EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
The bulk of that is the debt repayment to the CMHC.
I thought you had your hand up.
Mr. Nutarak (interpretation): I apologise, I think I’m tired.
We’re just about done.
There’s 28 million 3 thousand dollars under other expenses.
If we go to 12-9, 28 million 3 thousand dollars.
Again under other expenses.
But there’s a slight increase on page 12-13.
So, where did those additional monies come from and what is the purpose of the additional monies?
And here in 12-9, we have 28 million 3 thousand dollars.
Is it because that was too small that you increased it to 28 million 3 thousand?
Mr. Chairman, the difference in the other expenses is the training fund for the Local Housing Authorities.
Mr. Nutarak (interpretation): I’m going to back to 12-9, Debt Re-payment.
It says 28 million 3 thousand dollars.
I’m trying to ask that question because it says it’s a debt repayment.
I’m going to the page 12-13, other expenses, it seems like it’s the same line item.
I thought it was the same line item, but do I understand you correctly that it’s not the same line item.
It basically is the same line item, plus like I said the bulk of the training funds for the Local Housing Authorities.
Any further questions?
Going back to page 12-5.
Total operations and maintenance 76 million 207 thousand dollars.
Mr. Iqaqrialu (interpretation): It seems like we can’t make any changes to the figures here.
The operations and maintenance estimates for Nunavut Housing Corporation and program summary and they are just information items.
It seems like we don’t have any authority to make any changes.
Mr. Chairman, this is the way that the Housing Corporation budget has been brought forward to the legislature for the past three years.
This is the fourth year.
There is no variation from that.
I think my main reason, as a regular member of this House, even though we disagree with some figures, in the other departments, we can make changes. But my personal feeling is if we can’t make any changes to the figures with this department and Housing Association’s units are used by the government to make their money and also it goes to the revolving fund.
So, I was wondering where it’s going?
Could you clarify that point for me?
Mr. Chairman it doesn’t go to the revolving fund; it goes to the Nunavut Housing Corporation.
Chairperson (interpretation): Nunavut Housing Corporation.
Total operations and maintenance 76 million 207 thousand.
I would like to thank the members here for completing the department’s operations and maintenance budget.
Mr. Ng if you have any closing remarks.
I’d like to thank the committee members and also Ms. Hine, Mr. D’Arcy and Mr. Akoak who’s sitting in the Gallery as well.
Chairperson (interpretation): Thank you. What’s the wish of the committee?
The Department of Community Government and Transportation should start their opening remarks prior to 8 o’clock.
Perhaps the minister is ready to do her opening comments.
I could do my opening remarks but I’m still waiting for my opening remarks and I’m sure my official is running if you want to take a quick cigarette, a five minutes break I would appreciate it.
Chairperson (interpretation): Five minute break while we are waiting for the opening comments.
>>Committee recessed at 7.32 p.m. and resumed at 7.40 p.m.
I think the minister will be able to complete her opening comments.
Minister of Community Government and Transportation.
So, are you reading, we should be done by 8 o’clock.
We are now on Community Government and Transportation.
Is it the wish of the committee that the minister starts her opening comments?
Minister of Community Government and Transportation, Ms. Thompson, you can start.
I’ll be speaking in Inuktitut.
Mr. Chairman and honourable members of the Legislative Assembly:
Seated here with me here today is my Assistant Deputy Minister of Community Government, Shawn Maley and Director of Finance and Administration, Mike Rafter.
We will do our best to answer your questions on the department’s proposed main estimates for the 2002 – 2203 fiscal year.
As this is the first time that I have appeared before the Committee of the Whole as Minister of Community Government and Transportation, I would like to share with you my vision for Community Government and Transportation and where I will be taking the department in the near future.
When I took over as Minister of Community Government and Transportation I made a point of sharing my vision with the staff of the department and asked for their renewed commitment to work in partnership with our communities.
I believe that the job of this department is to act as a facilitator between the communities and the departments in the Nunavut Government.
