Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to direct my questions today to the Minister of Lands. I would like to simply start by asking the Minister: I have travelled up and down the valley now. I have learned a lot from different communities about their need to want to have control over inner-boundary municipal lands. I would like to ask the Minister if he is aware of this and what the Minister's opinion and the department's opinion is on the likelihood that they can transfer municipal lands over to municipal controls. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Minister of Lands.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As a former municipal councillor, as is the Member opposite, I have been aware of this issue, which is an important issue in many of our communities. There is no overall policy to transfer all Commissioner's land in municipal boundaries to municipalities. Applications can be made by municipalities to obtain portions and parts of that land. I do realize it is an important issue. As I mentioned yesterday, MACA and Lands staff are currently finalizing a strategy on the process with the transfer of land assets specifically to community governments. We do recognize the importance of this issue. We are working on it. I, like the Member opposite, do understand the needs of communities. Thank you.
Thank you to the Minister for the reply. I am happy to hear that there are some small steps being taken in this direction. If there is no overall policy to turn all land over to the municipalities, that also kind of sounds to me like there is no overall policy to not turn land over to the municipalities. What considerations is the department making in terms of taking these progressive steps forward so that municipalities can get a little bit better understanding, a little bit more confidence, and a little bit more certainty that our government really is committing towards this effort?
As mentioned, MACA and Lands are working on a strategy, which, hopefully, will clarify to municipalities what they need to do to obtain land in the communities. As I say, it is now currently done on a case-by-case basis. I do understand the frustrations of some of the communities, including some of the larger ones.
Just one last question to the Minister: does the Minister believe that we will actually get to a point in time where our government will turn over municipal, uncontested lands to municipal corporations or to municipalities?
It is rather difficult to predict the future. However, as I said, Lands and I expect MACA, also, is very well aware of the concerns of the municipalities, which we will take into account as we move forward.
