EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
In response to this, Mr. Chairman, the Nunavut Community Infrastructure Advisory Committee (NCIAC) was initiated with a balance of government and hamlet membership to assist in identifying community priorities.
They have undertaken the development of integrated community infrastructure sustainability plans (ICSPs) to create and measure long-term plans for each Nunavut community.
These plans are developed in consultation with each community and will help us achieve environmental, cultural, social, and economic goals.
The infrastructure planning process assesses existing and required infrastructure.
The plans identify the types of infrastructure investments over the next 5 to 20 years that will best help each community achieve their sustainability objectives and needs.
We believe that this approach will improve our planning process and will improve transparency in the allocation of limited infrastructure funds across Nunavut.
During my participation in various regional mayors’ meetings, concerns were raised regarding depleted granular stocks. In response, my staff undertook an extensive review of all granular stocks. As a result, we have initiated a pilot project in the Kitikmeot.
The department has purchased a gravel crusher that will be shared by the Kitikmeot communities to ensure crushed gravel is available for road maintenance and other community growth needs.
Once we have an opportunity to evaluate the success of this pilot project, we will review the possibility of implementing a similar granular program in the Kivalliq and Qikiqtaaluk regions.
Concerns have also been raised in reference to the lack of community recreational infrastructure, such as swimming pools and artificial ice. While we were able to address a few of the requests through federal assistance, we have been unable to meet all of the needs.
In response, my department will undertake an extensive review of recreational infrastructure needs in consultation with the Department of Culture, Language, Elders and Youth.
As I have indicated in the past, I have introduced a modified approach to how the department addresses infrastructure requirements.
Current standards call for similar infrastructure to be built in all communities.
In Grise Fiord, we initially planned to build a new GN office building and expand the existing community hall.
During the community consultation process, the community expressed a desire for a new hamlet office/community hall - joint facility would better meet their needs.
Mr. Chairman, we listened and we are now proceeding with the construction of a new complex as proposed by the community.
This solution is not about more but about doing better.
Mr. Chairman, with respect to the department’s five-year capital plan, we have changed our approach to capital planning by only including the funds for the planning and design phases for new capital projects. This approach will allow the department to fully evaluate replacement options for aging municipal infrastructure, in consultation with communities, to ensure that the most cost-effective approaches are used to meet the needs.
Mr. Chairman, some significant water and waste projects are also underway, including upgrades to the Clyde River Sewage Lagoon, Kimmirut’s Rehabilitation of Lagoons and Roads, and the Baker Lake Intake Pump House. We are utilizing a combination of GN and federal dollars for these projects.
We have also been asked about the quality of water and associated reports.
I wish to point out that water is routinely tested to ensure that it is safe.
In the case of water quality, there is regular testing to ensure communities have safe water available to them on a daily basis.
In the Petroleum Products Division, there are a number of priority projects either currently underway or planned within the next five years.
Demands for increased fuel capacity and upgrades for code compliance at fuel storage facilities in a number of communities are causing increased pressure on budgets.
We are trying to meet these demands but must take into account the limited resources we have available and the numerous needs throughout Nunavut.
Mr. Chairman, we recognize that we face many challenges over the next five years to address our aging community infrastructure.
Examples include community and fire halls, hamlet offices, parking garages, and water works.
We recognize the collective pressure on the GN capital plan for infrastructure and the expectations of Nunavummiut.
With funding from federal infrastructure programs, such as the Building Canada Fund, which is $248 million over seven years, and extension of the Gas Tax Program, which is $60 million over five years, we are confident that we can continue to be effective in meeting the basic needs of our communities.
However, I must point out that a number of federal programs require funding from Nunavummiut as well. This also taps into our limited resources.
I hope that these comments give an appreciation of the extensive demands upon my department for capital funding and the challenges associated with prioritizing projects.
We are aware of the needs and the challenges communities face and this dictates the force of our capital planning process.
The vision of our future continues to be one of partnerships to best support communities and the needs of all Nunavummiut.
Chairman (interpretation): Thank you, Minister. Thank you for again reminding me about Monopoly. When you were talking about water works, it sounded like it was Monopoly money.
That was the minister’s opening comments. Do you have witnesses that you would like to bring to the table?
No, I’m not playing Monopoly, but yes, I wish to ask my colleagues if they agree to have some of my officials with me at the witness table.
Sergeant-at-Arms, I would appreciate it if you can escort his officials to the witness table.
Minister, if you can introduce your officials.
Although they are not strangers to us, we need to acknowledge everyone who appears before the House.
