EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
As a preamble: the information that goes to the community from the government departments costs a lot of money. If you want to advertise in the newspaper, for example, they advertise news releases, they advertise in the Nunatsiaq News.
A long time ago I put an advertisement sending out Season’s Greeting. Sometimes the government uses a whole page.
And the people find it very hard to read those advertisements.
The volunteers who go to the local radio station usually bring their own music and we know that by going to www.qiniq.com we can download free music.
Would this department be able to consider getting computers for the local radio stations?
The computers are not that expensive; we would probably spend $26,000 to buy computers for each of the communities and they can download their own free music.
I would like to have this considered the next time we are discussing Capital Estimates and the Appropriations Act.
The next one I wrote, the communities wrote a letter to Community and Government Services and other organizations about the elders and the youth and suicide prevention. They wanted to utilize the old nursing station in Pond Inlet and I would like to thank the Minister of Community and Government Services for responding to the hamlet.
We were told that facility was surplused or the Department of Health responded saying that building was surplused and they were going to have discussions with the hamlet.
I would also like this to be considered by the Department of Culture, Language, Elders and Youth as of course it is going to cost money. If we give that responsibility of elders, youth and suicide prevention and it could be very well coordinated. I would like this to be considered by the Department of CLEY.
We already have a facility and we’ll have to plan properly and set it up so that the operations don’t cost too much.
I would like to welcome you because this department is very interesting and I am very glad that you’re making an appearance in front of the committee.
We don’t know if these monies are going to be enough, but we will find that out in the future.
One thing I want to touch on is in regard to the Capital Estimates and that this would be a stepping stone for getting some of the programs going.
This department should be collecting history so that it can be used in the future. The Member for Kugluktuk had a concern about the unique lifestyle and culture over there.
I think that there are four communities or more that have distinct cultures.
There are the inland people and the coastal people and there are people from the west and people from the east.
They have different styles of living on the land, different dialects and different clothing and so on.
So I think that we should all agree to work together for the common good. We know that there is a merging of cultures in Nunavut, so your department will probably have to make a concrete decision on this.
The reason why I brought this up is that when we’re going to be collecting that data and showing the differences in the regions and communities, there will be entities established to deal with those issues. And of course, we won’t be able to cover every distinction as this entity will have to operate financially.
It is going to be very expensive - there are transportation costs from different regions to different points.
We will also have to realize that this entity that I’m referring to will have to make sure that every different culture and language is represented fairly.
I wanted to make those comments. I think that we’re just starting the planning to date.
We have to have a longer plan.
I wanted to make those comments, but I would like to welcome you for making an appearance and it’s going to be an ongoing decision in the future.
We’re dealing with the capital estimates.
I will ring the bell as we don’t have a quorum.
We are dealing with the capital estimates. (interpretation ends) I have no more members on my list for general comments.
We’ll now proceed to the page-by-page review of the capital estimates starting with page F-6.
So I’ll probably be the main person to speak to this issue.
I do want to ask the Minister of Culture, Language, Elders and Youth.
A few days ago our Mayor of Arviat said that the youth centre would go ahead and that it would be constructed.
They had been told that the youth centres would go ahead, and I don’t see any funding geared towards the Keewatin region in Arviat, for the design or for the feasibility study.
It’s in here for 2007-08 line item. That $987,000 would be included in there.
I did not quite understand how much money did he talk about, and where’s the figure? How much is that figure?
He stated the figure which is different from what I see in my documents.
We’re on F-6.
Hon. Louis Tapardjuk (interpretation): Yes, it states on the Museums, Heritage Centres, and Elders, 2007-08, $987,000; it’s all for Nunavut so that they could apply for funding. They would get funding from the $987,000 for youth and elders’ centres and for museums.
Chairman (interpretation): Thank you, Minister. Mr. Alagalak.
If you could identify what kind of buildings…it seems like this amount of money is insufficient. Is this for the design or the planning stage of these centres because it goes to various communities? This $987,000 is for the whole of Nunavut; how much money would be allotted to Arviat for the planning of the design?
Hon. Louis Tapardjuk (interpretation): Yes, for Arviat, elders’ and youth centres design and planning stage would be $71,000 and that’s what we have allotted for the planning stage for this fiscal year.
The ones we had identified is for the next fiscal year, starting on April 1.
Chairman (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Minister. Mr. Alagalak.
This is for the planning stage of the construction and I know that the construction won’t go ahead. What’s your target date for the completion of these centres?
Hon. Louis Tapardjuk (interpretation): Yes, the communities apply for funding from this line item. Our policy states that for one project that they can go up to $200,000, especially to renovate the old units. We are not talking about new construction of units, that’s the responsibility of Community and Government Services.
