Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Today I rise to inform this government on some issues that my constituents in Deninu Kue have been discussing over the past couple of days. Their concerns are related to some exploration activity that has been underway in the Pine Point area by a company called Tamberlane Ventures Incorporated.
Mr. Speaker, the frustration by residents of Deninu Kue at last night's meeting was not limited to the fact that there is some economic activity in the immediate area and no one from the community has been hired, but for the fact that the Mackenzie Valley Land and Water Board has approved these land use permits to this company without prior notification or consultation with any of the Deninu Kue community organizations.
Mr. Speaker, the exploration activity would likely have gone forward without any community involvement or concerns had the exploration company not made one mistake and that being, they did not receive or request any notification from the Mackenzie Valley Land and Water Board about any trapping going on in the area in question, primarily due to the fact that the Mackenzie Valley Land and Water Board probably did not know this fact themselves.
Mr. Speaker, two local trappers went to check their traplines in this area and were appalled to find several kilometres of road recently dozed, some crossing their traplines at several locations, and at one section the dozer actually followed the trapper's skidoo trail down his line, dozed up all his traps he had there and then carried on without a thought of the damage he just caused to someone's livelihood, wherein trapping around the Deninu Kue area is considered a fundamental means of providing food and shelter for families because of the high unemployment in the community.
Therefore, Mr. Speaker, I want to stress the importance of ensuring that the Mackenzie Valley Land and Water Board strictly adhere to the four principles of public involvement in the guidelines for development applications to the board. All the attributes of proper public involvement, such as transparency, inclusiveness, respect and reasonableness, have been breached in this instance. Mr. Speaker, I do not want to see the Mackenzie Valley Land and Water Board become complacent with some of the decisions they felt they have been adequately formulated and well thought out because some of these decisions they make may not always seem adequate or justifiable to the people who have to live with them. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
---Applause