EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
The Department of Health would be a part of that as well. That agreement is still being finalized, such as the operational process and when the communities would start providing that training.
I appreciate the response. It would be nice to know that there is core funding available of $150,000 and that it should enhance the service and delivery.
Good to know that the DEA, Nunavut Arctic College, and the Department of Health are working together on an agreement.
For those who are going to benefit, Mr. Speaker, I want to ask Madam Premier. The statement indicated that “the key to suicide prevention is to have trained caregivers ready, willing, and able to get involved with each and every at-risk person.
These caregivers are not just teachers.”
Can the minister clarify who will be eligible to take ASIST training under this new initiative?
The statement I made yesterday was in regard to educational staff or school staff being able to receive ASIST training from the program that is being developed through Arctic College with an agreement with the Department of Health.
It’s a collective effort.
The general ASIST training will also be carried out in other areas, I’m sure, mandated by Nunavut Arctic College.
This particular one will be offered to the schools and school staff, not just necessarily the teachers, but anyone who would like to receive the training and for those people who are working in the schools.
As you know, there have been many individuals who received ASIST training and spoke highly of the kind of training that they received and they have helped the individuals to be able to be better prepared in dealing with suicidal incidents.
Back in February 2012, the ASIST program was offered to school staff in Kugaaruk in partnership with, at the time, Health and Social Services.
In March 2012, the ASIST program was offered in Pangnirtung in the school.
In May 2012, it was offered in Nanook School in Apex.
To date, 328 educators have received the ASIST training: 157 in Qikiqtani; 53 in the Kivalliq; and 108 in the Kitikmeot.
I am happy to say that this extra help in funding will help to increase the numbers of the school staff that will be receiving training in ASIST.
Madam Premier, I am glad to know that the departments are working together in partnership to increase the number of people to be able to train to offer these services.
If we can also increase the number of participants community-wide, I think it would be exemplary of our communities to be able to take charge and also be able to raise awareness and become conscious of indicators that sometimes people are not able to pick up on and to be able to better assist people.
Mr. Speaker, my question as well: in preparation for ASIST, I wanted to ask: when will the government finalize its community training schedule within Nunavut?
Now that there is extra money to offer training, the planning for the scheduling and which communities will be approached first, all of that will be coming forth.
I don’t have the schedule right now because, I believe, it has not been developed yet. The Department of Education and Nunavut Arctic College are working together on that.
Speaker: Thank you. Madam Minister.
Question 607 – 3(3): Search and Rescue in Nunavut (Curley)
My questions are for the Minister of Community and Government Services, whose department is responsible for emergency management in Nunavut.
The Auditor General of Canada’s recent report concerning federal search and rescue activities raised numerous concerns, many of which impact Nunavut.
The Auditor General’s report indicated that the federal government “does not have a common set of principles for coordinating with other levels of government on national matters.”
When will the minister’s department be sitting down with federal search and rescue authorities to address this issue?
I thank my colleague for bringing this issue up.
Search and rescue is very important, especially in Nunavut when the weather is very cold.
In regard to your question, I read about this.
I was glad to read it as well. My department was also pleased to read this report. We will be giving some careful consideration into this matter and we will review it and decide what to do next.
The Auditor General’s report clearly pointed out that one of the major issues facing our national search and rescue system is aging equipment, including the aircraft that are used to save lives in Nunavut. They have no choice but to use those aircraft in Nunavut.
MLAs such as me have been arguing for years that Ottawa needs to permanently station modern aircraft here in the north.
Can the minister indicate how he is persuading Ottawa to address this issue?
I totally agree with the member. We all know that helicopters and military aircraft used for search and rescue are among the oldest aircraft. We have often stated that the base is too far away from the north.
I will be consulting with the other ministers within Canada and we will be able to bring the issue up.
Despite that, we are very grateful to the people who are involved in search and rescue, but we also want to ensure that we get newer search and rescue equipment.
As a minister, I will express my opinion.
Mr. Curley: I have one more after that.
(interpretation) Last week, the federal Minister of National Defence announced plans to improve Canada’s search and rescue system.
This announcement included a commitment to working with provincial and territorial governments.
Can the minister tell us what priorities the Government of Nunavut will be raising during these discussions?
I said that if you have one more, you have to get on the docket again.
I look forward to this one more question.
(interpretation) Mr. Speaker, they have not indicated whether the minister will be going through my office or through the Premier’s Office, so I don’t know, but I can say that we will be prepared to have a meeting with the federal government. We will be available through any means if we need to come up with answers.
