Jane Groenewegen

Clause 4.

Thank you. Does the committee agree that Bill 1 is ready for third reading?

Clause 19.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to invite Members of this House to attend the first ever Council of Sport and Recreation conference in Hay River. The Town of Hay River will host this joint partner conference this summer from the 12th to the 17th of June. This meeting is important because it brings partner organizations together for the first time. These partners share the belief that recreation, physical activities and sports programs are very important for the health and well-being of the residents and the communities of the Northwest Territories.

The NWT Council for...

Mr. Speaker, at this point I’d be happy if it was in my lifetime, but anyway, Mr. Speaker, does the Minister have any other vehicle available to him by way of ministerial directive or any other interim measure that he could have the authority to an act that would look at pulling agricultural land out for a separate assessment process? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This year’s focus will be on gardening and greenhouses. Many interesting presenters are lined up, including a company that specializes in water treatment plants which could provide innovative ideas for small communities and businesses that would benefit from alternate water delivery systems. Mr. Speaker, we need to do what we can as a government to support organizations like the Territorial Farmers’ Association who work very hard to generate interest and support producers in the area of agriculture. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, that was going to be my next question. That was one of the things I had asked about previously, that a commitment had been made to putting out a consultation paper and perhaps holding a workshop in Hay River for the Territorial Farmers' Association. I don’t think that’s been done and I didn’t realize that MACA was waiting for us to do something to initiate that, but I will certainly communicate that back to the Territorial Farmers' Association and we would look forward to such an opportunity. Absolutely, we respect and understand the land use processes...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in follow-up to my Member’s statement about the Territorial Farmers' Association, I will direct my question to the Minister for Municipal and Community Affairs. Mr. Speaker, in 2005, I asked the Minister of MACA about reviewing the Property Assessment and Taxation Act and including the assessment of agricultural land in that review. The Minister replied that MACA received several requests from communities to do a comprehensive review of the data. MACA was going to look at the issue of exemption to land where land is granted through a land use permit and...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I recently had the opportunity to meet with the Territorial Farmers' Association in Hay River. Agriculture is a renewable resource activity that has great potential in the North. In fact, in times past, it has contributed significantly to the production of food in the Northwest Territories.

The TFA has undertaken several innovative and amazing initiatives recently. In September 2006, the TFA hosted a pan-North American circumpolar agriculture conference in Hay River. The theme of the conference was Changing Times in Northern Agriculture. The objective...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There was also a specific recommendation with regard to the assistance for the agricultural sector by identifying arable land to ensure that it’s not used for other activities and establish an agricultural land reserve designation. I know that recently MACA has hired new land officers and I’d like to ask the Minister if there’s been any follow-up of this nature as per the TFA’s recommendation to have someone actually assist them in identifying arable lands in their region? Thank you.