Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, reclamation of traditional lands is of utmost importance to the First Nations of this country and of my riding. Recently, a sacred vent hole in the community of Nahanni Butte had been blocked by an RCMP radio tower. This tower was built in the 1980s, and since then, elders have not forgotten the significance of the location. In August of 2016, the community of Nahanni Butte requested the removal of the RCMP radio tower blocking the Sacred Vent Hole of Tthenaago. A little over a year later, I am happy to report the vent hole has been unblocked and the site has been cleaned up.
According to traditional Dene legend, there were once giant beavers roaming the region. The Great Spirit used his walking stick to poke a hole in the top of the mountain to scare the beavers out and chase them down the river of the Deh Cho.
The main tower was dismantled by the RCMP in July 2017, and the large concrete base covering the vent hole was removed. Upon the inspection of the site later that month, an elder and a member of the community noticed that there were still leftover concrete and boulders located at the base of the trench that were blocking small vent holes and other materials that needed to be cleaned up from the site. The Nahanni Butte Dene Band reached out for assistance to remove the remaining debris, and our government was quick to accommodate their needs.
On Thursday, September 7th, ENR provided a helicopter and a four-man field crew to assist the chief, band manager, and locals in the cleaning up of the site of the sacred vent hole. Coincidentally, this was the same day that the community was evacuated due to the rapid expansion of the fire nearby because of a huge wind. Coincidence? I don't think so. Mr. Speaker, cleaning up the sacred vent hole was very important to the community, especially to the elders. They have witnessed the recovery of the sacred vent hole.
I would like to thank the ENR and the RCMP for working promptly with the community to have this issue addressed. I would also like to thank the Minister and department staff for working with us on this issue. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.