Ronald Bonnetrouge

Mahsi, Madam Chair. That's all I have right now. Mahsi.

Mahsi for that. Also, infrastructure highways went into the community to shore up the riverbank where it was about five feet from the road the access road into the community. And what I noticed that they did there was they just compacted the fill in that area. And that's right next to the river where the ice when you look on the riverbanks of in that area there, the ice really chews up, you know, the the banks there pretty you know, a significant amount. And why did infrastructure just put compact fill, knowing that when you do stuff like that it's going to slump anyways once the ice hits...

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Regarding the fire breaks, you know, the wider the fire break and when you get rid of the topsoil, as most communities are starting to chip, using a chipper to chip away and do FireSmarting so that fire that chipping there, that's wood chips, and that's fuel, that adds fuel to the fire. So I don't know if that's a real good idea if the department is advising communities to do that. So even their fireguards, you know, they need to be a set standard because they will protect communities. If we're not doing anything, well we're leaving it up in the air for next fire season...

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker, and mahsi to the Minister for that answer. Has the department completed an assessment of what each community has for fire breaks and if they are currently compatible with any standards for such? Mahsi.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, every year we are at the mercy of the Mother Nature as we face one disaster after another. One moment we have floods and then the next we have wildfires. What we know and have experienced is that these disasters are as unpredictable as to when they will strike.

Mr. Speaker, we may not prevent or predict all natural disasters, but perhaps we can be proactive to prevent most. I believe the department of ECC promotes fire breaks around communities and FireSmarting within communities.

It is shown that fire breaks around the perimeter of the community can prevent...

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mahsi to the Minister for that. I believe that many of the fire breaks that he speaks of are a bit not wide enough to prevent fires from entering the communities.

Mr. Speaker, failing to have any set standards to determine proper and safe fire breaks for communities in the Northwest Territories, will the department work to develop acceptable standards of fire breaks to protect communities? Mahsi.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for ECC minister related to my Member's statement regarding fire breaks. Can the Minister advise if the department has standards and layouts to develop fire breaks to communities in the Northwest Territories? Mahsi.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Your committee would like to report on its consideration of Bill 84, An Act to Amend the Northwest Territories Business Development and Investment Corporation Act.

Bill 84 received second reading in the Legislative Assembly on March 30th, 2023, and was referred to the Standing Committee on Economic Development and Environment for review. Committee proceeded by distributing stakeholder letters and holding a public hearing in Yellowknife on May 10th, 2023, where committee heard from members of the public and from the Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment, alongside the...

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Your committee would like to report on its consideration of Bill 74, Forest Act.

Bill 74 is unique because it is the first bill to be developed collaboratively with the Indigenous governments and comanagement bodies. That means the bill is also the first legislation to be reviewed under the process convention for the introduction, consideration, and enactment of bills drafted pursuant to the intergovernmental council legislative development protocol.

Bill 74 received second reading in the Legislative Assembly on March 9, 2023, and was referred to the Standing Committee on...

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. And mahsi to the Minister for that. Mr. Speaker, I understand other wildfires at other communities were happening at the same time, and the fire attack crews may have been spread out.

Can the Minister apprise this House why no fire attack crews were at Enterprise although the fire was at their doorstep for days? Mahsi.