Question 608 – 3(3): Status of Hudson Bay Neighbours Regional Roundtable (Rumbolt)
Last month, the minister led a delegation of Nunavut communities to a meeting on the Hudson Bay Neighbours Regional Roundtable in Churchill, Manitoba.
This round table included representation from Sanikiluaq.
I want to note that I appreciate the invitation that I received to attend the meetings in Churchill.
However, my schedule prevented me from being there in person.
Mr. Speaker, I was pleased to note from the minister’s April 26 news release that one of Manitoba’s participants at the meeting represented the Hudson Bay Inland Sea Initiative.
As the minister is aware, the Nunavut Hudson Bay Interagency Working Group, which is based in Sanikiluaq, participates in the Hudson Bay Inland Sea Initiative.
Can the minister indicate what topics were discussed at the Churchill meeting in relation to the Hudson Bay Inland Sea Initiative?
The meeting we had two weeks ago in Churchill, Manitoba was a very interesting one, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Hank Venema of the International Institute of Sustainable Development did make a presentation to the delegates on the Hudson Bay Inland Sea Initiative.
The presentation centred on the environmental changes and the anticipation of a longer shipping season and the impacts it may have.
It was more of a presentation at that. It was a very interesting one nonetheless.
During our recent winter sitting, I raised questions concerning plans to hold a Hudson Bay awareness summit.
At that time, the government indicated that funding difficulties had arisen, but there were still plans to work towards a larger summit.
Can the minister indicate how the Hudson Bay Neighbours Regional Roundtable is participating in efforts to work towards holding a major Hudson Bay awareness summit?
I’m not aware of how they are working towards a larger summit, but I do know that the meeting was a good one and there actually is a teleconference today to discuss some of the items that were discussed at that regional round table.
Can the minister indicate when and where the next meeting of the Hudson Bay Neighbours Regional Roundtable will be held and what will be on its agenda?
I believe that work is continuing. The building of the agenda and the invitations will begin shortly.
That meeting just concluded two weeks ago, and I will ensure to keep my colleague informed of the agenda development and the progress of the meeting.
Question 609 – 3(3): Status of Manitoba-Nunavut Winter Road (Ningeongan)
Last month, the minister led a delegation of Nunavut communities to a meeting of the Hudson Bay Neighbours Regional Roundtable in Churchill, Manitoba.
One of the major topics of discussion at this meeting was the proposed road project between Manitoba and Nunavut.
The government’s announcement concerning this meeting indicated that the appropriate cabinet ministers from Nunavut and Manitoba “committed to raise the proposed winter road project in discussions with the Federal Ministers, on working together with them on next steps to proceed on this nation-building project.”
Can the minister indicate to the Legislative Assembly what the new timeline is for this project?
I thank Mr. Ningeongan for asking that question.
Yes, discussions have been ongoing for a long time to build a road from Manitoba to Kivalliq region and we talked about this for many years, as a matter of fact.
Furthermore, Mr. Ningeongan, I often discussed this when we were mayors quite some time ago, but this dialogue is still ongoing.
We also indicated that we still support this project and perhaps, we would request that they build a winter road from Manitoba to Nunavut.
That is basically the consensus that we had during our last discussions.
The government’s announcement concerning the recent meeting in Churchill described this project as a “winter road.”
In September of 2010, the governments of Nunavut and Manitoba indicated that they were working together to develop a cost-benefit study on an all-weather road between the two jurisdictions.
Can the minister clarify why an all-weather road is no longer being considered?
The discussion that we’ve had so far is in terms of just doing a winter road. I have never heard anybody, in my discussions, talk about that there will not be an all-weather road at any time.
The discussions have centred on and the discussions I had were those that we have to start somewhere and a winter road is a good start.
That’s the only level I had, but then again, I am not the Minister of Transportation and that minister may have more detailed information pertaining to the road that I don’t have.
As the minister indicated earlier, both the minister and I are former mayors of Kivalliq communities.
The idea of a road between Nunavut and Manitoba has been under discussion for more years than I can remember.
As the minister is aware, one of our region’s mayors has gone on record as being sceptical that this project will actually move forward.
What assurances can the minister provide that things will be different this time?
I was quite surprised at the sceptical comments also, but I guess, in any project of any kind, there will always be sceptics.
I would like to assure my colleague that from what I hear… . Again, I am not the minister responsible, but from my level, from what I understand, and from what I take from this, the talk is coming from the federal government side, more so to deal with the matter and that is very encouraging to hear, Mr. Speaker.
I take that as being something more of a positive step instead of just being spoken about at the regional round tables and at Kivalliq mayors’ meetings and the chamber of commerce meetings.
