EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
I think he raises a very important point as there are a lot of individuals out there not only in Pangnirtung but throughout the territory that, over the years, have gained the skills necessary in the construction area but they don’t have the certification in order to move on and have their journeyman’s certificate or something like that to show that they have the formal educational background to be able to do that, but they are very capable, as the member pointed out, of doing that work.
Mr. Speaker, one of the components of the trust was a strong training component.
In order to be able to train apprentices, there is a requirement that those apprentices work under a certified journeyperson in whatever trade it is, whether it be a carpenter, or an electrician, or an oil burner mechanic, or what ever trade, or plumber.
Those individuals, in order for their hours to be credited towards achieving their trade certificate, need to be supervised by a journeyman.
That is one of the reasons why in the trust that those journeypeople were hired because there was a requirement for them to be there to train those individual apprentices.
Having said that, I think those individuals that the member pointed out, and there are, I know, a lot of them across the territory, I think they should be approaching, or it would be at a benefit of any contractor that is building or is successful in getting the contract to build any unit, it would beneficial for them to take advantage of that skill that is in the community, whether it be Pangnirtung or any other community, because it’s cheaper than bringing in trained people from outside the community.
I know that those individuals should be talking to local contractors that are out there and saying, “This is what I can do for you,” because it will be a benefit not only to those individuals but a benefit to the contractors as well.
Mr. Komoartok (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Minister, for your response.
Nevertheless, there won’t be any change taking place so long as the certification is not there, as the minister points out.
It’s left to us to speak out to the contractors and prevail upon them to subcontract these workers.
If we do nothing, it will not change.
I was trying to ask the minister that whenever there is work available in our community, such work should be made available to these experienced individuals.
Many require no more than some supervision, as the minister says. Most actually don’t even require supervision.
I know that in my community for certain that they don’t.
All I want to ask is when units are being built in my community that part of the labour portion of the construction contracts be set aside for non-apprentice workers and if the minister is prepared to consider that in the foreseeable future.
I’m not sure if we can dictate to a contractor who has bid on a contract.
When they put together their bid, they take into account all of their costs and hiring and their labour and everything like that.
I don’t know if we can dictate that to them.
However, Mr. Speaker, I will commit to the member that I will ask my officials to consult with some of the contractors out there to see if they have any ideas and ways in which these individuals can be approached for work.
Mr. Speaker, again, as I said earlier, I think it would be beneficial to any contractor to be able to have a skilled local workforce and cheaper than having to fly in, house, and feed workers from outside the community.
So I think that, as the member points out, that is not only a benefit to the contractor but it’s a benefit to the individual and it’s a benefit to the community, where more dollars are being spent locally on that.
So I will commit, if the member is okay with it, to ask my officials to consult with some of the contractors we have out there to see if they can come up with some ideas in how something like this could be addressed.
Question 408 – 3(2): Status of Nunavut Housing Corporation Responses to Standing Committee Recommendations (Schell)
Last year, the Legislative Assembly’s Standing Committee on Oversight of Government Operations and Public Accounts presented its report on the hearings that it held on the NHC.
One of the standing committee’s recommendations was for the NHC to work more closely with the Department of Community and Government Services to pursue cost savings in relation to the delivery of housing materials on sealift.
The NHC’s response to this recommendation stated in part that, “Several potential expenditure reduction strategies have already been identified.
These include solicitation of quotes for service on the open market…”
Can the minister update us today on what decisions the NHC has made on this issue?
If I understood the member’s question correctly, some of the things that are cost-saving measures that the corporation has done is the way they have bundled or de-bundled the material purchases where, instead of just putting out a tender or a contract for a ship, supply, and erect contract, the individual contractor is putting on the bid to be able to purchase all of the materials and stuff like that themselves on an individual basis.
What the corporation has done is they have put all of the construction materials in one tender so that there is a savings for volume services. If you are purchasing materials for 100 units versus one unit, you are going to be getting a better price as a result of the volumes on it.
Mr. Speaker, as far as other open market areas, I think there are some other things that the corporation was asked to look into. I believe the issue was raised by the Member for Iqaluit West last year and it was on looking at the shipping of materials from the south to various points throughout Nunavut.
Mr. Speaker, that is something that we did look at in consultation with the Department of Community and Government Services. As a result of the contract that is in place right now with the government for sealift services, the corporation has to follow that contract.
Speaker: Thank you, Minster Tootoo.
Another recommendation made the standing committee concerned the importance of developing an independent and transparent appeals process for public housing applicants and tenants.
The NHC’s response to this recommendation stated that the corporation “will develop an independent, transparent process” and that a discussion paper on this issue “is being prepared.”