The amount of funding on this line item…the communities have to make their applications. According to our policy the maximum we can contribute is $200,000 under this line item.
The communities would have to apply for funding from this line item. That’s how it’s set up.
Yes, he clearly understands that the units that need renovations sometimes disappear because they’re so old, but we never really have anything for those renovations.
I’m very pleased that they will be dealt with by the government, so therefore I have no further questions.
I wanted to ask this question, which my colleague had already asked, but I keep talking about the swimming pool that we need.
I remember correctly back in the 1980s when it was still Northwest Territories; there was a swimming pool in Repulse Bay and then they had to relocate the swimming pool. This was during the Northwest Territories days.
It has been a long time since they’ve been promising to allocate a swimming pool to our community. Every time there was funding for our swimming pool, it would be reallocated to a different program, and we’ve never seen that swimming pool materialize since the 1980s.
Ever since Nunavut was created, we still haven’t seen any of those plans, but as you stated that you would have, you have this funding to renovate old units and your policy states that they can go up to $200,000 per request.
My question is: if a project costs over $200,000 and if this unit that we’re renovating was incomplete, would we be able to apply for additional funding from this line item the next year?
This $616,000 would be used for, like for example, what you just said: a swimming pool or arenas. The recreational arenas, recreational facilities project, we have the same policy whereby you can apply up to $200,000.
Each application would be reviewed if it’s going to cost over $200,000, if you identify ahead of time that your project would go over $200,000, but we do have the policy where it is capped up to $200,000.
If the project was incomplete in 2006-07 and on the next fiscal year for 2007-08, if you’d like to complete the renovation, I think you’re asking if you can reapply for funding the next year because the funding you received was insufficient to complete the renovation of your unit.
So I think that was your question so perhaps I will have my officials reply. If there was a case like that, I would like our director to respond to that question.
Mr. Kolot.
Under the Recreational Facilities Projects a community can apply in one fiscal year and the maximum is $200,000, and should that project require funds in future years, you would have to apply for that in the future years.
Mr. Mapsalak (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I was going to ask a question again, but you already responded to that question, so I’ll leave it at that.
Partly to my general comments, although I seem to understand that when we, for suicide prevention groups and elders and youth centers, by using this $200,000, would we be able to renovate the request of Pond Inlet?
Hon. Louis Tapardjuk (interpretation): Yes, for capital estimates, elders and youth facilities, this funding line item for capital could be used if the elders and youth projects follow the criteria, and we can review them.
Chairman (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Minister Tapardjuk.
If the government, it’s evident that we have an old two-story nursing centre and I’m sure it would cost $5 million, but if it’s renovated by community it would probably cost along the line of $200,000.
Thank you, for giving me the information.
Also, perhaps I should elaborate further.
The local radio stations in the communities where we release our information, they are using Inuit language; they use Inuktitut. That’s the only place they teach Inuktitut.
That’s where they read the information. They talk about religious and spiritual groups. And, they provide hunting information, and they provide all the current news.
That’s how the local radio station is used.
Also, the Government of Nunavut uses that where they announce the information. They try to use $6,000 per year.
It doesn’t sound very good to use the word bucks as a member of the legislature. It’s even funny. It’s such a small amount; perhaps if you can provide some assistance by providing computers, and other capital items.
I think a computer these days’ costs about $1,000. I’m not talking about highly sophisticated ones. I’m talking about a regular computer that is useful for Inuit.
It seems like the funding is not planned quite for what Inuit would use.
I was wondering if there was any funding in the line item on Page F-6 that could be used for that.
On that page, under Community Heritage, there is some funding available that the radio stations can use.
If they need to have renovations done to that radio station, they can apply for funding.
And on top of that, it’s not here, but I think we have about $15,000 allotted for their operations and maintenance.
Mr. Arvaluk (interpretation): Yes, I know that, but I’m talking about capital money.
Say, for instance, when the ministers are here in Iqaluit, do they sort of imagine what their community is like?
The radio station is being used for everything. If the Power Corporation or the schools are going to close down, or something is going to happen in the community, even if the CBC is on, if there is an emergency, then the local radio station is used constantly.
I would like to thank the minister that there is, under Community Heritage, Elders’ and Youth Centers, the radio stations can request funding.
Is that up to $200,000 as well?
There is funding that could be requested by the community.
You can request funding up to $200,000.
Chairman: Thank you, Mr. Minister. Mr. Arvaluk.
Lastly, under the same page, I think I understand what the minister says on the funding that you can request has a different amounts such as community, heritage and youth centres and recreational facility projects.
I understand that anybody can request for some funding under the recreational facilities as well as community, heritage, elders and youth centres.
