Merci, Monsieur le President. For people who want to pursue the rural lifestyle or just want a cabin out of town for weekends and holidays, there's the hope of obtaining a recreational land lease. You pay your $250 application fee and then the wait begins.
These leases are administered by the Department of Lands which considers and disposes of applications under its 2017 Recreational Leasing Management Framework. The result of stakeholder engagement, the framework lays out the GNWT's approach to planning and issuing leases for cabins and recreational uses. It was intended to result in a consistent approach to various land uses across both Commissioner's and formerly federal lands.
Two major goals of the framework are to:
- Provide the public with readily available and clear information on leasing, processes, rules, enforcement practices, and procedures for cabins and recreational uses; and
- To create a more effective process for cabin leases to discourage unauthorized occupancy.
So how does it work when a $250 application hits the lands department?
Based upon enquiries I made on a constituent's application filed in February 2021, there are no service standards for this department. Someone files an application for a lease and then never hears anything back. That's not the kind of service our residents deserve.
My constituent hadn't heard anything back after six months. I understand that the department may be in the process of developing something and I will ask the Minister about that later today.
The other issue is whether we should even be accepting land lease applications for areas still under negotiation. Then there is the lack of any Indigenous land rights agreements during the lifetime of this Assembly. I will have questions for the Minister of Lands on improving our services to our residents. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.