Mahsi, Madam Speaker. In late 1990, the 11th Legislative Assembly passed two very important bills. The first bill amended the Environmental Protection Act. The Minister of Renewable Resources at the time said that the purpose of the bill was to amend the act in such a manner that it was enforceable. The bill included such measures as raising maximum fines for discharging contaminants to $1 million for repeated offenses.
Later in the same session, the Assembly passed a private Member's bill, the Environmental Rights Act. This act allowed private citizens to lay complaints about environmental damage with the Minister of Renewable Resources and the Minister would then be required to act on the complaint.
Together, these two acts gave the Northwest Territories the appearance of having some of the best laws in the country for protecting our environment. But, I have to question this image. Soon after the Environmental Rights Act was passed, two Yellowknife residents laid a complaint related to emissions of sulphur dioxide and arsenic from Giant Mine. The Department of Renewable Resources completed their report which showed the level of emissions. Specifically, some of the tests in 1992 showed that northerly winds would raise sulphur dioxide levels in downtown Yellowknife above the limits for desirable and acceptable levels according to the Canadian Environmental Protection Act.
While the environmental health directorate in Ottawa does not feel that these levels represent an imminent health hazard, they do have an adverse effect on northerners' health. As the directorate stated, "These levels of sulphur dioxide can lead to mild reversible respiratory effects in sensitive individuals, particularly asthmatics." I know of at least one Yellowknife resident who suffers severe asthma attacks when she is downtown and the winds blow from the north.
Also, arsenic is a chemical which is known to cause cancer and the directorate said that, "Exposure to arsenic should be reduced to the lowest possible level." It appears that Royal Oak Mines are not interested in voluntarily reducing their emissions. After the department's report was released last year, Royal Oak disputed the figures in the report and stated that installing cleaning technology in their roasting stacks would be too expensive.
Madam Speaker, I'm running out of time and I would like to seek unanimous consent to conclude my statements.