This is page numbers 3947 - 4016 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 know.

Caroline Cochrane

Caroline Cochrane Range Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm not sure if an online portal -- or a support desk is the right way to do it but we've always been welcoming people in the Northwest Territories. We'd welcome anyone from any nation, especially those that are going through troubling times. So we'll find the appropriate ways to provide opportunities so that the NWT is known to those that are coming to Canada. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Madam Premier. Final supplementary, Member for Hay River South.

Rocky Simpson

Rocky Simpson Hay River South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm going to squeeze two questions into one. Will the Premier commit to an advertising campaign in NWT to encourage ongoing support efforts to help Ukraine humanitarian efforts, and will she be willing to fly the Ukrainian flag in front of the Legislative Assembly? Thank you.

Caroline Cochrane

Caroline Cochrane Range Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We're going to be promoting the giving portal that I mentioned above. And as for flying the flag in front of the Ukraine, I think that flying the flag outside of the Legislative Assembly is the responsibility of the Legislative Assembly and I'm not sure if I can defer that question to the Speaker. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Honourable Premier. We are -- it's in the plans. Oral questions. Member for Thebacha.

Question 1020-19(2): Land Leases
Oral Questions

March 10th, 2022

Page 3949

Frieda Martselos

Frieda Martselos Thebacha

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Lands has repeatedly stated he wants to "get it right" on the land leases. He has had now about three years to work on this. Has the Minister found a way to reduce the 460 percent increase in minimum land lease rent costs for territorial land leaseholders? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Thebacha. Minister responsible for lands.

Shane Thompson

Shane Thompson Nahendeh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. First of all, I'd like to thank the Member for the speech. Her Member's statement was great, and I applaud her for that and I say thank you very much.

Mr. Speaker, is it -- there's a process. The scope of the work is significant. The department is reviewing nine existing regulations, 22 land withdrawal orders, and developing in regs under this act. I committed to have these regulations done by the end of this year. I wanted to have them done sooner but there -- as I said, we need to do it right. So we need to work with the timelines with the Members. We also have to work with our Indigenous governments and community governments, leaseholders and stakeholders, and the public.

The other challenge is the department is following a new intergovernmental council protocol and legislative development and working collaboratively with Indigenous -- or Intergovernmental Council Secretariat members on the development of the regulations. Since 2021, there's been three other Indigenous governments that have participated in a public land regulatory technical work group -- working group, and it's been going well. It takes some time but it's going well. And we still have the commitment to have it done by the end of this fiscal year. Thank you. Or not this fiscal year, correction, the end of this year. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Frieda Martselos

Frieda Martselos Thebacha

Mr. Speaker, can the Minister tell us if the Lands department is planning to increase land lease rent costs on a regular basis? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Shane Thompson

Shane Thompson Nahendeh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, currently all lease agreements have a review clause for every five years to look at lease potential changes to address appraised land values. However, as I said previously in my other answer there, is this is all part of the regulations and the work that we're doing. We're trying to, as the Member said that I said, get it right this time, because it has been some challenges in the past. As the Member has heard me say was more than 72 times, it was 83 times, and she got it right. And I thank her for that. I applaud her. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Frieda Martselos

Frieda Martselos Thebacha

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I hope he gets it right with my next question.

Mr. Speaker, for fiscal year 2021-2022 the Department of Lands waived all land lease fees in the Northwest Territories. That was a welcomed relief for the people of the NWT. However, the pandemic was still ongoing throughout 2021. Can the Minister explain why the lands department did not extend the temporary relief in land lease fees for the fiscal year 2021-2022? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Shane Thompson

Shane Thompson Nahendeh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the department's pandemic response was in time with the GNWT's COVID-19 economic relief plan with commitments to provide relief measures designed to assist territorial residents, business owners, and operators as the territorial response to COVID-19. These measures for the department cost -- provided over $2.7 million in relief to our clients but was only designed to be the 2021 fiscal year with the impact of pandemic were the most sudden and impactful. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary, Member for Thebacha.

