Bill 15: Northwest Territories Indigenous-Led Conservation Fund Establishment Act

This bill primarily affects Indigenous governments and organizations in the Northwest Territories that are signatories to the Our Land for the Future Agreement — for example, Dene First Nations, Inuvialuit, and Métis organizations engaged in land stewardship, conservation planning, and environmental management on their traditional territories. These partners, whether small community-based groups or larger territorial Indigenous governments, would receive disbursements from the Trust to fund core conservation activities like protected area management, Indigenous guardians programs, or land monitoring work. Businesses or contractors operating in the NWT conservation or environmental sector — such as ecological consultants, land-use planners, or community outreach organizations — may find new funding flowing through Indigenous partners that could generate service contracts. Non-Indigenous businesses are not directly regulated by this bill, but the expanded Indigenous-led conservation framework could influence land access and project approvals in the territory.