EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
That was, I would take the allowance of the House to do those types of explanations. It probably would be better later on in the day or indeed early next week when the Department of Education’s budget is being reviewed.
But, we have an opportunity to go into long detail of how the funding formula is arrived at and how the DEAs throughout Nunavut are funded.
Speaker (interpretation): Supplementary, Mr. Tootoo.
Can the minister clarify, what, if any, kinds of powers and abilities does the DEA have in negotiating amounts allocated for school operation funding in the communities?
As the member and the House know, the amount of monies that are involved for the DEAs is based on the enrolment and the formula that is in place. And, again, there is some leveraging available based on, for example, if the local DEA has extra contracts that are in place.
For example, a DEA that would have a local bussing contract would have more money available to it in its allocation in the community; if they have a bussing contract, for example.
So, those types of allocations would be in place depending on the amount of the administrative, the logistic, as well as the financial aspects of the local DEA.
Speaker (interpretation): Second supplementary,m Mr. Tootoo.
I know that the minister could go into a lot of detail on the formula and the shortcomings of the formula that he had indicated which are something that his departmental people are looking at reviewing.
Given the current situation, can the minister confirm to me that the formula that is used currently, whether it is good, bad, or indifferent, for determining the school funding allocations that apply to the DEAs, is done equally for all the DEAs throughout Nunavut?
It would depend on the allowances inside the funding formula.
For example, the funding formula uses a sliding scale to calculate the number of school staff, usually expressed as a PTR for K-9 and 10-12.
These two areas have different rates. For example, the K-9 would have higher rate than the 10-12.
Therefore there would be some difference in the funding allocations based on that number.
As an example, if community A has less students in 10-12, then the allocation based on the same formula would be less for that community because of the numbers involved.
Overall, there are concerns, as the member indicated, with the funding formula.
One of the first things I did when pursuing a new portfolio was ask the department to review the funding formula and the allocation, the way it is mad, and actually come back to me in the fall with a better allocation. I’ve already spoken about that a little bit in the House, to have a better school funding formula that actually reflects the needs of the community, as well as the school, and have that in place hopefully in the budget coming up.
Given the differences that the minister is talking about and the rates that are applied for different age groups or grades, I believe the minister is indicating that all that formula is applied to all schools evenly.
So, basically, everyone, the minister is of the view that all the schools are treated the same with the formula and how they receive their funding.
Can the minister indicate to this House whether or not, based on this formula, the schools have been funded to formula?
Or have they been funded under the formula?
If they’ve been funded under the formula, for how long?
The member makes a good point.
There are some inequities in the way the school funding formula works.
For example, it is my understanding that the department has attempted to staff schools by the formula and indeed, that has indicated an over-allotment of about 20 teachers across Nunavut.
Now, that’s based on the formula and based on the number of students involved.
When you look at a school, and I’ll give you an example… That’s why the answer is a long answer.
In a given school, for example, from K-9, there are 160 students in the school, and according to the formula, there may be 10 teachers for those 160 students.
It does not affect the actual enrolment per class.
So, for example, you may have 160 students from K-12, or maybe 100 students, and then from six, seven, eight, nine, there may be only 20 or 30 students.
So you could have the same allocation in place.
So, from K-3, as an example, if it was enrolled at 40 students per class, the school would still only get the number they would be allocated, 10 or 12.
And that’s why some schools may receive more than the formula, because at the lower grade level there may be higher school enrolment.
The pupil-teacher ratio may be 30 or 40 and therefore such schools may get a little bit more.
So, that’s one of the reasons the formula has not undercut the schools.
In some cases it may have over-increased the number.
But it is based… . Again, I’m trying to keep the pupil-teacher ratio lower.
Question 074 – 2(1): Investigation of Abduction (Curley)
My question is… . First of all, I would like to address the Minister of Justice and Premier in regards to what we heard earlier in this House.
As parents and children, if there was an abduction of the parents today, I think we would have to want to understand and investigate what happened to them, and do it as best as we know how.
It would be open until the people are found.
Like we heard earlier on today, there has never been an investigation on those people who were supposedly abducted.
I’d like to ask the Premier if he could talk with his federal counterpart to see if this abduction can be investigated.
Speaker (interpretation): Minister of Justice. Premier Okalik.
As far as I know, we have tried to understand or tried to get some information on abductions that happened years ago.
In some ways, we have come to a standstill. Perhaps, if we can get some more information from the communities, that way we will be able to find out more of what happened. I would like to ask the Minister of Culture, Language, Elders and Youth to get more information from the public, where the abduction took place, so we can do more to investigate those.
Speaker (interpretation): Supplementary. Mr. Curley.
The people of Nunavut and the people listening out there and children of those parents must be still alive.