Can the minister update the House today on the status of this issue and will he table this discussion paper in the Legislative Assembly before the Assembly adjourns this week, yes or no?
Hon. Hunter Tootoo: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, that is an issue that was raised by the member and again, the Member for Iqaluit West in the last year.
The corporation did engage an individual to be able to develop some options to look at as far as developing an appeal process.
That report is being reviewed and there are different options that are being asked to be brought forward.
So it has not yet been finalized, but I hope to be able to have that finalized over the summer.
I can commit to be able to table something hopefully in our fall sitting.
Your second supplementary Mr. Schell.
The standing committee also recommended that the NHC needs to table its annual reports and financial statements on time.
Given the current situation with the Nunavut Housing Trust, it is more important than ever that we, as MLAs, know exactly what the financial position is of the corporation.
As the Speaker reminded us this week, the corporation’s 2008-09 annual report has not yet been tabled in the House.
Will the minister be tabling this report before the end of the week and if not, why not?
Mr. Speaker, it is my understanding that the Office of the Auditor General has completed the review of our 2008-09 financial statements and they are now final as a result of that.
Mr. Speaker, the OAG had met with our Corporate Executive Committee just at the end of last month. They formally provided an audit opinion and a management report for the audit of 2008-09.
I assume that we will be soon receiving from the Office of the Auditor General signed copies of the audit opinion and annual report documents will be forwarded to the printer to get printed and typeset, done in both English and Inuktitut.
Hopefully, once that is completed, I’ll be in a better position to be able to seek approval to table those documents.
Mr. Schell: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I guess it won’t be tabled this week then.
The standing committee’s report also addressed the issue of how the NHC will use the new federal funding that it is receiving from the federal government to construct new public housing units between 2009 and 2011.
The NHC recently issued a tender call for labour to construct 286 public housing units, which, I believe, closed yesterday. In light of the Nunavut Housing Trust shortfall, how will the NHC ensure that labour costs are kept under control?
I would like to thank the member for raising that issue and giving me the opportunity to inform him as well as other members of this Assembly and the public of the steps that the corporation has taken in regard to this Canada’s Economic Action Plan funding through our Affordable Housing Program.
Mr. Speaker, the way that the corporation tendered the labour-only contracts for the houses to be built under this program, the corporation tendered them so that they closed in a central location, which was here, yesterday.
The member is correct in that, that it just closed yesterday.
One of the benefits of that, Mr. Speaker, is that everything’s closing at the same place at the same time so that it’s not being done in three different regional offices and opened and looked at separately, and then information flowing from the district offices up the line, if you want to call it that, for approval.
Mr. Speaker, the second thing that the corporation did with the labour tenders for this is they had them so they were issued by community and by building type.
Presently, probably as we speak, are going through the tenders that were received right now.
We will be able to track, tender by tender and by community, what the costs are on that and we will be moving forward based on the results of that.
Question 409 – 3(2): Nunavut Outfitters Liability Protection Fund (Elliott)
In March, Mr. Speaker, we approved $1 million under Bill 23 for the spending to go towards the Nunavut Outfitters Liability Protection Fund.
The question I was wondering is: how many outfitters across Nunavut are actually registered under this program?
It’s a timely question.
I plan to table the end report later today.
To answer his question, there have been no outfitters applying to the Nunavut Outfitters Liability Fund since inception.
So I guess it’s safe to assume that there have been no claims made on that fund at all.
You know what they say when you assume things. I won’t continue that expression.
There have been no claims, Mr. Speaker. We learned that there is private insurance for outfitters that they can avail themselves of.
As far as I know, we don’t have any claims and we have no applicants. If there are outfitters out there, they would likely be approaching the private sector.
In the actual 2009 annual report, it talks about how initially, $3 million was put into the fund through the federal Community Development Trust, then there was a $1 million contribution by the Government of Nunavut, and then that money is self-sustaining with monies put in by different outfitters.
Could the minister tell us how much is actually in that fund?
I thank Mr. Elliott for that question. Mr. Speaker, the fund was initially capitalized with $3 million through the federal government program, Community Development Trust, then it was further capitalized with a $1 million appropriation, and then last year, on March 2, that was another million, so $5 million.
Through internal accounting, there would actually be $3 million there, but we could fund up to $5 million if there are any claims.
Again getting back here, if there are no outfitters working in Nunavut who are actually applying for it, is your department going to work with Nunavut Tourism to try and get people registered?
You had also mentioned that possibly, other outfitters are getting their own type of insurance.
If that’s the case, then is this fund really necessary?
I thank Mr. Elliott for the question. Good question, “Is this fund really necessary?”
