Thank you, Mr. Chair, and thanks for the opportunity to introduce Bill 14, An Act to Repeal the Pawnbrokers and Second-hand Dealers Act. There are currently no businesses in the Northwest Territories licensed as pawnbrokers or second-hand dealers under the Pawnbrokers and Second-hand Dealers Act. Furthermore, the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs has not issued a pawnbroker or second-hand dealer’s licence within corporate memory.

Many jurisdictions in Canada such as Manitoba, Ontario, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick have repealed similar legislation, leaving the regulation of pawnbrokers and second-hand dealers to municipalities. Municipal governments in the Northwest Territories have the authority to regulate pawnbrokers, second-hand dealers and other business by creating classification and licensing schemes through bylaws. The absence of a

pawnbroker and second-hand dealer industry in smaller NWT communities renders the legislation largely irrelevant.

Should pawnbrokers or second-hand dealers open in smaller communities in the future, they may be regulated through the bylaws or through the territorial Business Licensing Act.

I would be pleased to answer any questions Members may have. Thank you, Mr. Chair.