Either the Russians or the Germans, during the Second World War about 59 years ago… I think they were abducted. Those people that were abducted, supposedly a lot of people recognized them.
We have to get more information.
This is a criminal investigation, and because of that the government has to get more facts with the RCMP and the federal government, to open the investigation because the Cold War is over.
Speaker (interpretation): Hon. Paul Okalik.
We can do whatever we can, because this happened years ago.
It happened before Nunavut came into place.
Perhaps it was never even brought up to the people of Northwest Territories at that time.
Perhaps we can investigate if the government of the Northwest Territories had already done the work.
Mr. Curley (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s embarrassing when our Premier is responding about the people that were abducted.
As soon as I found out about the abduction I spoke with these individuals.
I also talked with the MLAs from the Baffin region because I was elected in the Kivalliq, and it was up to the Baffin region MLAs at that time to ask questions and to ask the federal government to open the investigation.
I am saying right now that there should be an investigation today.
We are not trying to compete with each other, but we have to make sure that if you could talk with the minister of culture and get the facts, after that talk with the federal government so we can open it up again.
The individual’s grandchild is listening and I know there is some information at the Yellowknife museum about the abduction and artefacts that were left behind when the plane came to abduct them.
So, I think we have to be able to try and open up the investigation again.
Will that happen, Mr. Premier?
Yes, I said earlier on that this has taken a long time, and if it was done a while ago, perhaps we could understand more so that we could help the family of those abducted individuals.
Maybe they wouldn’t have had to wait a long time.
I feel for the family. We don’t know, because there were no bodies left behind.
I will have the help of the minister of CLEY and we will look at it and see what we can do.
Speaker (interpretation): Final supplementary, Mr. Curley.
And thank you, Premier, for wanting to investigate this event.
There are the families of those individuals and some of the people, or the priests, that were there know and about what happened at that time.
It was not too populated, but if we can go and ask those people, we can find the facts and find out exactly what happened to them. We can do it.
We just heard it not too long ago; if we can begin investigating it with as much information gathered and if we can go ahead and do it…
I would also urge the Premier to do his best and to do his utmost to find out what happened, what took place, and to open the investigation so that Nunavummiut can know what is happening.
It should be done right away.
The Minister of Culture, Language, Elders and Youth has been compiling the information. I will work with the minister, and we will do what we can do.
If you have any questions, please raise your hand.
Question 075 – 2(1): High Cost of Air Travel (Barnabas)
When I was campaigning I was told by the people up in the High Arctic about the high cost of transportation by air, and the routing not being adequate.
If I were to go to Resolute Bay or to my other constituency of Grise Fiord, I would pay a little over $700.
Today if I were to travel the same distance from Iqaluit to Cape Dorset on the same plane, which is a Twin Otter, I would only pay a little over $400.
Mr. Speaker, my question to the minister responsible for transportation is: why is the cost so high?
Speaker (interpretation): The minister responsible for transportation, Mr. Simailak.
Perhaps I could respond to the member that the airlines themselves are operating their private company and they have to pay for their gas. I cannot really answer at this time.
The reason why I am asking the minister of transportation is because I would like him to be able to support the people of Nunavut, especially the communities that are further away.
Perhaps the government would give us a little bit of a subsidy on the price of airlines.
There is the Northern Air Transport Association in the North and we have been working with them to try to make transportation a little bit cheaper.
We will be working with them again to try to get lower transportation costs.
Question 076 – 2((1): Insurance for Outfitters (Peterson)
My question is for the Minister of Economic Development and Transportation, in his capacity as minister responsible for Nunavut Tourism.
It is concerning the licensing of outfitters.
We all know that tourism is a large and growing industry in Nunavut; the most recent number I have seen is that it contributes over $60 million annually to our territory.
We all appreciate that, while keeping in mind that safety for tourists is a priority.
I would like to ask the minister if he could tell the House what process Nunavut Tourism uses to ensure that guide-outfitters are properly insured and licensed to take sport hunters out on the land.
Speaker (interpretation): Minister of Economic Development, Mr. Simailak.
I am sorry I don’t have that information with me right now, but I can certainly find the information and get back to the member.
When the minister is looking for that information, if he could provide information about whether the Government of Nunavut can be held liable for sport hunters who are injured or die while in the care of licensed outfitters.
And if he could provide information on how many incidents per year, on average, where guide-outfitters are sued in Nunavut.
And if you would commit to ensuring that all guide-outfitters are licensed, insured, and trained to take sport hunters out on the land.
Hon. David Simailak: “Ma’na, Uqaqti.”
Yes, I will certainly provide information for the member on those, on the three points also.
“Ma’na.”
The minister has taken that question as notice.
Question 077 – 2(1): Emergency Calls from the Communities (Kattuk)
I would like to ask a question to the Minister of Justice.
