First of all, I highly doubt the NWT even paid the $5000 fee. The chances are the fee was paid by the sponsor out of their own pockets. In other words, your local Chamber of Commerce, Tourism, or other agency were the ones paying those fees in order to get them to come. All this change means is that your local tourism or promotions group is now going to have to pay more if they want them to come to your town.
And, here's how they get around this fee. They look at things they're doing that would qualify as "lake access" (county, city, or other funds that they use for boat landing maintenence etc.). They then no longer just budget that under maintenance or what have you. Instead they give that money to their tourism or tourney promoters and designate is as tourney sponsor fees. The fees then are given back to the local group who then in turn puts it into their lake access fund to use it for "lake access".
Nothings changed and everyone's happy.