Community Government and Transportation has seen many changes over the life of this government.
Most recently we appointed a new Deputy Minister, John Walsh and two new Assistant Deputy Ministers, Shawn Maley, who is here today, sitting behind me and Richard O’Brien who has taken on the role of Assistant Deputy Minister of Transportation.
Before we begin reviewing the details of the 2002-2003 main estimates, I would like to give you a brief overview of the department’s budget.
Our total budget for the 2002-2003 fiscal year is 86 million 759 thousand dollars.
Our Government was able to allocate 17 million 50 thousand dollars for capital.
In front of you today or tomorrow is our proposed operations and maintenance budget, which is 69 million 709 thousand dollars.
We were also able to secure 7.5 million dollars in third-party funding.
I would now like to update you on some of the projects that the Department of Community Government and Transportation has been working on during the past fiscal year.
As you all know, Iqaluit was the co-host of the 2002 Arctic Winter Games.
I would like to thank all the staff at Sport Nunavut, in our Recreation and Leisure division and Marilyn Neily, our Special Advisor for Sport and Recreation for all their hard work and to congratulate them on the excellent job they all did.
In fact all facets of the Department of Community Government and Transportation from Nunavut Airports to Nunavut Emergency Management worked very hard to ensure that the games went smoothly and that all the participants enjoyed their experience.
During that 12 day period there were 633 aircraft moving through the Iqaluit airport all without incident.
The Nunavut Emergency Management Division has been working very hard to ensure that all communities are prepared and better equipped to deal with emergencies.
With the assistance of federal funding, training manuals have been developed in consultation with community based search organizations and training is expected to begin during the summer months.
The Canadian Coast Guard, Nunavut Arctic Auxiliary Program is coming to the end of its first year of a three year federally funded program.
Twelve out of 15 communities now have a Nunavut Arctic Auxiliary present and are ready to participate in marine search and rescue operations.
The Fire Marshal’s Office has developed a Nunavut specific training program for Nunavut volunteer fire fighters.
The program was introduced at the Annual General Meeting of the Nunavut Fire Officer’s Association and was well received.
Course dates are currently being set up to deliver the training program.
The 2002/2003 fiscal year is going to be yet another busy year for the Department of Community Government and Transportation.
As you can see in the 2002/2003 main estimates, my staff is continuing to work closely with the federal government to obtain funding to add on to the existing infrastructure in the communities.
In these times of fiscal restraint I would like to commend the department staff on their dedication and hard work.
I recently had the pleasure of announcing in this House that a number of applications that were made under Transport Canada’s Airport and Capital Assistants Program have been approved.
Nunavut will receive a motor grader for Qikiqtarjuaq, a runway snow blower for Rankin Inlet, a new wheeled loader for Iqaluit and the funding will also go towards fixing the runway snow blower in Coral Harbour.
The total amount of funding contributions from the federal government for these projects is over 900 thousand dollars and makes up 95 percent of the total cost of these projects.
Nunavut’s contribution is only 5 percent. Departmental staffs are working hard towards getting the equipment delivered to the communities in the upcoming shipping season.
In addition to what has been outlined in our main estimates, the department, on behalf of the Government of Nunavut, has negotiated an agreement in principle for funding from Transport Canada’s Strategic Highway and Infrastructure Program.
The Federal Treasury Board recently approved the agreement in principle and a formal announcement to launch the program is expected in the near future following approval by our cabinet and our Financial Management Board.
This is a five year agreement that will require the Government of Nunavut to provide up to a maximum of 2.4 million dollars to the program with the Federal Government contributing the remaining 4.3 million dollars.
The monies will be put towards a combination of access roads and feasibility studies for major road projects.
Another project that is also moving forward is the Municipal Finance Review.
The steering committee’s final report is now complete and the next step is to present their recommendations to cabinet.
The department hopes to take the recommended changes for the Municipal Operating Assistance Program forward to the Financial Management Board for approval as it will not require any new policy initiatives from this government.