This has been a concern for some time by the communities in regards to the RCMP that have been on call.
When there is a call made by the community, Iqaluit gets the call.
Why is it that Iqaluit answers the telephones for emergency calls coming from the communities?
This has been a question asked by many people in Nunavut.
I have told the RCMP that this has to be resolved, because it should not be tolerated by the people of Nunavut.
What the RCMP is doing is trying to get a better system to help the people of Nunavut. The RCMP have stated to me that beginning last week, they will not be answering from Iqaluit, but directing it right into the communities.
When will the communities be given the RCMP answer service in the communities?
Speaker: “Sivuliqti.”
Hon. Paul Okalik (interpretation): It started last week when we first started this session.
They will no longer be an answering service from Iqaluit; it will be based right from the communities.
So it is now in effect and it will continue to be in effect.
Question 078 – 2(1): Fuel Resupply to the Communities (Peterson)
My question is for the Minister of Community and Government Services concerning the fuel resupply.
The government is responsible for ensuring that Nunavut communities are resupplied each year for fuel for one year.
We also read that some of the communities that ran out of fuel had to be resupplied before sealift via aircraft. My question for the minister: would the minister explain to the House how his department calculates the amount of P50 heating fuel, gas, diesel, naphtha, and other petroleum products that the community requires each year.
Is it based on information available on previous years and actual requirements?
The fuel bulk is estimated by using the last year’s numbers.
Speaker (interpretation): Supplementary, Mr. Peterson.
I am not sure if you used last year’s numbers if it would help in the future.
Communities are growing.
Can the minister tell the House how many communities in Nunavut were or are in danger of running out of fuel in the past six to eight months or in the next couple of months?
Will or have they ever had to be re-supplied by aircraft?
Yes, there are two communities that ran out of fuel because the tanks are too small for the size of the communities.
Last year, the communities of Pangnirtung and Repulse Bay had concerns with consumption because of the small size of the tanks.
It seems to me that rather than running out annually, they should invest money in new tanks.
When a community has to be resupplied by aircraft, it must be a significant cost to the government.
Can the minister provide us with the actual dollar figure that it costs the government to resupply communities by aircraft when they run out of fuel?
I will get the information and provide it to the members.
I can get copies of the figures.
I hope that the minister is saying that he will provide that in this session.
And while he’s doing that, could he answer the question if the government has a policy to provide emergency resupply to communities. And if so, would the minister table the policy in the House?
In response to his last request, yes, when I provide this information to my colleague I will definitely provide as much information as I can. Because in the past, where we have had to, we have transported fuel. I can assure the member, the times when those were done, it was not at additional cost to the community per se, but I’ll definitely provide that information to my colleague.
Tabled Document 013 – 2(1): Arctic Bay Health Centre (photographs) (Barnabas)
I would like to table a document in regards to the Arctic Bay health centre.
It has 14 photographs that depict the shortage of space, the size of the office and also the waiting room. This petition shows you the deterioration of the health centre that we have in Arctic Bay.
Tabled Document 014 – 2(1): Jericho Diamond Project - Letter to the Federal Minister of Fisheries and Oceans (Okalik)
Hon. Paul Okalik (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I believe he might have been wrong. What he was talking about sounded like a petition, but apparently it is the tabling of documents.
A letter to the federal Minister of Fisheries and Oceans to expedite the inventory process regarding the Tahera Corporation, Tahera Codana Project.
Orders of the Day. Item 15.
Bill 2, Appropriation (O&M) Act, 2004-05.
Mr. Evyagotailak will chair Committee of the Whole and we’ll take a 10-minute break.
>>House recessed at 14:40 and resumed at 15:09
Chairman (Mr. Evyagotailak): The committee will come to order.
In Committee of the Whole, you were dealing with 2004-05 main estimates for the Department of Health and Social Services.
If the committee agrees, we will continue with main estimates for the department.
I would like to ask the Minister of Health and Social Services and her officials to go to the witness table please…
For the record, please introduce your officials.
On my right is Deputy Minister Bernard Blais and to my left, Assistant Deputy Minister Victor Tootoo.
We are on Page H-7 at the main estimates.
I am now taking questions on page H-7.
I would like to see the optometrists who come to the communities at times; are they included in here, optometrists?
Chairperson: Mr. Netser, “mamianaq.” Madam Minister.
Yes, we do hear about the optometrists that come to the communities before paydays. At other times, they go by contract.
I will ask my deputy to speak on this issue.
Most of the non-direct healthcare providers such as nurses and other employees, for the most part, are contracted out to the private sector. This is one area that typically is not included in here other than under contract services, and some of these services as well are NHIB-funded services.
Mr. Netser: “Qujannamiik, Itsivautaq.”
Is the department looking into including the services that they provide to our communities regarding eyeglasses, because some of them, I hear complaints about not receiving eyeglasses for two years at a time.
