For that detail, I will have to actually ask the deputy minister for that answer. Thank you.
Debates of Feb. 24th, 2021
This is page numbers 2083 - 2120 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 health.
Topics
Committee Motion 79-19(2): Tabled Document 286-19(2): Main Estimates 2021-2022 - Lands - Corporate Management - Deletion of $303,000 from Grants, Contributions and Transfers, Defeated
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 2100
Committee Motion 79-19(2): Tabled Document 286-19(2): Main Estimates 2021-2022 - Lands - Corporate Management - Deletion of $303,000 from Grants, Contributions and Transfers, Defeated
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 2100
Committee Motion 79-19(2): Tabled Document 286-19(2): Main Estimates 2021-2022 - Lands - Corporate Management - Deletion of $303,000 from Grants, Contributions and Transfers, Defeated
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 2100
Haener
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I was just referencing my notes to see if I had that with me, and unfortunately, I do not. Yes, there it is, buried. Currently, we do have six existing commercial leases for agricultural use on Commissioner's land. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Committee Motion 79-19(2): Tabled Document 286-19(2): Main Estimates 2021-2022 - Lands - Corporate Management - Deletion of $303,000 from Grants, Contributions and Transfers, Defeated
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 2100
Committee Motion 79-19(2): Tabled Document 286-19(2): Main Estimates 2021-2022 - Lands - Corporate Management - Deletion of $303,000 from Grants, Contributions and Transfers, Defeated
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 2100
Rylund Johnson Yellowknife North
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I have asked this previously, if we can look at somehow lowering the assessment or the lease rate that agricultural leases pay. I know the lease rates are quite generous, but there are some perverse incentives here. Every time an agricultural lessee builds infrastructure, then their assessment goes up, and they end up paying more tax. There's a bit of a perverse incentive to build large greenhouses. I recognize we are only having to deal with six farms, but one day maybe that can be 12 farms.
As part of this work, can we look at a subsidized rate for agricultural leases? I would have no issue if we gave people agricultural leases for free. If people agree to farm the land, I am completely happy to lose the very small amount we get in our budget that we actually take from them. I think right now the assessment process is creating a bit of a disincentive. As part of the pricing update, will the Minister create a lower rate for agricultural lessees? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Committee Motion 79-19(2): Tabled Document 286-19(2): Main Estimates 2021-2022 - Lands - Corporate Management - Deletion of $303,000 from Grants, Contributions and Transfers, Defeated
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 2100
Committee Motion 79-19(2): Tabled Document 286-19(2): Main Estimates 2021-2022 - Lands - Corporate Management - Deletion of $303,000 from Grants, Contributions and Transfers, Defeated
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 2100
Shane Thompson Nahendeh
Thank you. I like the way he worded that really nicely. It's part of our evaluation process. In phase 1 of our Public Land Act is agricultural leases, how it is impacted, and how we are going to do it. For further detail, I will actually, with your permission, go to the deputy minister. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Committee Motion 79-19(2): Tabled Document 286-19(2): Main Estimates 2021-2022 - Lands - Corporate Management - Deletion of $303,000 from Grants, Contributions and Transfers, Defeated
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 2100
Committee Motion 79-19(2): Tabled Document 286-19(2): Main Estimates 2021-2022 - Lands - Corporate Management - Deletion of $303,000 from Grants, Contributions and Transfers, Defeated
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 2100
Haener
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Government has within its ability to advance policy objectives even through land pricing. One example currently is the seniors discount for lease rent. Certainly, other jurisdictions use those abilities to apply certain incentives or reduce pricing for agricultural land and those types of initiatives or even other industrial activities on land. That is certainly something that we would want to contemplate and consider with our partners in ITI. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Committee Motion 79-19(2): Tabled Document 286-19(2): Main Estimates 2021-2022 - Lands - Corporate Management - Deletion of $303,000 from Grants, Contributions and Transfers, Defeated
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 2100
Committee Motion 79-19(2): Tabled Document 286-19(2): Main Estimates 2021-2022 - Lands - Corporate Management - Deletion of $303,000 from Grants, Contributions and Transfers, Defeated
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 2100
Rylund Johnson Yellowknife North
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I think it's a great news headline that we will charge our existing farmers less every year on their lease rents. I will ask MACA one day to charge them less on their taxes. As part of the business plan, one of the measures is that the department is going to increase the amount of land leased by the GNWT for agricultural purposes by region and location. One of my concerns with this is we don't actually have a database of what land is available for agricultural use. We kind of wait for people to come to us, and they have to explore that list to see whether it's subject to a withdrawal or available for leasing. Can the department go out and identify all of the land that is potentially available for agricultural leasing? I think that getting that information out there would really encourage people, even if it's the existing lessees, to know that they could expand and that there is land available, and we will work with them. Can the department go out and identify that, considering the mandate item says that they will actually measure that amount of land, but I don't believe we know how much we presently have? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Committee Motion 79-19(2): Tabled Document 286-19(2): Main Estimates 2021-2022 - Lands - Corporate Management - Deletion of $303,000 from Grants, Contributions and Transfers, Defeated
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 2100
Committee Motion 79-19(2): Tabled Document 286-19(2): Main Estimates 2021-2022 - Lands - Corporate Management - Deletion of $303,000 from Grants, Contributions and Transfers, Defeated
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 2100
Shane Thompson Nahendeh
Thank you. I appreciate the Member asking me this on the floor. He asked me in Committee of the Whole. Right now, no, we are not doing that. We have prioritized a number of projects that we need to get done. Once those projects are done, that is something that we can go out and do. Presently, we have a whole bunch of priorities that we need to get done with the Department of Lands, and we need to be respectful of that moving forward. We will take the Member's idea and put it in our plans, but presently, no, we are not making that commitment. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Committee Motion 79-19(2): Tabled Document 286-19(2): Main Estimates 2021-2022 - Lands - Corporate Management - Deletion of $303,000 from Grants, Contributions and Transfers, Defeated
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 2100
The Chair Rocky Simpson
Thank you, Minister. Are there any further questions? Any Members? Mr. O'Reilly.