The sound is coming also more from the federal government level and, to me, that is encouraging, Mr. Speaker.
Question 610 – 3(3): Nunavut Student Assessment System (Schell)
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, I asked questions on Nunavut’s assessment system for students.
I thank the minister for her replies. However, it appears, from those responses, that the status of Nunavut’s assessment system is even less advanced than I had hoped.
Business plans brought forward for the Department of Education every year for the past four years of our term have indicated that an assessment system is being developed for our students.
The most recent business plan indicates that benchmarks for these assessments are being established.
Can the minister confirm that the Nunavut Student Assessment System is still not being implemented and, if not, when does she expect it to be finalized and put to good use?
As I indicated yesterday, the assessment system is being worked on right now. I am very sure that it will be put to very good use once it’s finalized.
I will keep the member posted in terms of the timeline.
I will check up on that timeline again and get back to the member.
In response to my question on May 7, 2013 about how the results of student assessments can be used to determine the necessary supports, the minister indicated that “The parents of the students and also the teachers have to work together to make a work plan...” Can the minister clearly explain how teachers and parents and students currently facing the challenges of learning how to read develop a work plan without any formal assessment of the student’s reading ability?
When there is indication that a child or student needs extra help in certain areas, either the teacher or parent will know that and bring it forward.
This is when the team of individuals in the school, including the parents, will get together and work out a plan as to how the situation will be looked at.
The assessment tool will be an extra help to plan properly.
Work is being done on the assessment tools at this point.
The assessment is still happening to some degree in terms of determining what extra help the student might need, again as I said, along with the school teams that exist in the schools and the parents.
It is clear that if a student is not meeting the established grade levels for reading or math, then they need the appropriate support to reach that level.
Yesterday, the minister referred to students having individualized programs based on their assessment.
Can the minister clearly explain how the results of the Nunavut assessments for language arts will help to determine the need for adequate resources, materials, and staff to meet individualized program requirements and how these needs will be accounted for in her department’s budget once the assessment system is up and running?
The assessment tools, as I said, are being worked on and once all that is completed, I will be in a better position to tell the member exactly what it entails. We will be doing more of an information campaign once all that is done so that everyone, especially the parents who have children in the schools, know what is in place.
Question 611 – 3(3): Government of Nunavut Expenditures on Overtime (Enook)
My questions will be directed to the Minister of Finance, the Hon. Peterson.
On March 2, 2012, one of my colleagues asked a written question in regard to overtime pay.
At that time, he presented a written question and the response was that in the 2011-12 fiscal year, the government used $16.6 million in overtime payments.
Mr. Speaker, I wanted to ask the minister: after that fiscal year and later in the 2012-13 fiscal year, has this $16.6 million that was paid for overtime increased or decreased?
I don’t have the information in front of me, but I can assure the member that the numbers are quite high. I get the monthly overtime report within a couple of days of the month-end. It is consistently very high on a monthly basis and even on an annual basis.
I have asked my officials to ensure that all the deputy ministers in all departments know what their own particular overtime is so they can monitor it closely.
Within certain departments and in particular, in my own Department of Health in my other capacity, I am very concerned.
We’re looking at ways that we can reduce overtime and reduce the stress and strain on many of our staff who are working overtime.
Can the minister inform us what guidelines are in place within the Department of Finance that all government departments and agencies have proper guidelines pertaining to overtime?
What guidelines are in place?
Overtime, in most cases, is governed by the various collective agreements.
It’s up to the managers and supervisors to review and approve any overtime that has to be worked or is requested.
In my own Department of Health right now, we are working with an initiative to ensure that there is a standard interpretation of what the clauses are in the NEU collective agreement.
We will be approaching the Nunavut Employees Union to ensure that they understand the interpretation that we have so it’s consistent across our Department of Health.
Our Department of Health is working with the Department of Finance on that as well.
Last month, Nunavut Gazette published a number of amendments to the Public Service Regulations made under the Public Service Act.
One of these amendments clarified that the government’s senior managers are not entitled to overtime.
Can the minister clarify if the government had previously been paying overtime to senior managers?
Mr. Speaker, I can’t say with certainty. There are different levels of managers. Of course, senior managers could be considered deputy ministers or assistant deputy ministers.
There are directors. There are various levels. I’m not sure at what level the senior managers get cut off for overtime, but I can get that information and provide it to Mr. Enook if he so wishes.
Question 612 – 3(3): School Attendance Policy (Ugyuk)
Ms. Ugyuk (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. (interpretation ends) As I stated in my Member’s Statement, I am invited to attend the Gjoa Haven high school graduation after the session.
