Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Mr. Mills and Madam Lemay, I commend you on the work you have done, the leadership you have provided to the NCC in improving transparency and accountability. I think it is important. I'm sure it functioned well before, but still, I think the openness gives the public confidence in what you do. So I congratulate you on that.
One of the issues that has been brought forward to this committee by other witnesses is the greenbelt, and it's an important issue. As far as the planning of that, it's great that you're dealing with the municipalities on the greenbelt, but there is planning that can be done. If you're on the Trans-Canada Highway and you drive by Banff, unless you really look, you won't see it because there is a treed buffer that separates some of the commercial areas from the natural areas. There are these kinds of things to plan around. The road system, I think, just improves the quality of the park and gives those people wanting to see the corridors for wildlife and more of a natural setting.... It just improves that.
So I'm just wondering, first, if you see that for your greenbelt plan, and secondly.... I'm from British Columbia. We have what we call our “agricultural land reserve”, ALR. The municipality cannot subdivide or do any development on agricultural land unless it has approval from the Agricultural Land Commission. Do you have that kind of authority with the municipality so that if they wanted to build a shopping mall on the greenbelt, for instance, you could say, not necessarily no, but this is what they have to do, they have to comply by putting that shroud of trees, or whatever it is, for the sightscapes of the park?