Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As mentioned earlier, my address would be circulated around the contaminated sites along the shores of Bear Lake which I think raise a huge opportunity during these times of low economic employment in the smaller communities such as the neighbouring community to the sites in Deline. My question to the Minister is through federal funding access, through a Brazilian stimulus approach, is there ongoing negotiations for those sites along the shores of Bear Lake? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Minister of Environment and Natural Resources. Finance? Oh, sorry. Minister of Lands.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, through devolution, through the contaminated sites, Canada kept the responsibility for the remuneration of a lot of the old contaminated sites along Great Bear Lake and I think there were about seven sites. There is a Waste Site Management Committee, inter-governmental committee that monitors the implementation of the waste sites charters. The government… Short answer is: the Government of Canada still has the responsibility for the remediation of those sites. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Now that we’ve identified there’s seven potential sites here, I don’t know the scope of work or the budget involved and the remedial costs of these sites here. But would the Minister respond by giving us some information on whether these have potential federal funding approvals to clean up these sites?
Mr. Speaker, I’m not sure exactly what stage they’re at. Through the committee that I had spoken of earlier, they do provide some advice and recommendation to Canada on their clean-up activities. What I can commit to the Member is that I will have some discussion with this particular committee and see where they are with their discussions with Canada and see if there’s been any kind of a price tag attached to the potential clean-up of the sites around Great Bear Lake.
I thank the Minister for that positive reply which I’m sure the general public in Deline or the other opportunities that created with other communities will be happy to hear that. Knowing the flexibility of the territorial government’s procurement process compared to the federal process, I ask the Minister if it’s all possible or is there negotiations underway to solicit through a transfer agreement with the remedial funds going to this government? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I’m not sure what the process is right now. If Canada has committed any money to the clean-up of these sites, if there is opportunities for, say the regional government to enter into some type of an arrangement with for the remediation of these sites, I would suggest that they would have to speak to Canada directly and through this, the committee here, the regional government in the Sahtu are represented on this committee, so they would have a general idea of where these sites are at and many of these sites are very old. Again, I will do what I can from my end to see if there has been any money that has been earmarked for remediation of these sites and I will share the information that I receive with Members across.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Sahtu.
Thank you to the Minister for the additional positive comments here. I look forward to receiving that information. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. I’ll take that as a comment from the Member. Oral questions. Member for Kam Lake
