Thank you. The motion is in order. To the motion? Member for Frame Lake.

Thanks, Madam Chair. Yes, I want to make sure that we have some very hardworking enforcement staff in place now, and I want to make sure that this is not perceived in any way as a criticism of the work that they do. What this is, is a reflection of findings from the environmental audit that took place in 2020 that wanted -- you know, that pointed out that we want to make sure that there's an adequate inspection, and I'm going to quote here, "ensuring adequate inspection capacity as well as timely and transparent inspections, reporting, and follow up." So in no way is this is a criticism of our hardworking enforcement staff. They have a very difficult job, sometimes, of trying to work with operators and so on. And I certainly appreciate their hard work. But we want to make sure that they have the resources to do the work that needs to get done and that the public is not placed at risk of any kind of assuming further liabilities.

And there was a case recently highlighted in the media in Norman Wells where some dust rail debris, I guess is probably the nicest way to call it, was accumulated on a private property and -- or at least leased property, and nothing was really done about it. And now the town kind of left with trying to clean up these leased lands within their boundaries because nothing was really done about this. So in any event, this is about making sure that there's adequate capacity, resources for the people that know how to do the job to actually get it done, and to do it well to prevent further public liability. So I just wanted to make that clear, Madam Chair. Thank you.

Thank you. To the motion?

Question has been called. All those in favour? All those opposed? All those abstaining? The motion is carried.

---Carried

Member for Nunakput.

Thank you, Madam Chair. The committee recommends that the Government of the Northwest Territories expand the Approach to Contaminated Sites guidance document to ensure policies and processes are in place to prevent future public and environmental liabilities, most significantly projects that result in perpetual care situations; and further, that the policy and guidance with respect to public disclosure are also required. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you. The motion is in order. To the motion. Member for Frame Lake.

Thanks, Madam Chair. I'm just going to speak to this quickly. This document, Approach to Contaminated Sites, I think is only about 12 or 13 pages. In the last Assembly, where it was actually a mandate item do some work on this, we were promised a policy binder. Never got it. And promised a policy binder again in this Assembly. Never got anything. Nothing's been done in terms of actual policy work by our government. No legislative change, no regulatory change, no policy work other than this 12/13-page document. We got to do better. And that's what this is aimed at, Madam Chair. And I think many of the recommendations here, just roll them up, put them into a policy, Mr. Minister, and we start to actually get a better approach to prevent public liabilities from contaminated sites. Thanks, Madam Chair.

Thank you. To the motion? Member for Yellowknife North.

Yes, thank you, Madam Chair. I just want to also emphasize that industry has long asked for a number of these policies too, because they find themselves in confusing situations. There's been a long-time ask for a brown field policy site. And I think also some direction needs to be given on when, you know, a mine's going to be allowed to leave infrastructure, if at all, on a site. I don't think those are best to kind of just be made one-off kind of ministerial decisions. But there should be some proper policy.

And similarly, there's a motion in here about, you know, relinquishment. We similarly don't have kind of a clear guidance on when we will finally, you know, take on a site and that mine and that company no longer has any obligations towards it. And there's a number of ways to look at that. But, you know, we've made a lot of improvements to our regulatory system. I think the land and water boards are operating better than they ever had. But they're not in the position to make those large government policy decisions on when the GNWT, at the end of the day, is going to, you know, take some sort of risk or take on a site and where exactly that line is. And, you know, we are going to, as committee, hopefully meet with the diamond mines and the ones that are going through their first closure. But we haven't done this before, and we certainly haven't done it as our government on the scale of the diamond mines are going through, and we need some certainty. The boards need some certainty; the companies need some certainty; and so do the taxpayers. So there is a lot of policy work that needs to be done. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you. To the motion.

Question has been called. All those in favour? All those opposed? All those abstaining? The motion is carried.

---Carried

Member for Nunakput.

Madam Chair, I move that the committee recommends that the Government of the Northwest Territories establish an internal capacity for an effective early warning system to prevent further public liabilities; and further, this approach will also require clear measures to prevent perpetual care situations, including mandatory financial security that is regularly reviewed and adjusted. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you. The motion is in order. To the motion.

Question has been called. All those in favour? All those opposed? All those abstaining? The motion is carried.

---Carried

Member for Nunakput.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I move that the committee recommends that the Government of the Northwest Territories ensure legislation has clear and appropriate timelines for remediation and reclamation of inactive or suspended well sites. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you. The motion is in order. To the motion.

Question has been called. Member for Yellowknife North.

Yeah, thank you. I just want to speak a little bit on behalf of the chair. You know, he's got some sumps in Nunakput that are approaching the end of their life, and they're sitting there, and those oil companies are just hanging on to them and they're not remediating them because they don't want to put the money in. And as long as they just hold on to them, the GNWT, it's not their asset, they can't really do much, so. I think we really ought to revisit that and not let those get to the point where they're literally falling into the ocean in some case. And right now we don't seem to have the tools to correct that situation. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you. To the motion?