I think that once we table a report, we will sit down and review it later this summer and we will make the determination of whether the fund is really appropriate or could the funds be used for other priorities that the government and MLAs have been bringing forward in this Assembly.
Question 410 – 3(2): Wage Subsidies to Hire Summer Students (Ningark)
With all due respect to the Minister of CGS and the Minister of Human Resources, I’m getting two different signals on the same question on one program.
Yesterday, I asked the Hon. Minister for Human Resources about the wage subsidies for summer student jobs.
In his response to my question, the minister stated that the Department of Community and Government Services already has a program in place that provides wage subsidies to hamlet offices to hire students.
Earlier in my question, the Minister for CGS stated that CGS does not have any subsidy programs to hire summer students.
My question to the Hon. Minister of the Department of Human Resources is: what does he mean when he stated that the Department of Community and Government Services already has a program in place that provides wage subsidies to hamlets to hire summer students?
I would like to thank the member for that question and concern, and I will clarify things.
If I misled the member, I’m very sorry.
What I was stating is that funding that is received from CG&S to hamlets and other entities and other sources of funding and revenues that they do receive, it is up to the hamlets, if they choose to do so, to hire summer students.
I would like to clarify that there is no program under CG&S. The program that we do have in the government is allocated out of HR and it is available through all departments.
Did the hon. minister say that there is a program in place or there is no program in place for the hamlets to hire summer students?
There is no program under CG&S in placed to hire summer students.
That program, if it is put in place, it is totally up to each individual hamlet if they choose to hire summer students under the funding that they receive from the different sources.
The answer to that is no, there is no program that is authorized or run by the Government of Nunavut for hamlets to hire summer students.
I thought the hon. minister clearly stated yesterday that there was, in fact, a program in place that provides wage subsidies to the hamlet offices to hire students.
Would he clarify that for me?
I will clarify that in that there is no funding that is administered, or delivered, or subsidized to hamlets to hire summer students.
Again, I will say what I, in clarity, meant to say and if I didn’t say it properly, I apologize.
Hamlets that receive funding from different entities and different sources, it is their responsibility and authority if they choose to hire summer students within those communities.
Question 411 – 3(2): Status of Municipal Funding Review (Ningeongan)
Both the minister and I are former mayors and both of us know that it can be difficult for municipalities to make ends meet.
The department’s 2010-13 business plan indicates that one of its priorities for the 2011-12 fiscal year is to “Review Municipal Funding and Grants to ensure appropriate resources are allocated to communities.”
It also indicates that one of its priorities for the 2012-13 fiscal year is to “Develop options and present recommendations for improved municipal funding.”
Can the minister outline for us today what actions his department will take during the current year in preparation for the funding review?
Hon. Lorne Kusugak (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you for asking the question, my colleague for Nanulik.
As we are aware, the municipal funding is provided by the government and the policy was very tight as to how they can expend the money.
During our meetings in the past, I have spoken to Mr. Ningeongan as to how the municipality funding is inadequate when you want to run the municipal government.
That is why we want to have a review.
We would like to have a review on the municipal funding to find out as to how much the municipality needs for funding in order to operate and function properly.
We are now starting up the review.
We are reviewing where the strengths and weaknesses are.
So we’re now starting to review all of these aspects.
I envision that by this winter, we will want to work with advisors to make sure that we do a thorough review.
We do want to work closely with the auditors, the people who work within the municipalities, and municipal councils to see how we can start the planning for the municipal funding review.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, for allowing me to respond.
The department’s Municipal Funding Program Policy expires on June 30, 2010.
That’s 22 days from now.
Can the minister indicate if the cabinet has extended this policy and if so, for how long is the extension?
Hon. Lorne Kusugak (interpretation): I cannot speak to this policy, but I will give him detailed information once I receive it because there are quite a few things that we need to do to deal with the policy, Mr. Speaker.
Section 2 of the Municipal Funding Program Policy provides that the amount of the contribution to each non-tax-based municipal corporation shall be calculated annually. The policy also applies a community uniqueness factor which is supposed to be reviewed every five years to determine if there are any changes in community circumstances.
Can the minister indicate to me when the community uniqueness factors for Coral Harbour and Chesterfield Inlet were last reviewed and can he tell me what the results of the reviews were?
Perhaps all communities would like to get a response on that.
Mr. Speaker, I want you to be aware that I don’t have the detailed information on community uniqueness factors and I don’t have that information for Coral Harbour as to when the last review was and what the contents are.
I don’t have the detailed information in front of me.
However, I can tell the member, Mr. Ningeongan, because he wants to know, that I will look into that and once I get that information, I will provide it to him even after the session is over.