To my right is my Deputy Minister, Kathleen Lausman, and to my left is Mr. Roy Green, (interpretation ends) Director of Community Infrastructure. (interpretation) Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I thank the officials for appearing before the committee.
The Chair of the Standing Committee on Community and Economic Development has opening comments. Mr. Rumbolt, you may now begin.
I am pleased to provide opening comments on behalf of the Standing Committee on Community and Economic Development as the Committee of the Whole begins its consideration of the proposed 2010-11 Capital Estimates of the Department of Community and Government Services.
Members note that the department is proposing to spend $35,954,000 for the 2010-11 fiscal year.
Its capital budget was $36,194,000 for the 2009-2010 fiscal year and $23,107,000 in the year 2008-09.
Mr. Chairman, the operations of this department have a significant impact on the success of the GN’s overall capital planning process. In recent years, Members of the Legislative Assembly have expressed concerns with respect to the issues of project management and capital carryovers.
On May 26, 2008, the Minister of Finance informed the Committee of the Whole that “As members know, capital carryovers continue to be a challenge. However, efforts are being made to remedy this situation.
The government recognizes that steps need to be taken to reduce the volume of capital carryovers and expects to bring forward solutions.”
Mr. Chairman, on March 19, 2009, the minister informed the Committee of the Whole that “Communities are now asking us to consider an equitable approach to funding community infrastructure.
Canada’s maximum contribution under this program is $19.5 million. We have also included four projects in the plans that are 50/50 cost shared with Canada under the Canada Strategic Infrastructure Fund (CSIF). Canada’s maximum contribution under this program is $20 million.”
Members note that both funding programs are set to expire on March 31, 2012.
Members also encourage the department to provide regular updates to the House on this important issue.
The standing committee recognizes that while the needs of communities greatly exceed available GN resources, a consultative and cooperative approach to capital planning and priority setting is essential.
While members are supportive of efforts to build capacity in the Department of Community and Government Services in order to strengthen the GN’s capital planning process and address the need for more reliable and accurate cost estimates, it is essential that Members of the Legislative Assembly retain the right to consider, approve, or reject proposed capital projects at the initial stage of their development.
During the minister’s recent appearance before the standing committee, members were advised that the department has changed its approach to capital planning by only including the funds for the planning and design phases for new capital projects.
Although members recognize that the total costs of major capital projects may not necessarily be known with absolute certainty at the initial stage of their development, it is important that all MLAs be provided with sufficient information with which to make reasonable decisions concerning their affordability.
For example, the department’s proposed 2010-11 capital estimates includes $400,000 in planning dollars for a new hamlet office in Arviat. However, the department has not yet provided a clear estimate of how much the project may ultimately cost.
The committee encourages the department to review this issue.
Mr. Chairman, the January 2009 federal budget announced the creation of a recreational infrastructure fund to provide $500 million “over two years to support construction of new community recreational facilities and upgrades to existing facilities across Canada.”
On July 7, 2009, the GN and the federal government announced that the new federal Infrastructure Stimulus Fund would provide $7.2 million in support of two projects.
The announcement stated that “The Governments of Canada and Nunavut and the City of Iqaluit will each contribute up to $748,740 for the structural repair of the rink in the Arctic Winter Games Arena. The construction of a new hamlet office in Taloyoak will benefit from up to $2.5 million from federal stimulus funding and a matching contribution from the Government of Nunavut.”
Members also note that on September 3, 2009, a federal-territorial news release announced that the communities of Taloyoak, Chesterfield Inlet, Igloolik, and Sanikiluaq will benefit from $1.1 million in total funding for local projects under the Recreational Infrastructure Canada Program.
Members are strongly supportive of initiatives to improve the quality of recreational facilities in Nunavut given their important role in fostering health and wellness in our communities. Members look forward to being kept informed of the GN’s success in accessing our territory’s share of this federal funding.
Members also recommend that the department explore opportunities to undertake improvements to existing recreational facilities in order to increase the number of months that they can be used during the year. One example of such an improvement is the installation of artificial ice in arenas.
The standing committee notes that $100,000 has been allocated in the department’s proposed 2010-11 capital estimates for a new arena in Rankin Inlet. The substantiation sheet for the project indicates that its total cost is estimated to be approximately $16 million.
On March 19, 2009, during his appearance before the Committee of the Whole, the minister stated that “During the community consultations last winter and the department’s participation in the regional mayors meetings, concerns were raised regarding the replacement of the aging mobile equipment fleet and depleting granular stocks.
Another concern raised was with respect to depleted granular quarries and borrow pits. Several communities are experiencing shortages of granular materials in Nunavut and it seems most of the communities were outside of Coral Harbour.
