The rules of acquisition
Enterprise begins process to obtain 533 hectares of Commissioner's land
Paul Bickford
Northern News Services
Monday, May 4, 2015
ENTERPRISE
After years of talk, the Hamlet of Enterprise has taken the initial legislative steps for its first acquisition of Commissioner's land in the community from the GNWT.
At its April 13 meeting, hamlet council approved the first and second readings of eight bylaws which will see 533 hectares of land acquired by the community government.
Mayor John Leskiw II said it is hoped the third reading of the bylaws will take place on May 4.
After that, Leskiw said the hamlet will have the land surveyed and registered as Hamlet of Enterprise property.
"Then it is official," he said. "There's nothing anybody can do to take that away from us."
Leskiw is hopeful all the steps can be accomplished by this coming summer, particularly the surveying.
"We're in a rush because I know we have had some people inquiring on the availability of land, whether it's for commercial, industrial or even residential," he said. "It's really high on our list, but it really depends on the availability of surveyors."
The mayor explained the process will lead to Enterprise becoming a tax-based community with the new property it will be acquiring.
The pieces of land that are being acquired are of various sizes and in various locations within the corporate limits of the hamlet.
The largest parcel of land is 326 hectares north of the community along Highway 1, while the smallest is 13 hectares in the area of Escarpment Lake. Right now the land is virtually empty.
Leskiw said once the acreage is obtained by the hamlet, it would become available to people for business and residential development.
The land includes the area being considered for a proposed wood pellet plant.
Before becoming a hamlet, Enterprise was a settlement until 2007. Under that previous political status as a settlement, it could not own land.
