Mahsi. Mr. O'Reilly.
Thanks, Mr. Chair. I don't want to try to wander too far, but. So one of the concerns I've raised about map staking all along is how the fees are going to be set. Maybe when the public the industry might get to have a say. But to make sure that we don't just end up in a staking frenzy and where people are able to tie up land all over the place for big periods of time and not commit to actually do any work. So when are we going to when is the department looking at setting these fees, and how do we ensure that there's a proper balance between what the government gets and trying to encourage exploration but also being sure people don't tie up land and do nothing on it. Thanks, Mr. Chair.
Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I did not plan to be speaking to the Mineral Resources Act regulations development. But perhaps in the interest of getting some information, I will turn it to the deputy minister, please.
Deputy minister.
Yes, thank you, Mr. Chair. So right now we are looking at what the rules are for online map for the staking within the MRA, and I think what we've seen in other jurisdictions has not been a huge land grab such as when Nunavut moved into the online map staking world. So it's a balance between the fees and what rules we have about maximum acreages that you can stake, or hectares that you stake, etcetera, etcetera. So thank you, Mr. Chair.
Mr. O'Reilly.
Yeah, thanks, Mr. Chair. Yeah, I'm anxious to hear more about when that debate/discussion is going to start because it hasn't so far, and can the Minister tell us when it's going to begin. Thanks.
Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Yes, "discussion", I think probably better characterizes the process here. So, I mean, again, there has been work being done with the intergovernmental council and the working groups there around the development of all aspects of the Mineral Resources Act. There is an open portal right now for people to express if they have particular concerns or particular questions, and particularly if they want a more technical briefing that is certainly a route by which to request that. And as we obviously get further in on any of these various items, we'll be bringing those to the standing committees as appropriate as well. So, you know, yes, in order to ensure that there's proper fees associated -- and appropriate fees are associated, that certainly will form part of having of the ongoing process that we're in. But, yes, Mr. Chair, at this point I did not expect to be speaking to the mineral resource regulations development, so I don't necessarily have my I do have a very detailed Gantt chart. I didn't think to bring it with me, Mr. Chair. Thank you.
Mahsi for that. I see no more questions from committee in this section, if we can turn we're on page 48, infrastructure, investments $100,000. Does committee agree.
Agreed.
Committee, please turn to page we'll just take a couple seconds here. Someone can't hear me up there.
Committee, we're back; everything's been straightened out. We're going to page 50, tourism and parks, with information item on page 51. And any questions from committee? Everyone found their pages, committee? Page 50, tourism and parks. Questions? Mr. Johnson.
I see that there's a Yellowknife River day area accessible boardwalk. Can I just get a couple more sentences about what that's about. Thank you.
Minister.
Mr. Chair, let me turn that to the deputy minister, please.
Deputy minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. So this project is meant to provide accessibility to park users. As you know at the Yellowknife River day use area, you're pretty much limited to the parking lot, and there is sort of a little trail that goes down to the point, a foot trail. So it's meant to accommodate wheelchairs and provide more accessibility to a beautiful view of Great Slave Lake. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Mr. Johnson.
That's great, I'm happy to hear that, very exciting. I'll go walk the trail when it's done.
My other question is I know that I brought this up before, when you kind of reach the end of Ingraham Trail, you hit Tibbitt Lake, and then you kind of just hit an ice road, and often there has been garbage, there has been the shortage of parking. And, you know, I think a lot of tourists they go drive the Ingraham Trail because there's not a lot to do and, you know, they want to go for a drive and then you just kind of hit this area that ends in nothing. And I've had requests for some sort of garbage can. Perhaps an outhouse, perhaps a little parking area. You know, I don't know I don't need a full park, just a roadside pullout that makes the end of the trail a little nicer. And I know there's some signage. It's perhaps not the type of signage I envision which is, you know, something nicer acknowledging the area or something. But anyway, can we get an update on whether that is possible. Thank you.
Mahsi. Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. So, Mr. Chair, because the Ingraham Trail itself up to and including right to the end, the area around Tibbitt Lake that the MLA is mentioning, is not a park, the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment doesn't have any sort of authority or control over that space. To the extent that there may be room for a pullout or parking or some other sort of highway or roadway facilities, that'll be a question to direct to the Department of Infrastructure. As folks may be aware here, and you'll recall the Department of Infrastructure and ITI do often work together to see that there is opportunity for facilities on roadways and highways. So I will certainly engage with my colleague in that regard. Thank you.
Mahsi. Mr. Johnson.