Under which line item would it be?
Hon. Louis Tapardjuk (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Chairman. What we have done is we have in our policy we have the money available for communications and for local community radio stations whether it be community, heritage, elders and youth centres but not from the recreational facilities. Yes, there is funding available for community, heritage, elders and youth centres.
Chairman (interpretation): Thank you, Minister. Mr. Arvaluk.
Mr. Arvaluk (interpretation): There are a lot of people out there who do volunteer work while the same people the majority of the time they request funding from your department and sometimes they don’t have a form available to them.
Would it be possible to have some forms - two different forms for requesting funding for these two line items.
Yes, I can’t remember when but I think it was yesterday I made a Ministers’ Statement and said that there is a 1-800 number that you can phone to get blank forms because they have to use those forms to request some funding.
I know that the Members of the Legislative Assembly, ordinary Members all have computers and they can access the forms from the computer and they can also phone a 1-800 number. All those things are available.
It doesn’t matter which language you submit your application: Inuktitut, English and in French and Inuinnaqtun.
They are all available. You can use any language you want to fill out the forms when you are requesting funding.
Chairman (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Minister. Mr. Arvaluk.
Mr. Arvaluk (interpretation): Last one, Mr. Chairman.
We wanted to have a Nunavut Government that understands the people out there and we wanted to have an Inuit organization that can work with the Government of Nunavut.
I don’t know where we are losing it, but it seems like Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated and Nunavut Government are working separately.
I think they were supposed to work together to do all those things to help the Inuit people.
I just wondered if Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated is going to have funding available or whether Culture, Language, Elders and Youth has worked with Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated for the youth, elders’ centres and recreational facilities and healthy communities; to work on those things together.
They were going to have a contribution agreement. Have you had a talk with Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated on those?
Hon. Louis Tapardjuk (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Chairman. We haven’t had any discussion with Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated yet on whether they can put in some money too that the people can request.
I could say that we have worked with Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated in regard to the Heritage Centre, and we also talked with them with the planning of the Heritage Centre and the Cultural School, but we haven’t seen any money coming out of Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated although we talked with each other about the Heritage Centre, and others.
Mr. Arvaluk (interpretation): I won’t be asking any more questions but I have a comment.
Culture, Language, Elders and Youth and Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated should be working together. Culture, Language, Elders and Youth’s department is one of the bigger departments and more valuable to the people in the communities.
We’re not really concerned about the people that can access other funding but we have to help the young people and the elders, more so than others.
I think they should be informed that under the Land Claims Agreement that they should be helping out the people of the communities, not just the employees of Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated, or the Board Members of Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated.
I think the public has to be given information that there is some funding that is available because they should be included because they signed the Land Claims Agreement as well.
We are under F-6. (interpretation ends) Culture, Language, Elders and Youth.
Directorate. Grants and Contributions.
Total Headquarters Region. $1,655,000.
Chairman: Total Grants and Contributions. $1,655,000.
Chairman (interpretation): Total Headquarters Region.
A question about the Nunavut Heritage Centre, there’s $1.5 million budgeted for CLEY, but can you give us an overall idea of what you expect the final cost to be for that heritage project, when it’s finally up and operational?
Yes according to the last survey done the building would cost $55 million to build, but for the operations and maintenance of that building when it’s in use it would cost about $5 million altogether for the operations and the maintenance. That would be in the area of $60 million.
So in view of what we’ve been hearing in the last few days about escalating capital costs for all projects it’s quite conceivable that that $55 million price tag could easily be $75 or $80 million before it’s constructed.
Correct me if I’m wrong: we have $10 million from the Northern Strategy Fund. Is that correct?
Hon. Louis Tapardjuk (interpretation): Yes, that would be approximately that much.
About $10 million is coming from that Northern Strategy Fund. The $10 million is allotted for that.
So, is the minister able to tell us today where he anticipates getting the additional funds necessary? We could be talking $50 to $60 million over the next four to five years if the facility is constructed.
Do you have a third party source of funding that you’re taking a look at?
We have people who work on that, and we have asked them to lobby other non-government affiliated groups.
Also, we have ongoing communication with the federal government, and since the new government, it has been delayed a bit, but we are kept up to date with the Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated President to see in the near future, because under Article 33, we should have a heritage centre.
We’re looking everywhere; businesses, government, the federal government, we have looked at all of those.
Chairman: Thank you, Mr. Minister. Mr. Peterson.
I appreciate what the minister is saying. There are some real requirements here for such a facility, but I have to express my concern that in the budget tightening process that the Minister of Finance told us about last week and with the deficit situation that we’re going to be facing in the years to come, it’s going to be difficult.