I apologize that I don’t have that detailed information in front of me and I don’t have the information of the uniqueness factors for all communities.
There are a lot of issues that we need to consider when we’re dealing with each community budget.
I don’t have the detailed information.
The Municipal Funding Program Policy applies a northern cost index to account for variations in community-specific costs.
This calculation still uses the City of Yellowknife as its base.
Can the minister indicate if his department’s municipal funding review will consider using a Nunavut community as the base for this calculation?
Hon. Lorne Kusugak (interpretation): I wish to thank the member for asking me that question.
Written Questions. (interpretation ends) Member for Quttiktuq, Mr. Elliott.
Written Question 019 – 3(2): Department of EIA’s Contract for Work Related to the Suicide Prevention Strategy (Elliott)
My question is for the Minister of Executive and Intergovernmental Affairs, the Hon. Eva Aariak.
On June 2, 2010, the Premier stated to the Legislative Assembly that the Department of EIA was the lead for the Suicide Prevention Strategy and that it had contracted an individual for this purpose. The contract is now over.
My questions are:
What were the terms of reference for the Department of EIA’s contract referred to by the Premier for work undertaken on the Suicide Prevention Strategy?  What was the final value of the Department of EIA’s contract referred to by the Premier for work undertaken on the Suicide Prevention Strategy?
What travel was included in the Department of EIA’s contract in relation to the Suicide Prevention Strategy:
In Nunavut?
In jurisdictions within Canada?
In jurisdictions outside of Canada?
For any travel undertaken under question 3(b) and 3(c), what was the purpose of the travel and how did it directly benefit the development or management of a made-in-Nunavut Suicide Prevention Strategy?
Reply to Opening Address 002 – 3(2): Mr. Adamee Komoartok (Komoartok)
I assumed that I would have more time to speak in this item, so I requested to ask my question here. The reason for posing the question here is that in our community, we have real problems with our dump.
That dump is situated within close proximity to our community and additionally, we live in a fiord.
The only way to get my point across is to describe the physical layout of our community.
The fiord goes inland 27 miles and two to two and a half miles across and the mountains are between 1,400 to 3,500 feet high surrounding this fiord.
As our community is situated in a fiord and surrounded by tall mountains, we don’t have much space to grow as we are bordered by these limitations. This also applies to lands to the sides of the community.
Mr. Speaker, our dump is causing many issues in our community due to its proximity.
Whenever the garbage is burned, the odour from the burning descends on our community due to its proximity and because of the physical layout of the land.
The fiord faces north and south.
Usually, when the wind is coming from the north, it does not blow very hard, but when we get southerly winds, they are quite strong.
It rarely blows a gentler wind from that direction and during this time of the season when the sun is back, the winds usually blow from seven o’clock in the morning to eight o’clock in the evening.
The wind does not blow in the evening.
We call that Isiqsarnaaq, where this type of climate exists in these types of layouts.
Mr. Speaker, when the dump is burned during the day, it doesn’t cause any problems because the smoke is blown inwards towards the northerly direction.
However, during the evening after eight o’clock until morning when the wind is calm and as we have mountains surrounding the community, the whole area seems to become fog-ridden, although it is from the dump. The whole community can discern the smell of the burning refuse from the dump.
The smoke descends on our community.
As was mentioned previously, some firefighters get lung cancer. We are concerned about all firefighters when they inhale smoke.
Firefighters have to go put the fire out in the evenings so that the smoke will not descend on the residents in the community.
As I said, the dump is situated close to the community and the wind usually comes in from the mouth of the fiord where the plane comes.
The plane has to fly over the dump in order to land into our community and they have to go through the smoke.
It is evident that in Nunavut, more communities are requesting incinerators so that they can incinerate garbage that is not made of steel. We do not wish to burn materials in our dump either because of the pollution created.
We would like to see incinerators in the communities.
Last year, we tried to look for incinerators and they have found incinerators that are not too cheap.
I believe they cost around $1 million.
An incinerator has been found that can be used where the residual heat could be used to heat some of the homes.
Our community of Pangnirtung is requesting such an incinerator.
If we move the dump further up the fiord, the smoke pollution will continue to place a burden on our community, as we need to burn garbage if we do not want our dump to become overfilled.
If we do not burn the garbage, since our community is a very windy place, the refuse is blown all over the community. The garbage and the smoke pollute the air and water.
We’ve had to recollect the debris after a storm and to drop it off at the dump.
Mr. Speaker, I want to reiterate that I’m sure the communities of Nunavut would like to see incinerators brought into communities.
As Nunavummiut, I believe we will not stop talking about this until they get our request granted.