The Eeyou Marine Region Wildlife Board and the Nunavik Marine Region Wildlife Board will be holding a Joint Public Hearing to decide on Non-Quota Limitations for the Polar Bear in the Nunavik Marine Region and the Eeyou Marine Region (including the Overlap Zone).

The Joint Public Hearing will be held in two phases. The first phase will focus on the NMR-only zone, and will not pertain to the NMR-EMR Overlap Area. Cree submission and participation are not required for Phase 1. Phase 1 will take place from November 5 to 8, 2024 in Montreal.

The second phase of the Polar Bear Public Hearing is scheduled to take place in Kuujjuaraapik / Whapmagoostui from February 4 to 7, 2025. The second phase will be held jointly with the Nunavik Marine Region Wildlife Board, focusing on the NMR/EMR Overlap areas, as well as the EMR. The Public Hearing location is the Kuujjuaraapik Town Hall. The Joint Public Hearing will be followed by a Hearing on the EMR-only zone on the last day.

The Eeyou Marine Region Wildlife Board and the Nunavik Marine Region Wildlife Board will be gathering Cree traditional knowledge from the Cree Trappers’ Association, the Cree Nation Government, as well as Cree members of the coastal communities of the EMR. Inuit traditional knowledge will also be gathered from the LNUKs (Anguvigait), Inuit members of the communities and from the RNUK (Anguvigaq) as well as from Makivvik Corporation. The most up-to-date scientific information and research will also be gathered for the NMRWB and EMRWB to inform their decision regarding Non-Quota Limitations for the Nunavik Marine Region and Eeyou Marine Region.

The deadline for applications for Party Status for Phase 2 is 5:00 PM on January 10, 2025. The deadline for submissions is 5:00 PM on January 24, 2025.

Please disseminate this Notice to any interested parties not included in our distribution list, and provide us with their contact information so that we can add them to our list.

For more information, please refer to the Polar Bear Public Hearing Notice and Rules found here: https://nmrwb.ca/polar-bear-nqls-public-hearing-2024/. If you have any questions, you can contact the Eeyou Marine Region Wildlife Board Director Angela Coxon (acoxon@eeyoumarineregion.caoffice) or Wildlife Management Biologist Félix Boulanger (fboulanger@eeyoumarineregion.ca) for more information.