Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I’d like to talk about a land situation. We all have people in our communities who want the best for the community and its residents and they work very hard to improve where they live. The benefits of their efforts accrue not only to them but to the community as a whole.
Yellowknife is fortunate to have a group of dedicated, enthusiastic motocross riders. They enjoy their sport and they want others to as well. They want to dedicate a space to practice and teach their hobby.
The Yellowknife Motocross Association has been working for several years to revive the now defunct stock car racetrack out on Highway No. 4 and are ready to begin the physical work, remediation and cleaning up of the site, but they’ve been stymied by bureaucracy. An application for a land lease has been denied.
Most Members will remember the controversy last year over cabins and squatters using the lakes of Highway No. 4 close to Yellowknife. Now there’s a moratorium in effect on recreational land leases throughout the area while the Lands department develops a recreational land lease policy to bring some order to cabin use on these lakes.
The moratorium, unfortunately, includes both sides of the highway. It encompasses the very lakeless area of the old stock car track. The Motocross Association has been told they cannot apply for a lease for at least another year, with access to the land likely two years away. That’s just not on.
The premise of the moratorium on recreational land leases was to halt new leases for cabins, hunting and fishing leases. The Motocross Association has no intention of building a permanent structure, certainly not a cabin, with no lake anywhere in sight. The proposed use for the land they seek is clearly not a cabin. I believe their request should be considered outside of the moratorium.
The site right now is an eyesore and an environmental mess. It was abandoned 25 years ago, with cars and oil drums on the site left to rust and fall apart. By cleaning up the site, this group would be doing a huge favour, both to the environment and the GNWT. One less site for ENR to have to clean up, yet the Minister of Lands can’t see his way to make an exception and grant this group a lease.
The Yellowknife Motocross Association has done their homework. They have the support of businesses in the community. They’ve spent months planning their project, talking to Lands staff, arranging insurance and so on. This will be a new outdoor activity opportunity for Yellowknife.
Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted
This will be a new outdoor activity opportunity for Yellowknife residents and visitors both. It’s a potential tourism draw. The revenue from that would be a benefit to local businesses and to the Northwest Territories as a whole. The Minister can make this happen. He can allow this lease application and get the process started.
I will have questions for the Minister later, and my first one will be: Why won’t he do that? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Member for Range Lake, Mr. Dolynny.
