Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to congratulate the City of Yellowknife for its national recognition with a 2011 Sustainable Communities Award from the Canadian Federation of Municipalities. The award recognizes the City’s outstanding work in developing its Smart Growth Development Plan.
Creation of the plan involved public consultation with over 2,000 residents and consultation with local First Nations. It tackles such issues as urban design, land use, preservation of natural areas, transportation, economic development and energy use. The plan is a roadmap to improve the environmental character of the community through brown field redevelopment, protection of environmentally sensitive areas, expansion of community gardens and green spaces, implementation of green development standards, and the improvement of transit and pedestrian infrastructure. It aims to improve the municipal economy through a mix of tax incentives, targeted investments and neighbourhood revitalization initiatives.
The results of this good work are already being felt. The plan generated a development incentive program bylaw which encourages the construction of energy-efficient buildings, progressive residential density and heritage preservation. The City adopted a non-market housing strategy to promote affordable housing. LEED Silver Certification is the minimum target for all new municipal buildings. A major output of the plan has been action on the Con geothermal project, which I’ll speak about more tomorrow.
This award is a salute to the excellence of our capital city’s approach and achievements. As the award announcement states, this is environmental leadership on the front lines of sustainable development in Canada to inspire other Canadian communities. It’s an honour shared by all Yellowknifers who have contributed to this process.
What impresses me most about the City’s action is their comprehensive approach and their connecting of the dots between social, economic and environmental issues. They have recognized the need to act in a coordinated way on simultaneous fronts to achieve the goals of preventing predictable future dilemmas and providing healthy options to people and business. Let’s join with the Canadian Federation of Municipalities in offering hearty congratulations to our capital city’s achievements.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.