The waiting list is so terribly long, and it is quite important that we have our vision, our eyes looked after.
“Qujannamiik, Itsivautaq.”
I will be asking Victor Tootoo to explain this.
Mr. Victor Tootoo: “Qujannamiik, Itsivautaq.”
Eyewear and the provision of eyewear services is a contract that we have only recently renewed for a six-month period.
Part of the concern was exactly what the member raised, that there was a considerable length of wait for patients between the time that they are seen by an optometrist and when the glasses, or whatever eyewear, are provided, and that is part of our concern.
The company that we contracted with talked about the idea of providing a performance bond with a minimum number of days between the time a person is seen and when the glasses will be received in the communities. This is one of the areas in which we are funded by the federal government to provide this service.
So, in consultation with the federal government’s Health Canada we will discuss with the contractors provision of the service that meet the clients’ needs and is economical.
Chairman: Thank you, Mr. Victor Tootoo. (interpretation.)
I would like to talk to the minister and her deputy minister again today.
I have a question on grants and contributions, funding formulae, and $430,000… . There’s no increase this year.
It’s for alcohol and drug crisis shelters and all those sorts of important things.
I am wondering… Problems seem to be increasing in Nunavut. Alcohol and drug crisis shelters don’t seem to be increasing in funding.
My question, Mr. Chairman: how many crisis shelters are there in Nunavut that receive funding from your department?
Crisis shelters for women.
Chairman: Thank you, Mr. Peterson.
Honourable Levinia Brown.
In the Baffin region there are seven, in the Keewaitin there is one, and in the Kitikmeot there are three.
Chairman: Mr. Peterson.
Mr. Peterson: I am just wondering how the minister and her officials calculate how much funding each women’s shelter receives on an annual basis.
I will give the question to my ADM, Mr. Victor Tootoo.
Chairman: Mr. Victor Tootoo.
The department meets with the agencies that are funded for these types of services, the shelter program, and discusses their needs with them through our regional operations.
Obviously, we can’t always fund everything that each society or group requires.
One of the things that we’ve begun to do is to standardize our contracting processes to ensure that our contract for a women’s shelter in Igloolik is fairly the same as the one in Kugluktuk, so that the end of the day when we are going through and reviewing the types of services we are providing to our citizens through these third parties… .
So that we have a common basis to review them, we are attempting to ensure that when we do our contracting we stagger the time frames between the types of contracts so that we are not having to renew them all at once.
That’s part of the initiatives that we are undertaking in out contracts section.
Chairman: Thank you, Mr. Victor Tootoo.
I recall from my time as mayor in Cambridge Bay… . We have a crisis shelter in Cambridge Bay, and every year without fail we’d run into a situation where we’d run out of money and we’d have to come to the government and ask for help.
The crisis shelter isn’t open six months; we are open 365 days a year. We would always be in danger, in earlier January, of having to close the crisis shelter, and at a critical time of the year.
So, I’m wondering Mr. Chairman, if the minister could explain how their department deals with situations where crisis shelters are in danger of closing in a community if they run out of funding.
Yes, we do have a concern about the crisis centers because we’ve run out of funding.
It is the same in the Kivalliq region. It is difficult to find funding.
Yes, I do feel what you are talking about, that it is very difficult to get more money.
I will ask Victor, my assistant deputy minister, to supplement my answer.
Mr. Victor Tootoo: Thank you, Mr. Chair.
When different societies or groups come to us with funding concerns, there are times when we can and do provide more funding.
Sometimes we can’t within our existing budgets, and we have to apply for a supplementary appropriation to the Financial Management Board for that.
But one of the things that we always do with each organization is to try to make sure that they are aware of an attempt to access other sources of funding.
As you know, with most community groups, they look at a number of different types of funding and we have people in our department who help these organizations to access other external sources of funding.
They also look at other fundraising mechanisms.
The minister gave me a number here; there are 11 crisis shelters in Nunavut and I think there are 25 communities in Nunavut.
So, those other communities that don’t have crisis shelters, how do you help the ladies that are in need of a shelter?
Do you transport them to another community or do you put them up with billets?
To my knowledge, the communities that do not have crisis centers, they go to other communities where there are crisis centres available.
For example, here in the Baffin region, if there is not a crisis centre in their community they would come to Iqaluit.
Chairman (interpretation): Mr. Peterson.
So the minister is saying that there is policy in place, a crisis shelter policy, that covers accommodations? What to do when a lady needs help? And your department pays for the transportation and the accommodations for the lady that needs the shelter?
I have met to check to see if it’s a policy, yet this is the knowledge that I do have.
But some of the communities that are in serious need to be in a crisis centre… Bernie Blais will supplement this.
I don’t know if there is a consistent policy at this point in time.