Frieda Martselos

Frieda Martselos Thebacha

Mr. Speaker, I know that sometimes Ministers must defend bad government decisions; however, this Minister spoke 83 times about land leases in the previous Assembly. Will the Minister live up to his own convictions and reduce the cost of minimum land lease rent costs for territorial land leaseholders? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Shane Thompson

Shane Thompson Nahendeh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate and share my colleague's passion for this subject. I am sticking to my convictions. We need to do it right. We need to look at this. So this is why I made it a priority when I became the Minister of Lands, it was one of the first things that we needed to address. Unfortunately, the timing that I wanted it done didn't meet with some of the challenges that we have faced in here. But as I said, we've made a commitment to have it done by the end of this year, if not sooner. We're working with the Indigenous governments. We're working with community governments. We're working with leaseholders. And the Member can be advised that one of the biggest things that we heard in our survey was about lease payments and how that was implemented. So we are looking at that and we are moving forward, and hopefully we'll have a solution that is acceptable by all residents. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Monfwi.

Jane Weyallon Armstrong

Jane Weyallon Armstrong Monfwi

Okay, thank you, Mr. Speaker. This is for the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs.

Mr. Speaker, today -- still today there are residents without clean drinking water in one of -- in one of the community. And their homes and personal property are being damaged and made unsafe from backup sewer pipes. An emergency under the Emergency Management Act means a current or imminent event that requires prompt coordination of action or special regulations of persons or property in order to protect the safety, health, or welfare of people or to limit or prevent damage to property or the environment.

Mr. Speaker, Behchoko which is -- I mean, in Edzo but it is part of Behchoko, is in a state of emergency. Will the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs declare a local state of emergency in Behchoko and to finally respond to the lack of clean water and crumbling infrastructure? Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Monfwi. Minister responsible for Municipal and Community Affairs.

Shane Thompson

Shane Thompson Nahendeh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it's not our responsibility to declare a local state of emergency. We're working with the municipality on this very issue. The Member has brought it up. We are working. We have staff, whether it's regional or headquarters, meeting with the SAOs and their staff there. So if the community wants to declare a state of a local emergency, we are more than willing to work with them and explain the process to them. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Jane Weyallon Armstrong

Jane Weyallon Armstrong Monfwi

Because he said no? Okay, Mr. Speaker, in other situations in Canada, including most recently in Iqaluit, the lack of clean water resulted in the declaration of a state of emergency. Can the Minister explain to residents in Behchoko why he does not consider the situation as an emergency? Thank you.

Shane Thompson

Shane Thompson Nahendeh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I think the Member, you know, when she talks about Iqaluit, that's in Nunavut. The city of Iqaluit declared a state of emergency. The community can declare a state of emergency. We're more than willing to work the community on addressing that. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Jane Weyallon Armstrong

Jane Weyallon Armstrong Monfwi

Thank you. Okay, Mr. Speaker, under the Emergency Management Act, a local authority may declare a state of emergency but the Minister can cancel such a declaration and must approve it before it can be renewed. If the community government declared is local state of emergency, would the Minister cancel or not approve the renewal of such declaration? Thank you.

Shane Thompson

Shane Thompson Nahendeh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, let's be very clear. Chief and council from Behchoko have not reached out to us to declare a state of an emergency. If they declare a state of emergency, we're more than willing to work with the Chief and council. And if they want to declare it, I'm more than willing to work with them. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary, Member for Monfwi.

Jane Weyallon Armstrong

Jane Weyallon Armstrong Monfwi

Mr. Speaker, thank you. Yes, at this time we are still dealing -- this is an emergency situation for many of my constituents. We are dealing with a situation where there's health is addressed of many of my residents. That's why I am addressing this. And he keeps saying this is not my responsibility. Well Behchoko, or any of the community government in Tlicho regions, that is the responsibility of MACA. That's why I am addressing it. I am addressing it and it's just more of a comment; he doesn't have to answer me back. Thank you.