Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are for the Minister of Environment and Climate Change following up on my Member's statement over potential changes to the quarry permitting.
Mr. Speaker, can the Minister explain why the GNWT is considering additional consultation requirements for quarry permits when land and water boards already have consultation as part of the permitting process. Thank you.
Thank you, Member from Inuvik Boot Lake. Minister of Environment and Climate Change.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, consultation taken under the quarry permits is not additional consultation to that undertaking by the land and water board for the land use permits. Quarry permits and land use permits are two different authorizations under two separate authorities and under two separate pieces of legislation. Quarry permits are issued by the GNWT, where land use permits are issued by the appropriate land and water board across the NWT except for in the ISR.
For a quarry permit -- for quarry operations, both a quarry permit and a land use permit are required. For example, the land use permit grants access to use heavy equipment on the site while the quarry permit provides the access to the granular material and the authorization to use that material. Any consultation undertaken on a quarry permit is specific to that actual activity, the use of the material itself. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Minister. So from what I understand from quarry permit holders in my region, they are being asked for additional consultation. I understand what the Minister is saying. So I guess if there is a duplication, has the GNWT considered entering into a protocol agreement with the land and water boards to avoid any duplication of consultation efforts while ensuring that their duty to consult is met? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as mentioned, quarry permits are not issued for the same purpose or under the same authority as the land use permit. The GNWT are unable to delegate consultation obligations for quarry permits, for example the land and water board, or other organizations that may issue land use permits. The department, we're always interested in considering ways to better coordinate processes and other regulatory -- with other regulatory agencies. And I'll ask the department to explore any possibilities in this regard. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
So, Mr. Speaker, I guess my question is simple, then. Has the department or is the department looking at any potential changes to the quarry permitting process, or is it the same now as it was last year and will be the same again next year? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the department continues to use the same processes as it has in the past. We remain committed to working with industry stakeholders navigating the quarry permit application process to better communicate clearly with industry as well as the other people in the territory how this whole process works. And I'll commit today to, you know, work with the Member. I understand that there's a specific issue in his constituency that he would like addressed, so I'll stand here today and commit to following up with the Member to better understand the issue and the details and see what we can do to alleviate that. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Minister of Environment and Climate Change. Final supplementary. Member from Inuvik Boot Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you, Minister. And, yes, I appreciate that. And the Minister, I will say, has always been willing to work with me in the Beaufort Delta when I do have concerns around this.
Just one follow-up question that may be a yes or no answer, then; I wasn't sure if it was answering the last one, Mr. Speaker. Are there any proposed changes to the quarry permitting process being potentially looked at by the government? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, no, there are no current changes being considered. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Minister of Environment and Climate Change. Oral questions. Member from Range Lake.
