August 16, 2024 — Yellowknife, Northwest Territories — Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada

The North and the Arctic are bearing the brunt of the effects of climate change. Building resiliency in Indigenous and northern communities through climate monitoring will help keep them safe and healthy and help avoid some of the steep and rising costs associated with extreme weather.

Today, the Honourable Dan Vandal, Minister of Northern Affairs, announced funding to help communities in the Northwest Territories monitor the effects of climate change. The North Slave Métis Alliance is receiving $186,000 in federal funding over three years for its Guardianship program and community-based climate and wildlife monitoring work. The Guardianship program aims to connect community members to the land while gathering and documenting important information about the overall health of the ecosystem in their Traditional Territory.

Weaving together Indigenous Knowledge with science, Guardians monitor and record wildlife observations, road and snow conditions, weather conditions, and harvesting activities with a focus on barren-ground caribou and wood bison. The project also supported youth to participate in a land-based learning program.