Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I mentioned in my Member's statement earlier today, normally I like to share good news stories about my riding, but unfortunately, we had a rather large sewage spill, so I'd like to ask the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources what role the department has played in assisting the City of Yellowknife in cleaning up this awful mess. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Minister of Environment and Natural Resources.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my understanding is that they had called the spill line and ENR officers went to the site. ENR, we are the lead regulatory agency that ensures responsible parties like the city maintains operations. They meet departmental standards for the protection of people, property, and management, so our officers were on the scene right away. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Are there any concerns arising from the regulatory side related to the spill? Has it been well contained by the city? Are there any lasting environmental hazards to my constituents, and in particular, property owners in Kam Lake?
My understanding is the city responded very well to the site. They cleaned it up right away, they had a vacuum truck on site, and transported the sewage that was spilled. Unfortunately, the excavator that they were using also went through the ice, but our department reports that there was no petroleum contamination on site and they continued to work with the city to ensure that the site is well taken care of.
I'd like to thank the Minister for his answer and for the action the department has taken. Tonight, there is a public town hall. Will personnel from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources be on hand to answer any questions members of the public might have as it relates to the spill?
I will give direction to the department to ensure that we have staff on hand to answer any questions that may come up during the meeting.
Oral questions. Member for Nahendeh.
