit, Gwich'in, Sahtu, Beaufort and Southern Mackenzie regions.

Building Relationships

We understand and respect the unique interests and constitutional rights of Aboriginal communities, and we support the development of strong business relationships and partnerships based upon trust and respect.

Our Employees

Many local community residents are hired to work in various capacities on exploration sites and facilities. Qualified workers are essential to ensure the safety and success of all upstream oil and natural gas facilities. We work with contractors, government and Aboriginal groups to coordinate funding and education programs to prepare local residents for the demands and requirements of the profession.

Respecting N.W.T.’s Environment

A task force comprised of industry, contractors, regulators and the Inuvialuit has developed a document called “SHARE” – Safety, Health and Respect to Environment. The guide requires all contractors to take proactive steps to train their employees to industry safety standards.

Under the Environmental Studies Research Funds, we work with regulators to encourage the proper disposal of drilling muds. Adoption of this process will ensure that communities, wildlife and the surrounding landscape are not adversely affected.

We actively participate in the Protected Areas Strategy, a partnership among communities, government, environmental non-governmental organizations and industry. The partners work together to establish permanently protected areas across the Northwest Territories.