Understanding community land use planning in the NWT
Community land use planning is a land management process that involves a community working collaboratively together to create a shared vision for the future and guide land use and development decisions. It's a comprehensive approach that considers various aspects of community life including sustainability, the environment, economic, social and cultural development of the community.
In the Northwest Territories (NWT), community governments are responsible for their community planning and development.
Community planning strives for community input, determine local needs, balancing competing interests, setting goals and priorities, and requires monitoring and evaluation. The outcome is usually a colour coded map-based plan, including vision, policies and strategies to support and guide future local decision-making by community administration and leadership.
The community planning process helps answer questions such as:
- Where and how do we build new homes, health centres, businesses, roads and community public infrastructure?
- How do we do this as efficiently as possible?
- How do we best position our community to manage the challenges of climate change?
- How do we ensure the safety and well-being of our residents and property?
- How do we manage areas of the community we wish to develop, or re-develop and areas that need to be protected?
Overview of the Community Planning and Development Act
The Community Planning and Development Act (CPDA) outlines the legislative framework for community land use planning including requirements for creating planning tools such as a community plan, zoning and area development plan bylaws, and provides the process for development appeals, enforcement and penalties and regulations associated with the approval of plans and land subdivisions.
The CPDA sets out the minimum requirements for planning tools developed by a community government. A community must retain a professional community planner and community plans must be reviewed at least once every 8 years.
Community governments planning approaches
There are two types of community governments in the NWT: Municipalities incorporated under territorial enabling legislation (Hamlets, Charter Communities, Tłı̨chǫ Community Governments, Cities, Towns, and Villages) and Designated Authority communities in which the First Nation Band Councils provide municipal type services under a funding agreement with the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs (MACA).
For municipalities, the community planning process and tools are governed by the territorial CPDA and the Community Planning and Development Regulations.
In designated authority communities, Band Councils are encouraged to undertake community planning following the spirit and intent of the CPDA but, because they are created under federal legislation, they are not governed by the CPDA. (This includes Délı̨nę Got’ı̨nę Self-Government agreement).
Key Community Planning Tools in the NWT
Community Plan
The purpose of a community plan is to provide a policy framework to guide the physical development of a municipality, having regard to sustainability, the environment, and the economic, social and cultural development of the community. A community plan sets out a community government’s vision for current and future land use and development in a community and is accompanied by maps identifying the locations chosen by the community government for different types of land use.
Zoning Bylaw
A zoning bylaw supports implementation of the community plan by translating the vision and policies outlined in a community plan into specific development regulations. A zoning bylaw sets out detailed provisions for different types of land use and enables a community government to control new development in their boundaries by requiring development permits prior to construction taking place. This helps community governments implement their community plans by ensuring that land use and development activities within community boundaries are carried out consistent with the community plan.
Land Use Plan
In the NWT, a community land use plan is not regulated by the CPDA, although is used by Band Councils of designated authorities and some municipalities to guide and inform land use and development including the Department of Environment and Climate Change (ECC) land administration decisions. A land use plan however will often be developed in the “spirit and intent” of the CPDA, but as it is not connected to legislation, the plan is more of a policy or advisory document rather than a regulatory one.
Other planning tools provided for in the CPDA
An area development plan is adopted by bylaw that aligns with the community plan and is a useful tool that provides a framework for the subdivision or development or re-development of an area of land within a municipality, including the phasing of development over time.
A subdivision plan is a registered legal document that creates new, separate parcels of land by dividing a larger piece of land into smaller lots. It specifies the surveyed boundaries, dimensions of lots, street locations, and other relevant details for the construction of houses or buildings.
MACA’s role
MACA’s Community Governance division provides support and assistance to community governments as they review, administer and implement community planning and development. This can include assisting community governments to find and retain professional community planners when undertaking their review of planning tools as required by the CPDA.
NWT Community Planning Framework
The NWT Community Planning Framework was developed to promote a shared understanding of the NWT community land use and development system, encourage best practices, including the regular review, administration and implementation of community land use plans and to provide a platform for discussions related to community planning in the NWT.
In March 2024, in partnership with the NWT Association of Communities, MACA convened a Community Planners Forum involving professional community planners that work with community governments in the NWT. The feedback from this Forum is captured in this What We Heard Report from the 2024 Community Planners Forum and in the Report Appendix D which contains copies of the presentations made at the Forum.
The NWT Community Planning Framework was developed using feedback from the Forum.
Tools and Resources
To support the NWT Community Planning Framework, MACA has developed a series of guides that provide information on subject areas that are important to the planning process.
Guides in this series include:
- Accessibility and Age-Friendly Design Considerations
- Archaeological Site Management and Protection
- Best Practices for Municipal Public Engagement
- Understanding the GNWT’s Duty to Consult
- Community Civic Addressing
- Climate Change and Land Use Planning
- Land Development and Capital Planning (in development)
These guides are intended for community government councils and staff who are in the process of reviewing or implementing community plans and the professional community planners who assist them. It is expected that the guides may also be of interest to GNWT staff, the public, and a broader audience with an interest in the community land use planning.
Because land is so intrinsic to community development and our way of life, aspects of community planning intersect with different areas of responsibility of several GNWT departments. MACA developed the guides in partnership with professional community planners and with the GNWT Departments of Education, Culture and Employment (Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre), ECC, Executive and Indigenous Affairs, Finance (NWT Centre for Geomatics) and Justice.
Other Tools and Resources