There were 16 potential graduates for this year and I am invited to two graduations.
My question is to the Minister of Education on attendance policy. I understand that the DEA coalition was working on the attendance policy for the new Education Act.
I would like to know where this attendance policy stands.
The Registration and Attendance Regulations are in progress.
They are being worked on. There are a number of areas under the new Education Act that are being worked on and being implemented.
The Registration and Attendance Regulations are being developed. These regulations provide the details about the content and format of the DEA Registration and Attendance Policy.
The process to follow will be developing the policy and the content of work-related learning plans.
Phase 1 of the consultation on the proposed policy intentions took place in winter 2012.
I’m just giving you a bit of a history for appreciation and for a better understanding. Phase 2 of the consultation on the draft regulations took place from January 11 to March 11, 2013.
The DEAs are not currently required to have a registration and attendance policy at this time, though they may develop one if they wish to do so.
Ms. Ugyuk (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. (interpretation ends) I’m kind of lost here.
I’m surprised that the DEAs don’t need attendance policies because they’re the go-to people if we have questions about schooling in our communities.
Do you have a detailed list of student attendance? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I do not have detailed student attendance with me.
Ms. Ugyuk (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. (interpretation ends) What is the average attendance across the territory and, if you have the numbers, will you commit to tabling it?
When I do get the information, I would be happy to table it.
We all need to work together as parents, individuals, and community members to increase the attendance in our schools because it is hampering our students’ success in school.
There are other areas.
Let’s say that if a student attends 75 percent of the time, is I think was the percentage, then there is more than a year or maybe even more than two years of missed classroom time.
Attendance is very important and we all need to work together on this.
I would be happy to table that information so that we all know where it’s at and so that we all know how much more we need to work on that.
Question 613 – 3(3): Status of School in Resolute Bay’s Emergency Plan (Elliott)
Mr. Speaker, I was interested to hear the Minister’s Statement earlier this session on emergency preparedness.
Last year, a new generator was flown to the community of Resolute Bay as part of the community’s Emergency Preparedness Plan.
The generator is to be installed at the school, which will act as an emergency congregation site for the community in the event of a massive power failure.
Can the minister update the House on when the generator will be hooked up at the Resolute Bay Qarmartalik School?
Unfortunately, I don’t have a list of that kind of detail as to when the generators will be put up and when they will be up and running in any given community at any given time, but should I get that information, I will be more than happy to share it with my colleague.
As I mentioned, the Resolute Bay school is an integral part of the community’s emergency plan.
However, the school itself still does not have a large meeting area, such as a gymnasium.
Can the minister clarify what plans are in place to ensure that the Resolute Bay school gets a gymnasium at the earliest opportunity?
I am the Minister of Community and Government Services. I will speak with the Minister of Education to see what priorities there are in terms of their school upgrades and get back to my colleague.
As the Minister of CGS and in terms of emergency preparedness and emergency preparedness plans, I believe it is his department for ensuring that communities have them and ensuring that hamlets have them.
I guess, then, the question, with the answers that I received from the last two questions, is: what is his department’s role in ensuring that all departments, whether it is the Department of Education, whether it is the school, whether it is the hamlet, whether it is the nursing station, all work together as one cohesive unit in terms of an emergency going on?
It sounds like there aren’t any. Every department is in charge of its own sort of pillar and they have to fend for themselves.
There is an emergency preparedness plan in every community, including Resolute Bay, and those guidelines are followed through their committees.
The reason I answered about the gymnasium is that he was asking about a gymnasium, not about an emergency preparedness plan or emergency shelter, Mr. Speaker.
There are emergency preparedness plan committees and all departments and the whole community, actually, work very closely together to ensure that the needs of the community are met in any emergency situation.
Question 614 – 3(3): Polar Bear Populations and Damage to Property (Oshutapik)
My questions are directed to the Minister of Environment, Hon. Arreak.
As we all know, up to now and believed in it, the polar bears within Nunavut are increasing and they will be increasing further.
The world has now heard about the case that went through the stoppage of the polar bear trade and people now believe that Inuit have good management.
My question is: since the polar bears are increasing, what kind of preparations have you done so that there will be compensation provided to replace equipment damaged by polar bears?
I have stated more than once in the House that we have a compensation package of $66,000.
Funds can be requested annually to protect their equipment or their cottage or caches. This could also be used for lost caches.
Anyone can make a proposal to get compensation, either through the wildlife office, or if an organization requests assistance, they can get assisted by the Department of Environment.
My next question is: how many times have you had to use this compensation to assist the community?
These are the only funds that are available for the year.