[blacktrojan3921]

This is interesting. http://ca.news.yahoo.com/blogs/canad...204727531.html

Federal government poised to cede powers to the Northwest Territories
By Andy Radia | Canada Politics – 8 hours ago

In many ways, the Northwest Territories is like the Rodney Dangerfield of Canada — it gets very little respect.

That might change in the next couple of weeks.

Officials from NWT are in Ottawa this week to hammer out an agreement which would cede federal control over land, resources and water to the territorial government. It's a historical move that the Globe and Mail characterizes as making the Northwest Territories into "a province in all but name."


"Much of the territorial government has arrived in Ottawa. Premier Bob McLeod, his cabinet, deputy ministers and aboriginal and business leaders begin two days of talks Wednesday with Prime Minister Stephen Harper and officials.

The people and government of the territory stand to benefit from hundreds of millions of dollars in new resource revenues under the agreement, which will see the territorial and not the federal government primarily responsible for approving resource developments."

The process of devolution — as it's called — happened in the Yukon in 2003 and has contributed to that jurisdiction's buoyant economy.

For the NWT, devolution means it can can take control over and earn revenues on its oil and gas reserves and growing number of mining projects. According to Northern News Services, the new powers will allow the territory to keep up to 50 per cent of resource revenues.