Committee Motion 79-19(2): Tabled Document 286-19(2): Main Estimates 2021-2022 - Lands - Corporate Management - Deletion of $303,000 from Grants, Contributions and Transfers, Defeated
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 2100
Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake
Thanks, Mr. Chair. My understanding was that the work on the Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act, there had been some money in the EIA budget to look at that work. It's been deleted. Is that work now going to be picked up by the Department of Lands? Thanks, Mr. Chair.
Committee Motion 79-19(2): Tabled Document 286-19(2): Main Estimates 2021-2022 - Lands - Corporate Management - Deletion of $303,000 from Grants, Contributions and Transfers, Defeated
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 2100
Committee Motion 79-19(2): Tabled Document 286-19(2): Main Estimates 2021-2022 - Lands - Corporate Management - Deletion of $303,000 from Grants, Contributions and Transfers, Defeated
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 2100
Shane Thompson Nahendeh
For that clarity, for the second round of questions, I will ask the deputy minister to answer that. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Committee Motion 79-19(2): Tabled Document 286-19(2): Main Estimates 2021-2022 - Lands - Corporate Management - Deletion of $303,000 from Grants, Contributions and Transfers, Defeated
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 2100
Committee Motion 79-19(2): Tabled Document 286-19(2): Main Estimates 2021-2022 - Lands - Corporate Management - Deletion of $303,000 from Grants, Contributions and Transfers, Defeated
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 2100
Haener
Thank you, Mr. Chair. The Department of Lands role has been a supportive one with EIA, and our work to date on this project has been coordinating GNWT input on regulatory improvements to MVRMA regulations. I would expect that that would continue to be our potential role going forward. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Committee Motion 79-19(2): Tabled Document 286-19(2): Main Estimates 2021-2022 - Lands - Corporate Management - Deletion of $303,000 from Grants, Contributions and Transfers, Defeated
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 2100
Committee Motion 79-19(2): Tabled Document 286-19(2): Main Estimates 2021-2022 - Lands - Corporate Management - Deletion of $303,000 from Grants, Contributions and Transfers, Defeated
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 2100
Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake
Thanks, Mr. Chair. I think that's all I have, but in reply to the Minister, yes, I had to have a second round because I wasn't actually getting any answers in the first round. That's it. Thanks, Mr. Chair.
Committee Motion 79-19(2): Tabled Document 286-19(2): Main Estimates 2021-2022 - Lands - Corporate Management - Deletion of $303,000 from Grants, Contributions and Transfers, Defeated
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 2100
The Chair Rocky Simpson
Thank you, Member. Any further questions from any of the Members? If there are no further questions, please turn to page 318. Lands, planning and coordination, operations expenditure, 2021-2022 Main Estimates, $7,680,000. Does the committee agree?
Committee Motion 79-19(2): Tabled Document 286-19(2): Main Estimates 2021-2022 - Lands - Corporate Management - Deletion of $303,000 from Grants, Contributions and Transfers, Defeated
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 2100
Some Hon. Members
Agreed.
Committee Motion 79-19(2): Tabled Document 286-19(2): Main Estimates 2021-2022 - Lands - Corporate Management - Deletion of $303,000 from Grants, Contributions and Transfers, Defeated
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 2100
The Chair Rocky Simpson
Thank you, Members. Please return now to the department summary found on page 307. Lands, operations expenditures, total department, 2021-2022 Main Estimates, $22,425,000. Does the committee agree?
Committee Motion 79-19(2): Tabled Document 286-19(2): Main Estimates 2021-2022 - Lands - Corporate Management - Deletion of $303,000 from Grants, Contributions and Transfers, Defeated
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 2100
Some Hon. Members
Agreed.