History

The beginning...

The Nunavut Water Board (NWB) started as the Nunavut Water Board Transition Team (NWBTT) in 1995 with membership appointed by the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development Canada, as stipulated under the Nunavut Agreement.  The first meeting of the NWBTT was held in January 1995 in Cambridge Bay, Nunavut. At this point the Transition Team held the status of Society and a Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson and Secretary-Treasurer were elected. The NWBTT was formally dissolved October 1996, shortly after the Nunavut Water Board took over responsibility for water licensing in the new Nunavut Territory in July 1996.  The newly constituted Nunavut Water Board then held its first Public Hearing for Nanisivik Mines license renewal as a full Board.

Three regional workshops were held on public awareness on the Nunavut Water Board during 1996. These venues solicited participation from all Nunavut communities and stakeholders from government, industry and the private sector.

Setting up in Gjoa Haven...

In one of its most difficult moments, the Board's main office burned down in 1996.  In May 1997, space at the "Old Hotel" was rented from the Qikiqtaq Coop in Gjoa Haven to serve as the NWB Head Office.

Reaching a legal age...

Bill C-33, now the Nunavut Waters Nunavut Surface Rights Tribunal Act (NWNSRTA), received Royal Assent April 30, 2002 and came into effect. Shortly thereafter, the Board acquired its own office building and staff housing in Gjoa Haven.

Operating as a team... 

A few years later, in October 2008, the Board exercised its authority to self-organize into Panel Structures.  This ensured that the Board could operate effectively and discharge its business during what had become a very busy regulatory operation.  The Panel Structures was especially useful for the Board to overcome challenges in its operations when it loss a quorum of five (5) members as a consequence of delays in the membership appointment process.

The Board's hard work did not go without notice.  In its role as a regulator in Nunavut, the Board received the Nunavut Mining Award during the Nunavut Mining Symposium in April 2010.

A few months later, in May 2010, along with its Institution of Public Government partners, the Nunavut Water Board launched the Nunavut Marine Council.  

Looking to the future...