Thank you, Madam Speaker. The process of land transfers to municipal governments is not working. It prevents municipal governments from having the authority and autonomy to make timely land use decisions within municipal boundaries and impedes business development. In addition, YKDFN is now trading land with the City of Yellowknife, essentially removing the GNWT from the process.
Twenty-five years ago, MACA helped community governments develop land use plans and administered lands within municipal boundaries. MACA has long since devolved the responsibility for developing community land use plans to municipal councils, but the planning and administration process remains regressive and paternalistic.
The Community Planning and Development Act explains that a community plan guides the physical growth and development of the community. Under that act, a municipality must submit its plan to the Minister of MACA for approval before it has any force and effect. The act requires the plan be developed in consultation with a professional community planner so, Madam Speaker, why is the Minister's approval still required?
If an individual or Yellowknife business owner needs land, they must approach the city for a parcel of land within city boundaries. The city must then turn to the Department of Lands to seek access to that land through fee simple title transfer or land lease.
The current turnaround time for land transfers between Lands and the City of Yellowknife is an average of six to 10 months. During this time, if an application is declined or a secondary piece of land is suggested, the process and timelines start over. If the project requires new or conditional zoning, then there is an additional processes the city must go through.
If the city had fee simple tenure on land, the City of Yellowknife could sell or lease city land to the individual or business without the six to 10 months required for GNWT approvals, therefore allowing businesses to be more responsive to economic development opportunities including remediation projects from the federal government and tourism development driven by the GNWT. If efficient community planning is our concern, then, it is not clear to me what is gained by the MACA Minister needing to approve the city's community plan every year along with any revisions.
The Minister of Lands has indicated a willingness to make progress in this area, and I look forward to continuing this conversation with them. It will require leadership, collaboration between the departments of Lands, MACA, and EIA, along with a clear terms of reference and guidelines and timelines, as well. Thank you, Madam Speaker.