In response to these concerns, my staff is undertaking an extensive review of the current mobile fleet and all granular stocks to look at quicker replacement options for machines such as front-end loaders, graders, dump trucks, and all granular stocks within Nunavut. My department will be presenting options to address these issues in the new fiscal year.”
Mr. Chairman, members were pleased to note that the department’s proposed 2010-11 capital estimates includes funding for granular projects in the communities of Arviat, Chesterfield Inlet, and Repulse Bay.
Members look forward to receiving ongoing updates on these projects.
Members also noted that the department plans to undertake a pilot project to purchase a gravel crusher for the Kitikmeot region and that it will be shared between all communities in the region.
Members look forward to receiving an update on the status of this pilot project and, if it is successful, strongly encourage the department to expand the initiative to other regions.
Mr. Chairman, on September 21, 2009, a federal news release announced that work has been completed on eight contracts issued through the Surveyor General Branch. The announcement stated that the federal government is “building the infrastructure needed to clear the way for new home construction for Nunavummiut.
More than 1,800 lots have been surveyed – creating jobs in the local area as well as being a big step toward creating better living conditions for many people in Nunavut communities.”
Members encourage the Department of Community and Government Services to work closely with communities and the Nunavut Housing Corporation with respect to the issues of gravel supplies and lot surveying.
Mr. Chairman, the department had budgeted $7,365,000 in 2009-2010 for water system upgrades in the community of Kugluktuk.
This was the department’s single largest capital project in 2009-2010. The substantiation sheet for this project indicated that despite the community having received a new water treatment plant in 2003, Kugluktuk’s “filtered water does not meet the Canadian drinking water guidelines for turbidity.”
The department’s proposed 2010-11 capital estimates indicates that $1,826,000 has been budgeted for further upgrades to the community’s water system.
The standing committee also notes that $340,000 has been allocated in its proposed 2010-11 capital estimates for the Resolute Bay Sewage and Water Works project.
Members look forward to updates on the status of this project.
Mr. Chairman, the provision of safe drinking water to our communities is a fundamental function of government. It is unclear as to how many of Nunavut’s communities currently meet national guidelines for drinking water quality and how many do not.
During the Legislative Assembly’s consideration earlier this year of the department’s 2009-2010 capital estimates, members again recommended that the government commit to tabling a report on water quality in each of Nunavut’s communities before the end of this calendar year.
This has not yet been done and members recommend that the minister commit to tabling such a report at the earliest opportunity.
The standing committee again notes that the Canada-wide Strategy for the Management of Municipal Wastewater Effluent has been endorsed by a number of jurisdictions. On March 27, 2009, the Minister of Environment tabled a report in the Legislative Assembly concerning this issue.
The minister’s report indicates that “Nunavut, Quebec and Newfoundland did not endorse the document.”
The report also stated that “Nunavut agrees in-principle with the Strategy but is extremely concern about costs associated with implementation and the lack of direct funding options.
…Nunavut will certainly support the Strategy when funding is more definitive.”
I would also again note that MLAs have been advised that the cost of implementing the strategy in Nunavut could be as high as $500 million.
Members have also been advised, however, that the Department of Community and Government Services and the Department of Environment have been working to build up an inventory of community facilities.
On September 18, 2009, the President of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities sent correspondence to the Prime Minister concerning the proposed new federal regulations for the treatment of wastewater.
The letter states in part, “FCM supports the proposed new federal regulations for the treatment of wastewater. However, we are deeply concerned that the costs of implementing these regulations will be offloaded on to local property taxpayers. We are calling on your government to commit to a national, cost-shared plan to implement the regulations and help municipalities protect Canada’s water resources.
By the federal government’s own estimates, upgrading wastewater facilities across the country to meet the new regulations will cost at least $12 billion over the next 20 years.”
The standing committee encourages the departments of Community and Government Services and Environment to work closely together with respect to the development and management of such infrastructure as sewage lagoons and municipal landfills. Members also urge both departments to lobby the federal government for funding to upgrade Nunavut’s wastewater facilities to meet these proposed new federal regulations.
Mr. Chairman, the department’s draft 2010-11 capital estimates documentation indicates that $2.25 million will be provided to the City of Iqaluit in block funding through the federal government’s Gas Tax Fund. Members recommend that the minister table an annual report on the city’s spending under this agreement so that all Members of the Legislative Assembly and the general public will have a clear picture of how the funds have actually been used. Members also urge the department to consider entering into such agreements with other communities that can demonstrate the capacity to manage such an arrangement.
Members note that the department’s draft 2010-11 capital estimates include $3.9 million in funding for small capital projects, which includes such items as mobile equipment repairs, community planning studies, block funding, granular programs, and spill response equipment.
