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3TuesdayJune112013NorthWordsWritersFestival8thAnnualGenerationNorthFollowusforupdatesThankyouTheNorthWordsWritersFestivalwouldliketothankourFortSmithvolunteersandsponsorsforafabulousone-dayNorthWordsWritersFestivalinFortSmithPatti-KayHamiltonJeriMiltenbergerLisaMeckAlexHookNorthwesternAirLeaseAuroraCollegeThebachaCampusMaryKaeserLibraryPWKaeserHighSchoolWecouldnthavedoneitwithoutyouKatlodeecheworkstoimprovehousingsituationChiefhopeslanddesignationwilldealwithovercrowdinglackofavailablehousingonHayRiverReserveByMEAGANWOHLBERGOvercrowdinglackofhousingandnofundingavail-abletoxit.ThatswhatKatlodeecheFirstNationKFNChiefRoyFabiansaidispushingtheFirstNationtotakeactiononitsowntomakelotsavail-ableforleasingonitsreserveoutsideofHayRiver.Theproblemwerehav-inghereisbecausewereonareserveindividualscannotgetaccesstohous-ingbecausethelandisre-servelandandbanksandprogramswontfundanyloansforhousesoranythinglikethatunlessyoudoalanddesignationFabiantoldTheJournal.Sowhatweredoingisdesignatinglandsopeoplecangetthelotsassignedtothemandiftheyhaveades-ignatedlottheycanapplyforhousingorgetloansorwhat-ever...Wevegotabunchofresidentiallandsandindus-triallandsstufflikethatdesignated.June11attheChiefLamaliceComplexat700p.m.andareferendumontheproposalwillbeheldonTreatyDayJune25whereallmembers-onandoff-reserve-willvoteontheproposition.Fabiansaidhehopespeo-plesupportthemovewhichhesaidisneededtoaddressCorp.allofthemremainemptyduetoanissueoflandtenure.Becausethelandwasntdesignatednobodycangetthosehouses.Theyvejustbeensittingemptysomeofthemuptoeightyearssomeofthemmaybethreeorfouryears.Soeventhoughthosehousesarebrandnewtheyresittinghereandnobodycanac-cessthembecauseNWTHousingCorporationwantspeopletobeabletobor-rowmoneytoaccessthosehouseshesaid.Hesaidpeoplearemov-ingoffreservebecausetheywanttobeabletobuildorbuyhomesandcantwaitthatlongforlandstobemadeavailable.Thereisashortageofhousing.Mosthomesareovercrowded...Andbecausenosocialhousingisavailableitbecomesanissue.HousingCorp.MinisterRobertC.McLeodsaidthoseemptyunitsshouldbecomeavailabletothosethatqual-ifyoncethelanddesignationissueissettled.Thebiggestissueislandtenurehesaid.Wevetriedtomakethoseavail-abletothemembershipofKatlodeechebutmyun-derstandingisthattheyneededabandcouncilresolutiontoenterintosomekindofleasewiththeirmembershipandoncethathappensthenwereabletoallocatethosehousestoeligibleclients...Wevebeenworkingwiththemforquiteawhiletotrytogettheseunitsoccupied.WhilenosocialhousingiscurrentlyavailableonthereserveMcLeodsaidthatwontnecessarilybethecaseforever.ButhesaidtheissueofthesixemptyunitsneedstobeaddressedbeforetheHousingCorp.consid-ersbuildinganyadditionalinfrastructure.Thelanddesignationisourbiggestconcern.With-outproperlandtobuildonwereallycantputanythingupsothatsoneoftherea-sonsMcLeodsaid.Andwelllookattheneedforittoo.Weregoingtohavetondsomethingtodowiththesesixhouses.Insomeoftheothercommunitiesifwecouldntndeligibleclientsweveconvertedsomeofthemintopublichousingunits.FabiansaidtheFirstNa-tionhastriedtoraisetheissuewiththeCanadianMortgageandHousingCorp.CMHCbutwastoldthefederalagencydoesnotprovidefundsforhousingforFirstNationsreservesintheNWT.Federalfundsforhousingareowedthroughtheter-ritorialgovernmentbuttheGNWTdoesntprovideon-reservehousing.Theydontwanttomakeanyspecialarrange-mentsforusFabiansaid.ThefederalgovernmentiswashingtheirhandsofitandtheGNWTisnotwillingtodealwithitsowevegottogothroughthislandsdesignation.Thechiefsaidhedoesntknowhowlongitwilltaketogetthelandsnallydes-ignatedthroughAboriginalAffairsandNorthernDevel-opment.Inthepastithastakenupto18months.Chiefandcouncilarepro-posingapproximately175acresoflandbemadeavail-ableforleasingpurposes.Aninformationalmeetingontheproposalissettotakeplacetheseriouslackofhousingthatispushingpeopleoffthereserve.Whilesixhome-ownershipunitshavebeenbuiltonthereservebyNWTHousingIndividualscannotgetaccesstohousingbecausethelandisreservelandandbanksandprogramswontfundanyloansforhousesoranythinglikethatunlessyoudoalanddesignation.ChiefRoyFabianManyMLAscriticalofdealdespiteyesvoteContinuedfrompage1.SomemonthsagoIwashighlycriticalofthepathtakenbythegovernmentfollowingthesigningoftheconsensusagreement.Ididnotandstilldonotbelievethatnon-Aborig-inalresidentshadadequateop-portunitytoprovideinputintothenalDevolutionAgreementandtheimpendingimplementa-tionFrameLakeMLAWendyBisarosaidWednesday.Thoughshesaiddevolutionwastherightwaytogosheexpressedalistofconcernsmostnotablywithregardtomirrorlegislationandtheregu-latorysystembeinginheritedbytheterritorialgovernmentwhichwontseetheGNWTgaincontroloftheMackenzieValleyResourceManagementActuntilatleastveyearstime.Oneoftheexcitingpos-sibilitiesfortheNWTaswecontemplateddevolutionwashavingcontroloverourregu-latoryprocesses.ItwasgoingtobesomethingthatwecouldbefarbetteratandstimulateourdevelopmentintheNorthbutthatsnolongerpossibleatleastforthenextveyears.Thenegotiatedarrangementwillberevisitedinveyearstimebuttheresnoguaranteeeventhenthatwewillbeabletotakeovertheregulatoryauthorityshesaid.Wearestillgoingtohavetoputupwiththefederalgovern-mentmakingappointmentstoourownNWTboardssome-thingwhichIconsideranin-sult.Wewillhavecontroloverthelandsbutnottheregulatoryprocess.Ithardlyseemslikethesimplicationoftheprocessthattheminingandotherdevelop-mentcompaniesarelookingforandIwouldlovetobeprovedwrongMr.Speakerbutonlytimewilltell.MostmembersapplaudedPremierBobMcLeodandthewholedevolutionteam-givenaPremiersAwardonthesameday-fortheirhardworkonthele.McLeodremarkedontheoccasionbeingahistoricday.Wehaveachancetomakehistoryhere.Forallmylifecrit-icaldecisionsaboutwhathap-pensinthisterritoryhavebeenmadebythefederalgovernment.WhenIwasborninFortProvi-dencetheTerritorialCounciltheforerunnertothisLegisla-tiveAssemblywasstillbasedinOttawaandincludedveappointedmembersandonlythreeelectedrepresentatives.Timeshavechangedhesaid.OurtimehascometheNorthstimehascome.Wehavebeenworkingonthisdealformanyyearsanditistimeforustonallyenjoytheresultsofthatwork.CanadaandparticipatingAb-originalgovernmentsstillhavetoundertaketheirownprocessestoapprovetheagreement.Adateforthenalsign-inghasnotbeenset.PoliticsFirstNationsPoliticsDevolutionIdidnotandstilldonotbelievethatnon-Aboriginalresidentshadadequateopportu-nitytoprovideinputintothenalDevolu-tionAgreement.FrameLakeMLAWendyBisaro