Jay Macdonald

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I will speak briefly, and then I will pass it to the deputy minister. But Our Land for the Future funding will provide an opportunity to hire more community-based monitoring. That's part of the overall work plan. So that's, I think, a positive going forward. But I will pass to the deputy minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Yeah, so the program is designed to support people that have some level of income from that activity. So whether it's from -- you know, trapping I will use as an example. A certain percentage of their income would need to come from that to be eligible for the program. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I will pass to the deputy minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I think, you know, as the demand for processing the land transfers increases, we're certainly recognizing that and adding the additional resources. The one part of setting a specific timeline in this regard is that we don't control the whole process. There are a number of steps along the way that are controlled by others, so we can emphasize the areas that we have control on but it may not necessarily allow us to meet a specific timeline that could be set in the future because there are pieces in between that we don't have control of. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there are a number of files and different parcels of lands, whether it be in the city of Yellowknife or other communities within the Northwest Territories, that are currently at various stages within the process. Part of this process is ensuring that we are working closely with those municipalities as we have recently last year signed a new memorandum of understanding with the City of Yellowknife, and we are also working very closely with all of the parties involved to ensure that the process and we do proper consultation and move these forward in a timely...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, the Wek'eezhii Renewable Resources Board approved an extension of current management actions of the Bathurst until July of 2027. And based on that request came from ECC and the Tlicho government, the extension allows for community engagement prior to the development of the new joint management proposal. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. The community wildfire protection plans are an activity that's undertaken with all of the forested communities over the winter, so that would involve 28 communities each year. And the community wildfire protection plans, we have staff that goes to the community. We'll meet with all of the affected groups within that community, bring forward -- they'll bring forward their plan. ECC will provide support and advice on plan -- on the plan and work with them to identify required resources for the communities to successfully implement those community wildfire protection plans...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, the remedial option analysis will form the technical foundation for negotiations with Canada on the actual remediation responsibilities and what that potential future funding could look for, as well as inform the regulatory process. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. To the best of my knowledge, the parcel that the Member is referring to is currently in consultation. And to the second part of the question, the resources that we've added are there to support land administration across the territory. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, certainly land tenure in the Northwest Territories has been top of mind for myself and my department as we work together with our Indigenous partners, Indigenous governments, and Indigenous organizations, and the many boards that oversee land tenure in the Northwest Territories. This conversation is very much a collaborative effort, and we are looking for ways to advance and streamline the process to ensure that where possible, we can align items to ensure that we are moving as quick as we possibly can. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.