This is page numbers 3291 - 3324 of the Hansard for the 19th Assembly, 2nd Session. The original version can be accessed on the Legislative Assembly's website or by contacting the Legislative Assembly Library. The word of the day was work.

Topics

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Frame Lake. Minister responsible for Environment and Natural Resources.

Shane Thompson

Shane Thompson Nahendeh

Thank you. Usually the Member gives me the question ahead of time but this is good; I actually had a conversation with our staff just recently about this very topic.

So we've reached out to the federal minister to have this actual conversation about trying to get a position on the board. We've had communications with the Alberta government to work on this. So we are having these dialogues back and forth with the minister of Alberta as well as the federal minister, and we're trying to get this resolved. This has been a very long issue for not just only the Member but our Indigenous governments across the territories, all the way up from the Beau-Del all the way down to Fort Smith. So we've heard them. We've heard the concerns. We are working with them within the system we have presently. So we are on a plate, I guess, communicating back and forth with a letter and there will be another letter being sent out probably within the next week or so. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Kevin O'Reilly

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

Merci, Monsieur le President. Thanks to the Minister for that. Can he commit to share a copy of this letter that he's sending with the regular MLAs, even on a confidential basis, so that we're aware of what's being requested and how we might be engaged in the development of these regulations moving forward? Merci, Mr. Speaker.

Shane Thompson

Shane Thompson Nahendeh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it's not Yellowknife North asking the questions today. We will look at back -- I do not want to make a commitment here in the House to say that we will share. I don't see why not but we want to make sure we do it right. So I will reach out back, talk to the department, have the frank conversations on what we can and cannot share, and then we'll get back to the House with that answer. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Kevin O'Reilly

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

Merci, Monsieur le President. I want to thank the Minister for that.

Can he tell us, though, a little bit more about the development of these federal regulations, what impact might that have on our trans-boundary water agreement with the Government of Alberta given that there could be emissions. Like, these tailings ponds are huge. They've been storing water for years. It looks like there's a desire now to start to release this in light of some of the flooding that's been happening and climate change and so on. So what impact is this going to have on our trans-boundary water agreement with the Government of Alberta? Merci, Mr. Speaker.

Shane Thompson

Shane Thompson Nahendeh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, for that detail, I'm going to have to reach out to the department. I mean, that there involves a lot of people, departments. We need to find out, because right now I know the Alberta government's talking about it, but we've reached out to them. We're not supportive of this presently or even in the future. So we need to reach out to the federal Minister and to the Alberta Minister to get that information. But for further detail as to the question that the Member asked, that there is going to involve some research. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary, Member for Frame Lake.

Kevin O'Reilly

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

Merci, Monsieur le President. I want to thank the Minister for that. Can he commit to sharing this research with the Regular Members? Merci, Mr. Speaker.

Shane Thompson

Shane Thompson Nahendeh

Thank you. I will get back to the Members and the Committee of SCEDE with the information that we're able to provide. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister. Colleagues, our time for oral questions has expired. Written questions. Member for Frame Lake.

Kevin O'Reilly

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

Merci, Monsieur le President. Map Staking versus Claim Staking for Mineral Rights. My questions are for the Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment, who is responsible for both promoting the mining industry and regulating it.

During the development of the Mineral Rights Act, there was a commitment from the Government of the Northwest Territories to implement map staking as the method for acquiring mineral rights. The department has also committed to spend $3.7 million developing a mineral administration and registry system to facilitate map staking, a fundamental change to the way in which mineral rights are secured. This will likely require a careful balance between the economic interests of small prospectors, claim post manufacturers, expediters, charter aircraft operators versus mining companies with the capital to tie up large areas without significant work commitments.

How is the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment going to balance these competing interests, and,

  1. Please provide a summary of the representation work requirements for mineral claims since devolution, including the number of active mineral claims, value of the representation work completed, number of claims lapsed due to a failure to perform representation work, and the value of that representation work that would have occurred;
  2. Please explain how the value of the work that would normally go into claim staking will be dealt with under map staking to prevent speculation and/or be converted into actual exploration work;
  3. Please provide any economic analysis of the impacts of moving from claim staking to map staking that has been conducted by or for the Department; and,
  4. Please provide a full description of the public engagement that the department intends to undertake as part of any move from claim staking to map staking, including the steps, timelines and specific opportunities for public input.

