Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So I have questions for the Minister of Environment and Climate Change on a different subject, on the topic of waste management and particularly the extended producer responsibility program. So that means trying to get producers of things like tires and electronics to take responsibility for those things when they go kaput, when they become waste, instead of dumping that responsibility and cost on our community government landfills.
So when I last asked the Minister about this exactly two years ago, we were told regulation updates would be complete in 2026. So can the Minister tell us what is the status of the work to update regulations that would bring the new Waste Reduction and Resource Recovery Act into force? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from Yellowknife North. Minister of Environment and Climate Change.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, back in 2026, when I committed to that work, you know, since then we've refocused our priorities from the Legislative Assembly, and so we continue to work on this from a policy perspective. The work is not yet complete, and we are -- it likely won't be complete until the next Assembly. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So that is disappointing to hear. I wonder if the Minister can update us on anything the department has learned from the past several years of ongoing research into, for example, what mechanisms for extended producer responsibility could be feasible or enforceable in the NWT. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Certainly. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we've really looked at the Yukon experience. That's where the focus of the work has been, a jurisdiction very much like ours. And part of the experience that they've had in the Yukon is because of the economy of scale in small territories, it's really hard to implement a program that is specific to one territory. So a big part of what we've learned there is that, you know, we need to probably partner up with a southern jurisdiction to ensure that we have that economy of scale to be able to better deliver that type of a program. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Environment and Climate Change. Final supplementary. Member from Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So given that community governments are currently managing waste and landfills in our communities, does the Minister yet have any clear idea what would be the role or expectations of community governments in the rollout of extended producer responsibility? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I think as we work on developing this program and what it potentially looks like, part of that framework of the final delivery of the program would include the role of different community governments and what that would look like in the way of collecting or delivering the program. I don't have that specific level of detail here with me today, but I am happy to get it for the Member. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
