Thank you, Madam Chair. The intent of this motion is to provide communities with some flexibility in setting notice periods which meet the needs of the residents of the communities. Right now the law is that a person who has suffered damages from no repair must notify the municipality within 60 days of suffering the damage. Bill 7 proposes to reduce that period to 30 days. This is in response to an NWT Association of Municipality motion which proposed a notice period of 14 days. However, in some communities a longer notice period than 30 days may be fairer to the residents of the community. For example, in some communities where boats are parked for the winter by a road, it might be more appropriate to have a longer notice period for damage, because sometimes the damage would not be discovered until summer when the boat is used.
The effect of my motion to amend this clause would allow the community to adapt a different longer notice period, if it is felt that is appropriate for the residents of the community. This issue was discussed in the Infrastructure Committee and had the general support of Members of that committee. I urge all Members to support this motion.