Northern Projects Management Office (NPMO) Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1. What is NPMO's mandate?

The Government of Canada established the Northern Projects Management Office (NPMO) in September 2009 as a core program within the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency (CanNor), to coordinate federal regulatory work in the territories and help ensure review and approval processes proceed smoothly on northern resource development projects.

Q2. Why was NPMO created?

Canada's North is rich in natural resources and existing resource development projects are primary economic drivers in the territories. However, the complexity of the regulatory system in some regions has been widely regarded as a deterrent to future exploration and development.

NPMO's work will help to ensure continued economic prosperity in the territories by improving the timeliness, predictability, and transparency of northern regulatory processes.

The creation of NPMO stems from recommendations in Neil McCrank's Road to Improvement report released in July of 2008, and demonstrates the Government of Canada's commitment to regulatory reform in the North.

Q3. How will NPMO support economic development in the territories?

In support of CanNor's economic development role, NPMO will contribute to improved timeliness, predictability and transparency of regulatory processes in Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut by:

• Providing a centralized federal source of expert advice and guidance
• Coordinating the northern regulatory work of all federal departments to ensure an integrated whole-of-government approach.
• Working in partnership with territorial governments, boards, industry, and Aboriginal groups on major projects in the North, bringing a customer service approach and acting as an impartial convener.
• Taking a project-management approach using a variety of tools to provide more certainty for industry.
• Monitoring the regulatory progress of major projects against agreed-upon timelines and service standards, and making this information available online to industry and the public.
• Ensuring that Aboriginal people and communities are part of the process.

Q4. What services will NPMO deliver?

NPMO's services will be responsive and tailored to proponent and process needs, the level of review and the associated economic opportunity. They will include:

• Project agreements that establish federal roles and responsibilities, performance measures, and assessment timelines
• Toolkits including NPMO process overview, contacts, and other resource materials
• Project-specific process diagrams
• Online project tracking
• Project coordinators/teams
• Maintenance of the Crown consultation record

Q5. Is there a need for NPMO in Yukon?

In Yukon, the management of natural resources, land and water has been transferred to the Government of Yukon. However, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Transport Canada, Natural Resources Canada, and other federal departments in the Yukon continue to have both Environmental Assessment (EA) and regulatory responsibilities. The regulatory work of these departments will now be coordinated by NPMO. Trans-boundary projects will also require the coordination of federal players.

Q6. How will NPMO's work add value to the Northern regulatory process?

NPMO will bring a structured approach to the participation of federal regulators in northern EA and other regulatory processes with articulated service standards, milestones and oversight from the most senior level of the federal government. NPMO's work will bring greater transparency, timeliness and effectiveness to the federal role.

Q7. What responsibilities will NPMO have for Crown consultations and how will this help the regulatory process?

Consulting Canadians on matters of interest and concern to them is an important part of good governance, sound policy development and responsible decision-making. In addition to good governance objectives, Canada has statutory, contractual and common-law obligations to consult with Aboriginal groups.

NPMO will hold the official Crown consultation record for projects it manages, and will work with federal departments and agencies to ensure a whole-of-government approach to Crown consultation in the North that integrates consultation into overall regulatory processes to the greatest extent possible.