Confluence of the Mackenzie and Liard Rivers at Ft Simpson NWT June 30, 2007

Premier McLeod’s speaking notes: Canada China Business Council Premiers’ Panel (2012/09/13)

[Excerpts] “… I am pleased to be here in Beijing to speak to the Canada China Business Council about investment opportunities in Canada’s Northwest Territories.
[…] The Mackenzie River offers another source of potential energy and another investment opportunity for China. The Mackenzie has some of the best undeveloped hydroelectric resources in North America. And there are seven smaller rivers with hydro potential in our territory.
That is clean energy that would supply a hungry market to the south of us. It would be a long-term investment with significant upfront capital costs. Fifty to one hundred or more years of low operating and maintenance costs will provide an excellent return on investment.
The Northwest Territories welcomes foreign investment in our territory. Our government provides any company looking to invest with general support and information. We also support the resource exploration and development sector through the Northwest Territories Geoscience Office. The office does geoscience research and analysis of mineral and petroleum resources. With this information, developers can assess and evaluate areas with high resource potential.
The Northwest Territories is a land rich in resources and potential. I hope that you will seriously consider the opportunities available to you there. I know you will not be disappointed. …”

Then yesterday (2013/06/09) on Rex Murphy’s Cross Country CheckUp  (@checkupcbc) he also touted NWT rivers for commercial hydroelectric development.

“…Is Canada making the right moves in developing the north? Live from Inuvik
Does your Canada include the north?
Canada’s resource-rich north beckons to a world hungry for raw materials. Resource development builds strong economies but it can also create problems. As the Northwest Territories warms to its new powers of economic development, it’s looking to turn oil, gas and minerals into a better future. But ensuring a resource boom benefits the local community can be a challenge.  Hear the hopes and concerns of the people of Inuvik….” Listen to the podcast of the show here.

This on the weekend that The Rosenberg International Forum on Water Policy released this report based on the findings of a 2012 workshop on transboundary relations in the Mackenzie River Basin.

“…The workshop, which took place in Vancouver from Sept. 5 to 7, 2012, convened several experts in the fields of law, economics and various scientific disciplines with the goal of looking at the legal and scientific principles relevant to creating a co-ordinated basin-wide approach to management. The workshop was co-hosted by the Walter and Duncan Gordon Foundation and Simon Fraser University’s Adaptation to Climate Change Team.
Full Title: Rosenberg International Forum: The Mackenzie Basin
Author(s): Rosenberg International Forum on Water Policy
Published: June 10, 2013
Download file (PDF 2.63 MB)

CBC North’s Raw Interview with John Pomeroy about the Mackenzie River Basin (video)
John Pomeroy, from the University of Saskatchewan, speaks with CBC North’s Randy Henderson about a new report on the Mackenzie River Basin.

Report highlights threats to Canada’s vast Mackenzie River basin (CTV News)

Mackenzie River Basin at risk due to climate change, mining: Report says network of rivers, tributaries and boreal forest is poorly monitored (CBC News)
“…John Pomeroy, a hydrologist at the University of Saskatchewan, contributed to the report. He said the basin may be one of the most threatened in the world by climate change because it is a cold-water basin full of permafrost….”

Canada’s vast Mackenzie River basin under threat: international report (Vancouver Sun By Bob Weber, THE CANADIAN PRESS)
“There really is an urgency,” said Henry Vaux, the report’s lead author. “The big concern is that the evolution of climate change and its impacts on the basin will make it less resilient to the sorts of pressures that will be put on by expanding economic development.”

Explore the confluence of the Mackenzie and Liard Rivers with my interactive large format Gigapan panorama.

Or watch Diane Boudreau in this video shot at Fort Simpson (Slavey language: Liidli Kue) NWT, Canada, speak of the confluence of Liard & Mackenzie Rivers 24 June 2010… The “big fly” referred to are the “Bulldog” flies.

George Lessard

George Lessard

George has worked in Northern media and the education sector while living in Salluit, Nunavik (Arctic Quebec), Arviat, (Nunavut); Inuvik, Forth Smith and Yellowknife (Northwest Territories) since 1982...