Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs. What is the department presently doing to make sure my residents on the Ingraham Trail do not lose fire services? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Yellowknife North. Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Member, for your question. MACA is currently in conversation with the City of Yellowknife. They did establish a working group, and we are looking at the property taxation act and also the Area Development Act. We're trying to see what options are made within those acts that would be able to work with the Ingraham Trail and looking at the services to be provided there. Also, looking at if we were able to, under the taxation act, have the residents at the Ingraham Trail contribute to that so we can look at other financial means for providing fire services to the Ingraham Trail. Thank you.
My concern is that the municipality has been asking for changes to the Property Assessment and Taxation Act for decades, and Ingraham Trail residents have been asking for a resolution to how their taxes and fees are spent for decades. We simply have months to resolve this problem. I believe there are some longer-term solutions, such as a volunteer service, perhaps, such as incorporating the Ingraham Trail such that they can have some control in their governance, but that can't be done in the next six months. Will the Minister approach the City of Yellowknife with funding for an MOU to buy us some time to resolve this issue?
Thank you, Member, for your comment. Currently, right now, the working group has just been established. Conversations are happening between MACA and the City of Yellowknife. There has been no conversation about the financial means right now. It is too premature to establish any financial obligation or financial commitment to the Ingraham Trail, but just for the Member that we are in conversations and these discussions are happening.
What's happened over time is that we have allowed more and more people to live on the Ingraham Trail such that it has close to 200 constituents out there, making it larger than many of our communities in the Northwest Territories. Coincidentally, we have not adjusted our Hamlets Act, which has a threshold of 25 residents. They could incorporate tomorrow and would be entitled to millions of dollars such that I do not think it is too early to be having the financial conversation. If we do not address this now and if we lose fire services, I'm going to recommend incorporation, and I'm going to get millions of dollars when this is a $100,000 problem. Can the Minister put a dollar amount to this and go to the City of Yellowknife?
Thank you, Member, for your comments. We have to consider that there is a consultation period that needs to happen within the City of Yellowknife. There are jurisdiction issues. Looking at providing fire services to Ingraham Trail is quite complex. This is not the only area within the Northwest Territories that is affected by this conversation right now. Just for the Member's sake, we are in the conversation with the City of Yellowknife. This is happening, and I will keep the Member informed as we progress.
Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary. Member for Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My other concern is that there are a number of residents who I am sure do not know that their fire services got cancelled after decades, and I'm worried that they are going to call for fire and either we will be liable or the City of Yellowknife will be liable, as no one told them this service was cancelled. Can the department reach out to all those who have cabins on the Ingraham Trail and inform them of the cancellation of the service and our plan to remedy it?
Thank you, Member, for your comments. Within the working group that has been established, we are looking at an approach of how we are going to be addressing and consulting with all of the residents at Ingraham Trail. I will keep the Member informed as the department progresses. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.
