Brendan Bell

I thank the Member for the very good question, Mr. Speaker. It’s one I do recall putting to the former Minister of RWED myself. I am familiar with it, both in that capacity and in my new capacity. I have had a chance to review it. I should first state that this is nothing unique to the campground at Fred Henne Park. This is a regulation that applies to all territorial parks. But the particular pressure point has been the lack of capacity here in Yellowknife. It is something that we’re looking at. It is something that I am prepared to come back to committee and discuss. I think we all want to...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. First I would say that I'm interested myself in more detail as to what the public meetings will comprise at the end of April, and I'll get that information and commit to provide that to all Members. I think it's important that we understand exactly what the process is. The Member is certainly aware that there was an application made by the city for an environmental assessment. It was made to the Impact Review Board, not the Water Board. That decision just came down in January from the Impact Review Board, and they indicated there was no mechanism for a full...

Thank you. Clearly, my intentions wouldn’t be honourable if I was going to sit here and tell you that the shoulder season was mid-winter, but that’s not what I’m going to do. I’m going to go back to the department, ask them to develop some regulations that would incorporate the shoulder season in the spring and fall when people are still camping at the park. But we’ve got to recognize that in the middle of summer, until we have the capacity to handle all the RV traffic that we see locally, there’s going to have to be some compromise. I think the constituents that I spoke to in the last...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thought I was doing pretty good by committing to come back to committee. I thought that in itself would reassure the Member, especially after the nice things she said about me in her Member’s statement today.

---Laughter

However, I can see that’s not going to get it done. We will have that discussion, I hope. I hope committee is prepared to sit down and come up with something that does make sense. I think the problem really is that during the week there are all kinds of vacancies at Fred Henne, typically. By the weekend it’s very full. It’s over full. The problem is...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. With regard to the Member’s statement, the Member is certainly correct that this is one of the bigger challenges this government faces. He referenced the pipeline readiness office that DIAND has brought forward, and that is certainly something and a development that we are looking to work with. We do have the Mackenzie Valley preparedness division of RWED that is working in connection with the pipeline readiness office, and obviously there is a lot of collaboration that has to go on in order to make sure that residents are able to take care or take advantage of the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This is something that we are having internal discussion about with the Mackenzie Valley development planning office of RWED that is heading up the government’s efforts in this regard, but we do have a committee of deputy ministers that is working on the government response and we have done a number of things in collaboration with DIAND already and the pipeline readiness office. I don’t know if the Member is aware, but both RWED and DIAND did contract the McLeod Institute to look at options for collaborative approaches and strategies to manage impacts and take...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Zoe beat me to the punch but I would like to recognize Yvette Gonzales, the ED for the NWTAC, and also a constituent. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I seek unanimous consent to deal with the motion I gave notice of earlier today. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Congratulations again on your election as Speaker. I’d like to first start off by congratulating all of my colleagues in this House on their respective elections. As Mrs. Groenewegen pointed out, indeed, the average age is getting younger in the House. I think it’s a good thing. I’m certainly impressed with the new Members. There’s a lot of talent and dedication in this room. It’s been a nice start in the last few days and I know the public will certainly be impressed with this new group. I think they’re going to do great things, we’re going to do great things and it’s...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

WHEREAS it is required by Rule 85 that the Legislative Assembly shall appoint a Striking Committee of three Members to report and recommend, with all convenient speed, Members to comprise the standing committees;

NOW THEREFORE I MOVE, seconded by the honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, that Ms. Sandy Lee, Mr. Robert Villeneuve and Mr. Norman Yakeleya be appointed to the Striking Committee of this Assembly.