We’ve heard from so many other departments already, particularly the Department of Community and Government Services yesterday, there is a desperate need for community halls, and hamlet offices, and municipal structures and facilities in the communities. There’s just not enough money.
I’m a little concerned going forward that this project would take money away from those other vital facilities that each of our hamlets require.
So I was interested in knowing if you had another source of funding; the federal government, or I guess private foundations, any of those sorts of organizations.
Another question related to this particular budget item, it ties in with the question I had with health facilities. Is there going to be a requirement for any additional housing in the City of Iqaluit to support the employees that will be required to work at this Nunavut Heritage Centre when it opens?
I will let David Kolot respond to that.
As part of the capital planning process, all government departments were required to identify incremental costs that would be related to operations and maintenance and to housing. On our capital substantiation sheet for the territorial Heritage Center with the amount of PYs identified we have an allocation for incremental housing of $7 million in the first year of construction and then $520,000 in the following years.
This was to ensure that all departments were adequately representing the housing requirements based on the construction of these facilities. Thank you.
Mr. Peterson: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I thank the minister, and Mr. Kolot, for that information.
Can you clarify how many housing units that $7 million and that $520,000 would represent?
Hon. Louis Tapardjuk (interpretation): I’ll let David Kolot respond to that.
We have identified 26 PYs or positions with the Heritage Center and the housing allocation per position is $270,000.
Mr. Peterson: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I thank Mr. Kolot for that information.
So are you saying there’s 26 houses, housing units required, is that what your $270,000 per position represents?
Mr. Kolot: The information presented, you’re correct, 26 houses for the 26 staff, that’s the maximum that we would expect to incur as a government.
I thank Mr. Kolot, and the minister. One of the reasons I was concerned about this is, you know, we went through a similar exercise, not myself, but the Government of Nunavut at the time with these regional health facilities.
In Cambridge Bay, as I’m sure the minister’s aware, he’s heard my questions to the Minister of Housing, and the Minister of Health in the last few days, the Government of Nunavut planned a $20 million facility and it’s now constructed, and they knew it was five or six years ago, that they required 20 to 25 housing units.
As of today they’re 20 to 25 housing units short.
The facility is not fully operational, maybe 50 percent capacity. And the Minister responsible for the Housing Corporation doesn’t seem to be able to provide me with any confidence or any of my constituents, or even the government any confidence that the housing units will be available in the near term, or even the long-term to support that facility.
So if we’re going to open up a $55 million, or even an $80 million facility, will we have the 20 to 25 housing units available?
That might be a question I will have to ask the Minister for the Housing Corporation or maybe Mr. Cheree since he’s in the House today, he can perhaps respond to this and tell us if the Nunavut Housing Corporation is currently in the planning process for 26 houses for this facility.
I’ll let my deputy respond.
Mr. Akeeagok (interpretation): Thank you. (interpretation ends) This is something that we just included in the capital substantiation sheet that we do have to identify housing if we need it, if we’re building a new centre in any of the places, we now have to identify whether we need the housing or not.
That’s one of the things we’re working on cooperatively through our capital planning books that we do identify housing.
We don’t just look at the centre alone; we have to look at the other outlying operations that are required.
Mr. Arvaluk (interpretation): Just to add on to what Mr. Peterson said, they’re planning for a heritage centre and how many staff housing units they will need, and they will have to identify the need for housing.
So they’re not thinking about homeowners, that they will provide staff housing, is that how I understand it?
Hon. Louis Tapardjuk (interpretation): We are not responsible for it as Culture.
What we’re trying to say is; as a department, if they’re going to build a heritage centre, then they will have to consider providing housing for those positions, Mr. Chairman.
Chairman (interpretation): Thank you, minister. (interpretation ends) Tangible Assets.
Total Headquarters Region. $6,640,000.
Chairman: Total Tangible Assets. $6,640,000.
Chairman (interpretation): Go back to F-4. (interpretation ends) Culture, Language, Elders and Youth.
Total Capital Expenditures. $8,295,000.
Chairman: Are you agreed that the Department of Culture, Language, Elders and Youth is concluded?
Chairman: Thank you. (interpretation) Thank you, Minister, Mr. Kolot, and Mr. Akeeagok.
Mr. Minister, if you have any closing remarks.
Once this is approved, then we will be planning accordingly, and we will keep you updated on our progress.
I would like to thank my colleagues for agreeing with this so that we could go ahead in 2007-08.
Chairman (interpretation): Thank you, Minister. (interpretation ends) I would like to ask Minister Akesuk for the Nunavut Housing Corporation to make his opening remarks. Minister Akesuk.
Bill 26 – Appropriation (Capital) Act, 2007-08 – Review in Committee – Nunavut Housing Corporation