Members encourage the department to clearly list the breakdown of these projects in the annual capital estimates document which is tabled in the Legislative Assembly given that they amount to over 10 percent of the department’s total planned spending.
Mr. Chairman, from time to time, all Members of the Legislative Assembly receive official correspondence from the government that outlines budget transfers between capital projects that have occurred during the course of the fiscal year.
It is essential that members be kept informed of the exact status of capital projects that have been impacted by such transfers and encourage the government to provide clear and detailed information in these advisories concerning the reasons for why funds have been transferred.
Members recognize the need for the department to address the issue of bulk fuel storage in our communities.
The growth of communities and more stringent federal regulations will require the department to modernize and expand existing storage facilities.
Improvements in this area may, in the longer term, help to reduce the need to periodically resupply communities by air, as has been required in prior years.
At its recent annual general meeting in Cambridge Bay, the Nunavut Association of Municipalities passed a resolution concerning dust control in Nunavut. The standing committee looks forward to receiving a copy of the department’s response to the resolution and encourages the minister to table this document in the Legislative Assembly.
Mr. Chairman, this concludes my opening comments on the proposed 2010-11 Capital Estimates of the Department of Community and Government Services.
You can take a break now as you seemed to be getting tired.
My colleagues, we can now continue with our review. Before we proceed, I would like to remind you of the following: according to Rule 77(1), you have 10 minutes to speak, and according to Rule 77(2), subject to the discretion of the Chair, a member may speak more than once to a matter under discussion but not until every member wishing to speak has spoken.
I suggest to members that wherever possible you ask your detailed questions during the page-by-page review of the capital estimates.
Do any of my colleagues have comments to the opening remarks?
In reading the contents of the opening comments of the minister, I believe this is the appropriate time to ask my questions.
In regard to the last part of the minister’s opening comments, my first question would be on page 5 of 6. I don’t think there’s a 6 in here, but it says 5 of 6. Perhaps there is a page missing.
Anyways, that’s just a comment.
I would like to thank the minister. There is a statement written in here.
I unfortunately didn’t have it on the right page, so bear with me. It’s on page 2 in English and it’s in regard to the crusher that replaces community granular stocks. Repulse Bay, Arviat, and Chesterfield Inlet were mentioned here.
We have enormous amounts of rock in the vicinity of our communities, yet it’s very hard to get granular products.
I was just in Repulse Bay last week. When I was talking to the mayor about the local issues, he indicated that they no longer have any granular stockpiles available to the municipality, Mr. Chairman, and they started using the granular stocks set aside for the runway surface repairs.
I think we all know that we need proper roads to maintain our services. Water, sewage, garbage services, and the like require maintained roads.
When the roads are not properly maintained, it causes damage to the equipment and then the equipment start breaking down.
Repulse Bay is one of the communities that are in dire need of restocking their granular stocks.
Once I have finished my opening comments, I will be asking questions on it later.
The minister also made reference to this program which I believe is called the Gas Tax Program in English. I believe I heard or read somewhere that they’re going to be visiting the communities.
If I remember correctly, Aarluk Consulting was going to the communities to consult and I believe that’s part of the Gas Tax Program, although it does not specify that a tour will occur.
I will be asking two questions. When the crusher is available either this spring or during sealift season, will Repulse Bay be first since our granular stocks are severely depleted?
My next question would be in regard to the Gas Tax Program. Did the tour already visit my constituency communities of Kugaaruk and Repulse Bay? I believe that Aarluk Consulting was to conduct a tour.
You have 10 minutes, so it’s okay if you ask one question at a time.
Minister Kusugak, can you try and respond to the questions.
Hon. Lorne Kusugak (interpretation): Yes, I can try and respond.
The member indicated that he was going to be asking questions at the appropriate time. Did you want me to respond right now or do you want to wait until after general comments?
I can say that during the mayors meeting, I was there and had a meeting with each of the mayors.
I believe there’s a shortage of granular stocks in just about every Nunavut community.
Coral Harbour, I believe, is the only one that has an adequate supply. Our department is working on this issue.
Once the granular pilot project is done in the Kitikmeot, we can start looking at the Kivalliq. We will be able to bring that gravel crusher to each of the communities that require it, Mr. Chairman.
The communities would be visited alternating each summer.
Repulse Bay is going to be getting a gravel screener, as per the capital plan, which only separates different sizes of gravel, but if you need the gravel crusher, yes, your community will be getting a crusher eventually as we want to see it go to all the communities that need it.
I believe he had a second question about the Gas Tax Program and that was if Aarluk Consulting will be visiting the communities.