Shane Thompson

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Hunting has a long and honourable history in the Northwest Territories. At the heart of this tradition is a deep respect for the wildlife, the environment and the people of this land. Residents of the Northwest Territories have told us they want to make sure these values and practices are passed on to the next generation of harvesters.

During the 18th Legislative Assembly, this government made a commitment to the people of the Northwest Territories to develop a Hunter Education program for youth and new hunters. This new program promotes best practices for safe and...

Can't make a commitment right now because right now, we are trying to work on our Public Lands Act. Part of it is our regulations right now. What I can tell the Member is that the city, MACA, and Lands are in the process of working together on this issue. Any other municipality that wishes to work on this issue, we are more than willing to work with them to address this. Again, we have to get our regulations in place. The Public Land Act was passed in the last sitting, but we now need the regulations in place to be able to deal with this matter. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The department continues to work with all the communities in NWT to address their individual land needs. Lands is not in any discussions with communities at this time than a minor transfer similar to the initiative currently being worked on by the city.

Mr. Speaker, if I recall, we had the opportunity to meet, at which time I arranged a time to discuss your concerns immediately. I believe that we had a productive discussion, and I have followed up on the matters that you raised. I realize that my responses may not be the ones that you would like to hear at this time, but I can assure you that I will continue to work on this matter with my officials. We do have further work that needs to be done to ensure that we have a modern approach to land management in the NWT, including around fees. I have mentioned a big part of this is getting the...

The department is not stalling. We're trying to work on this. It's critical that one of the main focuses for the Department of Lands during the life of the 19th Assembly is to do the work on regulations needed to bring into force the Public Lands Act. This work needs to be done in advance of further changes to lease pricing.

It is important to note that, although there was an increase to recreational land lease fees, there was a decrease to the lease fees for residential leases where people's homes are in communities of Commissioner's land. This was part of the result of my questions 31 times...

Before I answer the question, I would like to thank the Member for Frame Lake for bringing these questions forward. I understand his passion as we try to work on these issues.

The GNWT conducts a review of reclamation securities when there is a new licence, a licence amendment, a revision of the closure and reclamation plans, or a change to the project that would result in changes to the environment securities. These reviews are meant to ensure that the liability associated with these projects are covered in the securities held by the GNWT. I think it is fair to acknowledge that the current...

The Department of Lands, and Environment and Natural Resources prepared security estimates to cover environmental liabilities for new projects as well as existing operations. The process to review and amend securities is directed by the regional land and water boards, which have the legislative responsibility to set the securities amount in water licences and land use permits. If there is change to the project or authorization, a new security review process is initiated by the regulatory boards. Making sure that the right balance between protecting the environment and allowing for investment...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This is the time of year for celebration. Unfortunately, Mr. Speaker, I rise in the House to honour the passing of Lindsay James St. Ledger Waugh. He was the first-born son of James St. Ledger Waugh and Ella May Taylor. He was born in Palmerston, South New Zealand, on October 7, 1946. He was followed by six siblings and spent most of his time in Waiati, a village outside of Dunedin.

His stories of childhood and adolescence involve working hard, taking the steam train to school, working on cars and motorcycles, smoking and drinking beer, and having the best time with his...

Lands has not been in any discussion presently. There may be some conversations at a regional level. Right now, we haven't seen anything at headquarters.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The GNWT has met several times to discuss with the city initiative, including two meetings with the city to date. Work has been focusing on ensuring clarity on what Lands initiative will include, ensure clarity on the process to carry out the initiative, and identification of milestones accomplished throughout the initiative and who is responsible for each. The department is focused on ensuring the initiative is carried out in a timely manner that ensures the transfer is done right. A meeting with the city is scheduled for next week to continue working with this...