The department is proposing revisions to the funding formula that would reflect actual operating costs of infrastructure in the communities.
In reference to the municipal legislation, I recently met with the standing committee on Community Empowerment and Sustainable Development to discuss possible changes to what had been previously introduced into the Assembly.
It was a very productive meeting and I have directed the department to move forward on reintroducing revised amendments at the earliest opportunity.
Moving on to the department’s 2002/2003 Main Estimates, you have no doubt noticed an overall increase from the previous year.
The increased dollars have been focussed on a few key areas such as support to communities, training and increased staffing levels within the department.
As I’m sure you know, our communities have experienced yet another increase in their insurance premiums as a result of the tragic events of September 11th, as well as both the Walkerton and the North Battleford disasters.
The department has been able to secure an additional 377 thousand dollars for a total of 800 thousand dollars that will be sent directly to the communities to offset these increases.
In December of last year, our government signed a Canada/Nunavut Infrastructure Agreement with the Federal Government for 2 million dollars over two years to fund Green Municipal Infrastructure Projects.
The department expects to have a submission for the GN portion of the program before the Financial Management Board in the near future.
Projects funded under this program could include water treatment, sewage and solid waste management in the communities.
Both Sport Nunavut and our recreation leisure division have further refined their budget for the 2002-2003 year.
The upcoming fiscal year will be our fourth year of operation as a government and both divisions have worked hard to design their programs to better serve Nunavummiut.
(interpretation ends) Sport Nunavut is working hard to develop a strong base for sports in Nunavut that can grow as we do.
The need for certified coaches and officials in our communities is great and funds have been set aside for both coaching and officials’ development.
Having our coaches and officials will reduce our need to import people from outside of Nunavut.
Other sports related programs that are managed by the recreation and leisure division are also seeing an increase in funding dollars.
The recreation leaders’ program will receive an addition 110 thousand dollars for training recreation coordinators in the communities.
The recreation facilities operators program will receive an additional 100 thousand dollars to help facility operators maintain and increase the useful life of existing recreation infrastructure in the communities.
Both of these professional development programs are offered in a workshop format through the recreation and leisure division.
Communities who choose to send their staff to the workshop will be reimbursed for the related expenses.
The recreation and leisure division will also be developing an active living program for Nunavut.
Federal/provincial Territorial Ministers responsible for sports, recreation and fitness have committed to reducing the level of inactivity among Canadian.
In Nunavut consultations will be taking place during 2002-2003 fiscal year to develop an active living strategy that will recommend programs and services that are suited to Nunavummiut and will contribute to the overall health of our communities.
Yet another training program that will contribute to capacity building at the community level is the community land administrators’ certificate program.
This program is currently delivered through Arctic College and will be receiving 130 thousand dollars in 2002-2003 fiscal year to train community lands administrators.
The department is continuing to move forward with the Nunavut transportation strategy.
The department will be conducting a Nunavut air services study funded in part by one time funding of 200 thousand dollars from the Financial Management Board and 250 thousand dollars from the department.
Some of the key issues that the study will investigate are how to better provide air services to isolated communities; the recent reduction in air services to several Nunavut communities as well as to Greenland; airlifts between communities and into southern Canada; airport needs and airport upgrading requirements for new generation aircraft to be able to operate within Nunavut.
The Nunavut Air Study will also partner with the Department of Health and Social Services regarding requirements for medivac flights as well as exploring the possibility of an air carrier across Nunavut from Cambridge Bay to Rankin Inlet and on to Iqaluit.
You may have also noted that the community aerodrome radio station CARS funding continues to remain the same.
Several communities have identified this as a concern and NavCanada has indicated that funding will remain the same for the next two years; this is a direct result of their own financial issues.
The department has however, been able to get a verbal commitment from NavCanada to give the department some latitude in dealing with monies that may not have been completely spent at some CARS sites.
