Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in 1970, the city of Yellowknife was created, and they drew municipal boundaries around the city of Yellowknife, and that included the community of N'dilo. When they did that, there was no consultation or accommodation with the Yellowknives Dene First Nation, and they did it without their consent. My question is to the MACA Minister. Can the Minister update this Assembly on any progress regarding changes to the Yellowknife municipal bboundary with Yellowknives Dene First Nation? Thank you.
Thank you, Member from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh. Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The city of Yellowknife and Yellowknives Dene First Nation jointly submitted a boundary change request under the Executive Council Community Boundaries Policy. In December 2022, MACA requested additional information from the city regarding the proposed boundary line and its impact on adjacent land and improvements. The city provided its response in December 2023.
During the December 2022 meeting between DKFN and the city and MACA, a DKFN representative indicated that they were reviewing their land withdrawal areas and considering changes that might impact the proposed boundary lines. When MACA then requested that the city and DKFN reengage with each other to discuss proposed boundaries and identify any further revisions before approval process proceeds, both parties were advised to follow up with MACA whether they would be proceeding with the boundary lines that they'd proposed, and the department is still waiting for a follow-up on that meeting. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Even though the boundaries were drawn, there was no consent from YKDFN, but the GNWT continued to recognize N'dilo as part of the city of Yellowknife. Will the Minister commit to funding N'dilo as a separate entity distinct from Yellowknife going forward? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Currently, we are currently funding 32 communities in the Northwest Territories and at this time, until these meetings are held and discussions are agreed to, we will stick to our current policy. Thank you.
Yeah, thank you. I know the territorial government was born in 1967, over 55 years now, but the thing is that, you know, it's concerning that the GNWT accepted the municipal boundary of Yellowknife. But going forward, Mr. Speaker, will the Minister commit to compensating N'dilo retroactively for lost funding dollars that they have been going to the city of Yellowknife without their consent? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm sure the Member is aware, but the funding that the government gets is federal funding that we receive, and those pots are allocated through the formula funding that we have that go through all the communities. So we would not be able to retroactively commit to providing funds retroactively for the community. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs. Final supplementary. Member from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.
So what I'm hearing is that Dettah will continue to subsidize N'dilo while N'dilo provides funding to the city of Yellowknife. Can the Minister provide a timeline for when this work on administratively separating N'dilo from the city of Yellowknife, when would that occur? That we here, we could get the funding we need to subsidize our own business in the community. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In order to discuss a timeline, the DKFN would have to make the separate submission on behalf of the residents of N'dilo to be considered a separate community government once boundary issues have been resolved with the city of Yellowknife. If a newer community is formed, MACA's current community funding budget would be reallocated amongst 33 communities rather than 32. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs. Oral questions. Member from YK Centre.
