Jay Macdonald

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the department is committed to continuing discussions with the land and water board and the Tlicho government and the other interested parties on this type of water use and its interpretation. Making the changes at this time -- sorry. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the GNWT is open to and has proposed amendments to the Waters Act for several years. The process the GNWT proposed included incorporating the interests and input of all parties into the Waters Act and then to have a focused review of the waters regulations. Other legislative priorities of the GNWT and Indigenous governments have advanced ahead of this work. The department is aware of the Mackenzie Valley Land and Water Board has initiated a review process to receive input regarding the interpretation of water use for ice bridge constructions under the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following two documents: The Natural Resources Conservation Trust Fund Financial Statements for the Year ended March 31st, 2022; and, Inuvialuit Water Board 20222023 Annual Report and Financial Statements. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as of August 28th, 2023, the department committed to not sending any arrears for Indigenous leaseholders that qualify to collections. And they would also go so far as to suspend any of the collection actions that were previously started against Indigenous leaseholders from that while we work on a collaborative process to address the concerns regarding the traditional lease. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the department is looking to work collaboratively with the Indigenous governments across the Northwest Territories to develop a new approach to administration and management for camps and cabins on public lands that support traditional use. We are hoping to talk about the administration and management of these structures in a more broad way than has been done in the past. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Member for the question. As the manager of public lands, the GNWT is required legally required to charge rents and fees for use of public lands. However, as I mentioned previously in this House, the GNWT would like to collaborate with the Indigenous governments and find a way to change the administration and management processes on traditional lands and cabins on public lands. But until that work is complete, Mr. Speaker, the Government of the Northwest Territories will have to continue to charge fees on those cabins as is outlined in our...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I can assure this House that the wildfire that went on to impact the community of Enterprise was initially attacked on the first day it was detected on August 2nd and was actioned consistently prior to the tragic event of August 13th. The fire crews actioned the fire was actioned by crews and aircraft that were allowed but the extreme fire conditions and extreme fire behaviour made fighting the fire very challenging.

The incident commander had daily contact with the regional emergency management organization. On August 13th, ECC officials contacted MACA...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the budget for the fire suppression program is a predetermined budget that is very much based on our contractual obligations. So typically, it is the practice of the department when we start our season earlier that there's a potential that we may have we may end the season earlier, but that is all really dependent on the level of activity and the amount of fires and resources that are required. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Yes, the plan is to start our aviation contracts earlier in the year. Most of the contracts that we have for fixed wing aviation are longterm, multiyear contracts. And there's a provision within the contract through notification from the department to allow those contracts to start sooner. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, fire towers have been used as one of the series of tools used by ECC to detect wildfires, including smoke patrols, lightening detection, networks, weather stations, satellite base and public reporting. The industry standard for fire towers is moving away from having people work in isolation for safety reasons. However, fire towers are being used to house communications, equipment, and detection cameras. ECC is investing in remote camera networking to provide 360degree coverage and operate 24 hours a day providing a proven and effective way to monitor new...