Merci, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Frame Lake. Written questions. Returns to written questions. Replies to the Commissioner's address. Petitions. Tabling of documents. Minister responsible for Environment and Natural Resources.

Shane Thompson

Shane Thompson Nahendeh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following four documents: NWT Climate Change Action Plan: Annual Report 2020-21; NWT Water Stewardship Strategy Action Plan 2021-2025; NWT Water Stewardship Strategy Action Plan 2021-2025 Plain Language Summary; and the Responding to Climate Change in the NWT Plain Language Overview Report 2020/21. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister. Tabling of documents. Minister responsible for Finance.

Caroline Wawzonek

Caroline Wawzonek Yellowknife South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document: Northwest Territories Carbon Tax Report 2020/21. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister. Tabling of documents. Minister responsible for Infrastructure.

Diane Archie

Diane Archie Inuvik Boot Lake

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following two documents: NWT Energy Initiatives Report 2020-2021; and a Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 782-19(2); NWT Power Corporation COVID-19 Vaccination Policy. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister. Tabling of documents. Minister responsible for Justice.

R.J. Simpson

R.J. Simpson Hay River North

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document: Plain Language Summary for Bill 41: Justice Administration Statutes Amendment Act. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister. Tabling of documents. Colleagues, I wish to table the reorganized Rules of the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories dated December 7, 2021.

Tabling of documents.

Pursuant to section 31.1 of the Legislative and Executive Council Act, I hereby table the 2021 Review of Members' Compensation and Benefits prepared for the Independent Commission to review Members' Compensation and Benefits dated August 5th, 2021.

Tabling of documents. Notices of motion. Member for Frame Lake.

Kevin O'Reilly

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

Merci, Monsieur le President. I give notice that on Thursday, December 9th, 2021, I'll move the following motion:

Now therefore I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Hay River North, that the following Members be pointed as alternate members of the board of management: Mr. Rocky Simpson, the Member for Hay River South; and Mrs. Caroline Cochrane, the Member for Range Lake;

And further, that the following Members be appointed to the Standing Committee on Government Operations: Mrs. Lesa Semmler, the Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes; Ms. Caitlin Cleveland, the Member for Kam Lake; Mrs. Frieda Martselos, the Member for Thebacha; and Mr. Rylund Johnson, the Member for Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Frame Lake. Notices of motion. Member for Thebacha.

Frieda Martselos

Frieda Martselos Thebacha

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I give notice that on Thursday, December the 9th, 2021, I will move the following motion:

I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Hay River North, that notwithstanding Rule 4, when this House adjourns on Thursday, December the 9th, 2021, it shall be adjourned until Wednesday, February the 2nd, 2022.

And further, that any time prior to February the 2nd, 2022, if the Speaker is satisfied, after consultation with the Executive Council and Members of the Legislative Assembly, that the public interest requires that the House should meet at an earlier time during the adjournment or at a time later than the scheduled resumption of the House, the Speaker may give notice and thereupon the House shall meet at the time stated in such notice and shall transact into business as if it had been duly adjourned to that time.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Thebacha. Notices of motion. Motions. Member for Kam Lake.

Caitlin Cleveland

Caitlin Cleveland Kam Lake

Mr. Speaker,

WHEREAS section 40.2(1) of the Public Service Act provides that the Commissioner, on the recommendation of the Legislative Assembly, shall appoint an Equal Pay Commissioner as an officer of the Legislative Assembly, who is responsible for exercising the powers and performing the duties set out in the act;

AND WHEREAS the position of Equal Pay Commissioner became vacant on November 30th, 2021;

AND WHEREAS the board of management was tasked with recruiting an Equal Pay Commissioner and as recommended an individual to the Legislative Assembly and the Legislative Assembly is prepared to make a recommendation;

NOW THEREFORE I MOVE, seconded by the honourable Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, that Ms. Bronwyn Watters be appointed as the Equal Pay Commissioner in accordance with the Public Service Act by the Commissioner of the Northwest Territories as recommended by the Legislative Assembly;

AND FURTHER, that the Speaker be authorized to communicate the effective date of the appointment to the Commissioner.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.