Thank you for the response there, but that’s very lame, Mr. Minister. This is a First Nation we’re talking about here and the fundamental first thing we know in consultation on anything that we do involving the land is to talk immediately and thoroughly with the First Nation. So I hope the Minister will ask his staff, inform his staff on that protocol. It certainly should be routine by now.
Regarding the recommendations, MACA has admitted that the consultant plotting new lease sites did not even leave his office and walk the ground. Area leaseholders, a gold mine of knowledge and experience, were not consulted for their input, preparing informed options. The area is underlain by mineral potential and mineral leases active for 40 years, yet MACA was unaware. We’ve since found out that recreational leases are packed into shallow, and weedy and inappropriate bays. Any weekend trip to the Vee Lake landing would have
revealed that parking and docking are already bursting with users.
So could the Minister comment on why recommendations were brought forward without any on-the-spot visits to proposed lakes and facilities before consultation with the people who already live on the lakes, or site examination of the facilities now in place? Mahsi.