In September 2009, the Northern Project Management Office (NPMO) was established as a core program within the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency (CanNor), with its mandate to support economic development in Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.
In May 2010, NPMO opened its doors to begin the work of coordinating federal regulators, tracking projects, providing pathfinding guidance, and maintaining the Crown consultation record for Northern resource development projects in its portfolio.
Bringing a customer service approach, NPMO will work with project proponents, federal departments, regional regulators and other authorities to address process bottlenecks and improve the timeliness, predictability and transparency of federal regulatory participation. Its work will support economic drivers in the territories by creating more certainty for industry and helping to ensure environmental assessments and permits proceed smoothly on northern projects.