The committee is very concerned that this bill does not include amendments to the Settlements Act, which it understands had been part of this initiative until very recently. The Minister and department advised the committee that these amendments were not brought forward because of a lack of capacity to draft the Settlements Act amendments at the same time as the proposed Charter Communities Act, Cities, Towns and Villages Act and Hamlets Act contained in Bill 25, as well as the proposed Tlicho Community Government Act. The Minister indicated that work has since been completed on the Settlements Act amendments, and that they would be ready for introduction early in the life of the new Assembly.
There are 20 communities that are incorporated under the three municipal acts listed above. Prior to 1999, that number was even higher as it included Iqaluit and the Nunavut hamlets as well. In contrast, there are only three communities incorporated as settlements: Enterprise, Fort Resolution and Colville Lake. The committee heard that despite the political strength of 20 or more municipalities, it took several years for Bill 25 to be brought before the Assembly. Will three small communities on their own be able to convince government to make their legislation a priority?
Further, the committee heard from Mayor Winnie Cadieux of Enterprise that the proposed amendments to the Settlements Act, which the Minister has said are now ready, may not adequately address the needs of those three communities. This also causes Members a great deal of concern.
The committee strongly recommends that the department consult with the three settlements on whether the proposed amendments to the Settlements Act will meet their needs; and further that the next government bring forward appropriate amendments to the Settlements Act in the early life of the 15th Assembly.