We hope to have this commitment formalized in the near future.
All of this could not have been achieved without the efforts of our dedicated staff that at times worked long hours and took on additional responsibilities to ensure the smooth operations of our government.
(interpretation) I would to extend my personal thanks to them for all their hard work and particularly to the staff at Community Government and Transportation.
I know that the regional offices have gone beyond the call of duty in the last couple of years while the department has been working to build capacity at all levels.
Community Government and Transportation has now reached a staffing level of 77 percent and is better equipped to respond to the needs of communities.
This concludes my opening remarks Mr. Chairman, and I am now ready to respond tomorrow to the committee’s questions on the 2002/2003 Main Estimates.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman and honourable members.
I’m quite tired.
Does the committee chair have opening comments?
As chairman of the Standing Committee on Community Empowerment and Sustainable Development I’m pleased to be able to provide opening comments as we begin the review of the 2002/2003 main estimates for the Department of Community Government and Transportation.
Mr. Chairman, over the past month the standing committee has had the opportunity to meet with the new minister of Community Government and Transportation and has carefully reviewed the department’s main estimates.
The standing committee is generally pleased with efforts made by the department to move forward on various projects and secure third party funding for different ventures.
However some specific concerns exist with respect to the following issues. Mr. Chairman, the standing committee is concerned that the department’s Inuit employment figures are very low, especially with respect to middle management where only 13 percent of the employees are beneficiaries.
The Inuit staff in the department appear to be concentrated at the administrative support level.
The standing committee would therefore encourage the department to train both employees and encourage them to move up to higher levels.
The Nunavut Transportation Strategy Technical Document was distributed to all members last session.
This is an extremely comprehensive document.
The standing committee noted that the department has allocated 450 thousand dollars for Nunavut Air Service Study to complement the Transportation Study.
Mr. Chairman, the standing committee is pleased to note that the Department of Community Government and Transportation is working in conjunction with the Department of Health and Social Services on the Nunavut Air Services Study.
It is vital that the government departments work together to reduce overlaps and ensure that the needs of Nunavummiut are well served.
This is especially important with respect to air travel and air services as they greatly affect medical travel and impact all Nunavummiut.
Mr. Chairman, the committee would like to see the Transportation Strategy move beyond the research stage to the point where concrete policies are formulated that will foster a Nunavut that is better connected to the south and where communities are better connected to one another.
Members are anxious to see movement forward on such issues as the Kivalliq/Manitoba road link, the Bathurst Road and Port Project and the crisis of air transportation in the high arctic where routes and services are being threatened.
The Standing Committee noted that Nunavut hosted the Canadian Ministers of Sport in Iqaluit this year. The Committee is pleased with the emphasis being placed on Sport and Recreation.
These programs are clearly a means for preventative actions with respect to social and health problems across the territories.
The committee hopes that capital planning will reflect this increased priority being placed on Sport and Recreation and strongly urges the committee to preserve infrastructure funding from the Federal Government to fulfill the Canadian Sports Policy.
Mr. Chairman, it is common knowledge that building recreational facilities and giving children a safe place to play and build on their talents is extremely important to self-esteem.
In this way we invest in our children and encourage an active, healthy lifestyle that will decrease demands on the health system in the future.
The Standing Committee noted that one of the department’s goals is to “develop a process that can be used on an ongoing basis to collect community input into government.”
This is an extremely important aspect of community government as the communities have the best understanding of their needs and priorities.
However, the Standing Committee sees little evidence of a clear process being used.
The Standing Committee is pleased that the final report of the Steering Committee of the Municipal Financing Review has been completed.
Forced growth and increasing responsibilities being placed on hamlets clearly require that funding be increased to keep pace.
However, the Committee urges the Department to move forward with this review to ensure that funding to hamlets keeps pace with forced growth and increasing responsibilities.
The Standing committee is concerned that the GN-wide Program Review not hold up progress on the Municipal Financing Review.
