Kevin O'Reilly

Yeah, thanks, Madam Chair. So, okay, I've tried to ask the question I think three times already. I got answers from staff, from the Minister, from the technical working group representative. Nobody can point to a section in the act that provides regulation making authority for when a wildfire prevention and preparedness plan is going to get changed. I haven't heard that. Nobody can point to a section, because it doesn't exist. There is no provision in the bill for that to happen. That's why I'm trying to bring this well, that's why I'm raising this issue. There is no provision in the bill for...

Yeah, thanks, Madam Chair. So this is an addition to the bill that standing committee worked with the departmental staff and the technical working group on, and there's now a new requirement for an annual report from the forest superintendent.

Part of the reason for this was during committee's review of the bill and it was actually in submissions as well that there was some concern that this forest superintendent has really broad powers to help create or develop forest ecosystem management plans that needs to be done collaboratively with Indigenous governments and comanagement bodies...

Yeah, okay, thanks. I'm just going to tell one short story.

I had an opportunity to go on holiday into Nuuk, Greenland. It's a community of about 15,000 people. They have machines there. You push a pop bottle into it and cash comes out. They can do it in Nuuk, Greenland. You think we can be able to do it here. I know, yeah, we got harsh climate. So do those guys. So I'm glad the department's doing some work on this. And I've had lots of complaints. I know that the depot that is operating does its best to try to serve people. But they just can't keep staff. I don't know what's going on there...

Merci, Madam la Presidente. Yeah, I want to thank the deputy chair for the comments to introduce the report. I serve on the committee and want to thank my colleagues for the work that we collectively put into the bill. And I also want to especially thank those that made written submissions and appeared before us in Whati, Fort Simpson, and Enterprise. We had a lot to think about as a result of the submissions that we received, the input that we got at the public hearings as well.

I also want to recognize that the work of the committee was actually hampered by the fires. We had to cancel and...

Yeah. Thanks, Madam Chair. So where what specific section of the regulation making authority where what section am I going to find this authority to deal with what happens if someone wants to change their wildfire prevention and preparedness plans, and what happens with any change to plans with regard to how communities might be involved in reviewing or offering comments on them? Thanks, Madam Chair.

Thanks, Madam Chair. Yeah, this is a motion that was moved in committee. The Minister at the time said that he was not able to concur with it because we had basically run out of time. If people have views about this, I would appreciate hearing them, but it was supported by committee in during the clausebyclause review.

What this essentially does is add a few items to the list of information that is to be made public, and those are the forest harvesting agreements, and permits and licenses that would be issued for nonpersonal use.

We heard from the department that they didn't want all the...

Yeah, thanks, Madam Chair. So despite the previous discussion, I support this bill. I support it as well. I did serve as the chair of the waste reduction and recovery advisory committee for 11 years. The staff do great work on this area within the department, and that's why we have beverage container deposits now is because of the work that the department and the committee did. And it's now, of course, been extended to electronics recycling and I understand some other waste streams are being considered, which is all good stuff. And this does create jobs in local communities because they have...

Merci, Monsieur le President. I want to thank the Minister for that. Of course, we've actually already incorporated net zero as a target in the carbon tax that's been imposed. But many at the recent conference expressed concerns with the poor communications and accountability around GNWT's carbon tax, governance and direction at the NWT power corp, and need for communitybased renewable energy solutions rather than mega projects.

Can the Minister explain how the NWT is going to transition from a fossil fuel importer to energy resiliency while reducing greenhouse gas emissions and drawing in the...

Yeah, thanks, Madam Chair. This is a huge long list of regulation making authority. In fact, I think it's probably longer than any other bill I've ever seen. Maybe I'm wrong but this is pretty close.

One of them here, z.01.1 talks about wildlife prevention and preparedness plans, making regulations around those and how those plans might get provided to affected governments. And I'm just wondering if this authority really covers in any way the situation where a plan a wildlife prevention and preparedness plan might change during the course of a year. Can I get an answer from the sorry, I'll...

Sorry, I got caught short there for a second. I'm trying to gulp down some water. I want to thank the Minister for that because there was a much longer list than what would have been what appears now in the bill.

But with that, Madam Chair, I do want to move a motion to amend clause 14.1, and I'd like to move it as follows: That clause 14.1 of Bill 74 be amended by

(a) renumbering that clause as subclause 14.1(1);

(b) deleting paragraph (d) and (e) of that renumbered subclause and substituting the following:

(d) any forest harvesting agreement entered into under subsection 25(1);

(e) any...