Check against delivery

Check against delivery

Mr. Speaker, I would like to provide an update on the Ministerial mandate commitment to review the Government of the Northwest Territories’ Land Lease-Only Policy.  

Mr. Speaker, the Land Lease-Only Policy was initially established in 1987 to ensure ongoing Aboriginal rights agreement negotiations were not impacted through the sale of land.  

Check against delivery

Mr. Speaker, in May 2022 our government announced the merger of the departments of Lands and Environment and Natural Resources. 

Post-devolution, the merger is an important step to evolve the resource management, regulatory, and security responsibilities that are linked but currently split between the two departments.

Diavik Diamond Mine (March 21, 2023) – The Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) has been made aware of a “mine-impacted water” spill at the Diavik Diamond Mine, located 300km northeast of Yellowknife.

Diavik reported a spill of 450,000 cubic metres of water used in mining operations on March 16th, 2023. The spill was caused by breakage in a pipeline which transports mine-impacted water.

Check against delivery

Mr. Speaker, I would like to provide an update on the Department of Lands’ progress related to enhancing transparency and client experience for residents of the Northwest Territories.

Mr. Speaker, the Department of Lands is an active member in the Government of the Northwest Territories Open Data Initiative, which aims to increase government transparency and accountability by proactively making data available to the public, while respecting our privacy, security, and legal obligations.

Shane Thompson, Minister of Lands and Minister of Environment and Natural Resources announced today that effective April 1, 2023, the two departments will be amalgamated to form a single department.

This amalgamation is the next step in the evolution of the land and resource management functions and structures that were set up as a part of the 2014 Devolution Agreement. 

The Department of Lands (the Department) has released a What We Heard Report following the first round of engagement on the development of the Public Land Act (PLA) regulations. The report provides a summary of feedback from the public and stakeholders and early ongoing engagement with Intergovernmental Council Secretariat members, Indigenous and community governments, and stakeholders.

The Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) is committed to managing public land responsibly and recognizes that unauthorized occupancy – or “squatting” - is a long-standing land management issue across the NWT.  Today, Minister Shane Thompson announced the Department of Lands’ new approach to addressing unauthorized occupants and outlined steps the Department is taking to address untenured structures.

Check against delivery

Mr. Speaker, last fall I spoke to you about how enforcing the rules on how public land is used is a critical part of making sure that land and resources in the Northwest Territories are well-managed.

Check against delivery 

Mr. Speaker, the Public Land Act  received assent on August 21, 2019, at the end of the 18th Legislative Assembly. The new Public Land Act consolidates the existing Northwest Territories Lands Act and the Commissioner’s Land Act into one cohesive land management regime. To bring the Act into force, new regulations must be developed.