Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, on January 16th, I was pleased, along with the Member for Yellowknife Frame Lake, Mr. Dent, to host a community environmental information meeting attended by close to 60 concerned area residents. The issue was arsenic contamination in the Yellowknife area.
Yellowknife, Mr. Speaker, has a 60-year gold mining history. We have enjoyed the economic benefits and endured the environmental and social costs of this mining heritage. In the case of the Rat Lake area in my constituency, the mining activity on the Con lease dates back some 60 years.
At the public meeting, Mr. Speaker, we heard excellent presentations from the GNWT staff, including Municipal and Community Affairs, Health and Social Services, environmental health branch; the mining company, Miramar; and the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development. Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development also contributed to the planning and the meeting.
We learned that in the Yellowknife area, there is a level of naturally occurring arsenic. To this, Mr. Speaker, we have added arsenic trioxide, a deadly toxin produced by the hazardous product of mining. Our citizens are concerned about the potential danger of arsenic levels in the soils and water of Yellowknife.
Constituents have expressed many concerns, and some of them are summarized as: soil remediation solutions around private dwellings in the area; cancer rates in Yellowknife; integrated land-use planning and land-use administration; concern for the public health; standards for clean-up and standards for soil remediation; and to what extent will the public be consulted in the future.
Mr. Speaker, the Yellowknife Arsenic Soils Remediation Committee is a coalition of all levels of government, mining and aboriginal groups. They are playing a key role. I would like to acknowledge the leadership demonstrated by this committee and the Stanton Regional Health Board. This committee has announced that it is proceeding with an assessment study to determine levels of risk to public health. It is expected later this year. It will also help develop guidelines for remediation and arsenic clean-up standards for the whole Yellowknife area.
We are all cognizant, Mr. Speaker, of our need to reclaim the environment where there have been harmful operations. The federal government clearly has a significant environmental responsibility to live up to and this government must continue to press the federal government to live up to these obligations.
-- Applause