Mr. Chairman, the Committee was pleased with the recent Minister’s Statement on Airports Capital Assistance Program funding.
However, it is not clear what other applications were made to the federal government and what the status is of those applications.
With respect to Third Party funding, the Committee noted that there were three different one-time funding agreements for search and rescue programs last fiscal year.
The Committee asks that the Minister update Members on the status of those programs and funding for ongoing issues related to them now that the federal funding has been used.
Mr. Chairman, the Standing Committee noted that the Department continues to lobby the federal government for third-party funding.
The accessing of specific federal program money is necessary to facilitate infrastructure growth in the communities.
The committee strongly urges the department to continue pursing funding from the federal government as this funding is essential to infrastructure growth in the territory.
Mr. Chairman, the pursuit of federal funding will require all the Ministers to work together.
As a government, we must lobby our counterparts in Ottawa and drive home the fact that per capita spending programs will never adequately meet the needs of our communities and constituents.
Mr. Chairman, that concludes my comments on the main estimates of the Department of Community Government and Transportation.
Individual Members may wish to raise questions or make comments tomorrow.
There’s a motion on the floor to report progress and it’s not debatable.
I will now rise and report progress so we can get the Speaker to come to the chambers.
We’ll see you again tomorrow when we will deal with Community Government and Transportation.
Mr. Iqaqrialu (interpretation): Mr. Speaker, your committee has been considering Bill 6 and the main estimates and would like to report progress and Mr. Speaker, I move that the report of the Committee of the Whole be concurred with.
There’s a motion on the floor, is there a seconder for the motion.
Mr. Irqittuq is the seconder.
Orders of the day for Friday May 10, 2002:
First Reading of Bills  Bill 7
Second Reading of Bills  Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
The House stands adjourned until Friday, May 10 at 10:00 a.m with a projected closing time at 4:00 p.m.
>>House adjourned at 8.12 p.m.  Nunavut Canada
Friday May 10, 2002
Pages 696 - 773
Opening Prayer 696
Ministers’ Statements 696
Members’ Statements 697
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery 707
Oral Questions 708
Revert to Item 5: Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery 727
Tabling of Documents 728
Notices of Motions 729
First Reading of Bills 730
Second Reading of Bills 730
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters 732
Report of the Committee of the Whole 772
Orders of the Day 772
Friday May 10, 2002 696
033 – 1(6): Canada Health Day in Nunavut (Picco) 696
117 – 1(6): Birthday Wish to Mr. Nutarak (Okalik) 697
118 – 1(6): Happy Mother’s Day (Irqittuq) 697
119 – 1(6): Special Needs Assistants in Schools (Havioyak) 697
120 – 1(6): Student Traditional Excursion Trips in Pangnirtung – 10 Year Anniversary (Kilabuk) 698
121 – 1(6): Learning Survival and Hunting Skills as a Youth (Kattuk) 699
122 – 1(6): Growing Up as a Youth on the Land (Iqaqrialu) 700
123 – 1(6): Concerns Over Student Financial Assistance for Students in the South (Williams) 701
124 – 1(6): Remember Mother on Sunday – Mother’s Day (Thompson) 701
125 – 1(6): Wishing Happy Mother’s Day (Picco) 702
126 – 1(6): Birthday Wishes (Arvaluk) 703
127 – 1(6): The Movie: Scorpion King (McLean) 704
128 – 1(6): Young at Heart on His Birthday (Nutarak) 705
129 – 1(6): Happy Mother’s Day (Anawak) 705
130 – 1(6): Happy Mother’s Day/Congratulations to Cape Dorset Students (Akesuk) 706
145 – 1(6): Special Needs Assistants in Nunavut (Havioyak) 708
146 – 1(6): How Many Suicides Since April 1999 (Irqittuq) 709
147 – 1(6): Scheduling of Airlines – Translation of Federal Legislation (Iqaqrialu) 710
148 – 1(6): Number of Judges in Nunavut (Williams) 714