No, I'll raise this during Infrastructure as well. I know what happened well, what happened now, since we put a bunch of cabins out on Tibbitt, is that everyone parks along the side of the road and then a few years ago Infrastructure started telling people you can't park on the side of the road. So there's no parking. And this goes back to, you know, perhaps inconsistent land uses on the Ingraham Trail. But just anyways, I'll raise this with the Department of Infrastructure that I'm hoping we can get some sort of small area so people can park their vehicles and have a garbage can. Thank you.
I take that as a comment. Any further questions in this section? Mr. O'Reilly.
Yeah, thanks, Mr. Chair. Yeah, further to my colleague from Yellowknife North, I've spent several weekends out at a friend's cabin at Tibbitt and at the end of the road is a problem. There's no outhouse. People are doing their stuff all over the place. And the parking there, there's sort of a pseudo boat launch and garbage is accumulating. It's not very good.
You know, my colleague in the last Assembly, from Yellowknife North, got a pullout at the Big Hill Lake trailhead across from Madeline Lake. It's an excellent facility there now with a pullout for parking, and it's actually quite well used. Every time I go by, there's somebody has got parked in there and I call it the Cory Vanthuyne pullout. So I'm hoping that you folks can work with Infrastructure to do something similar because that's a very well used area right now and needs some work. Thanks, Mr. Chair. More of a comment.
Mahsi. Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Yes, Mr. Chair, I am also very familiar with the pullout at Big Hill Lake, and so I do know what is being, you know, referenced here. That was, as I understand, quite a safety issue. I can't speak for the Department of Infrastructure and whether or when they would decide to put a pullout elsewhere on the Ingraham Trail. I can only confirm I will take this away and discuss with colleagues and I'm mentioning the Department of Infrastructure but Lands also obviously is quite involved given that there may have to be a land usage and land planning issue depending on the nature of where exactly we're talking about putting something further. So as I've said, obviously my colleagues are sitting here, and we will have that conversation collectively. Thank you.
Mahsi, Minister. Mr. O'Reilly.
Nothing further, thanks. But I look forward to raising the issue with the Minister of Infrastructure on her day. Thanks.
Mahsi for that. Any further questions from committee? Ms. Nokleby.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I am just curious to know what's going to happen at the Liard River ferry crossing day use area. I had an opportunity to park my vehicle there and was quite shocked at how many cars park there in that area at the crossing when they're choppering across. So I am just curious how that will all get incorporated and how large of a day use area are we talking about. Thank you.
Mahsi. Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, let me direct that to the deputy minister, please.
Deputy minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. So, yes, this area we know in the past has been very heavily used, an important place. So the plan for the Liard crossing includes the development of a day use area that will include six camp areas so that people can have fire pits and picnic tables. We'll have signage along the highway as well to create awareness of that fact, and it'll be right along the river. And a water and woodshed will also be built to offer travellers water or food for cooking and enjoying their fire as well as garbage receptacles. So the life for this park improvement is supposed to be about approximately 15 years. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Ms. Nokleby.
Thank you for that. I'm just curious to know, then, is that up out of the flood plain given what was happening with the river. Has that been all I'm assuming has all been taken into account but maybe if the Minister or her department could speak to that, that would be great. Thanks.
Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I would also assume that that scoping has been done, but I don't know. So let me take that away, and I will make a commitment to get back to the Member with a public response on that.
Mahsi. Ms. Nokleby.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. And I just can't resist what's going on with MLA Semmler's outhouses that always keep getting shot up, up in Inuvik, have those been replaced this year? Thank you.
Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I just want to make sure I have the right park when I go to see which one this is. But the deputy minister might now offhand immediately which one it is so let me turn to her, please.
Deputy minister.
I don't have that on my fingertips but what we have built into our capital planning is making sure that we upkeep the assets, such as the outhouses that might have been vandalized or other factors. So it is top of mind. And we are ensuring that that's built into our capital plan annually. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Mahsi. Ms. Nokleby.
Thank you for that. And I was being a little tongue and cheek, so I do appreciate the deputy minister and Minister indulging me.
I guess my last question is just around the oh, and I'm not going to say this right the park renewable energy retrofits that I can't say the first name of, in Inuvik. Thank you. If I could have some more information there. Thank you.
Mahsi for that. Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I believe we're talking about Nataiinlaii park, but I'm again probably not quite doing justice to the name. And, Mr. Chair, with respect to that project, this it's a full-service campground with 21 complete camp sites, group camping, kitchen, shelters, staff house buildings etcetera. And obviously fuel costs are fairly significant, so looking to install a solar panel system which should both obviously be a greener source of power but also be one that would be a lot less noisy and then hopefully significantly less costly. Right now we're looking around $4,000 a month to operate. So that is a little bit of savings.
And, sorry, I think I may have missed one of the residual questions. If I did, I apologize. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
