EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
The minister does not need to be reminded that the world oil price is increasing every month but, Mr. Speaker, the minister needs to be reminded though that Nunavut consumers, hunters and homeowners can no longer afford to pay for Nunavut fuel prices.
Will the minister commit to this House that you will not raise NPC power rates at any time soon?
Hon. Ed. Picco (interpretation): I am very scared of you. Scary.
(interpretation ends) It’s Halloween, I guess, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to state to the honourable member that, no, I’m not here as the boogeyman or a ghoul or anything like that.
I’m here to help the member. We, as a government, are here to help the people of Nunavut.
Indeed, Mr. Speaker, we’ve actually just announced, as of today, October 31, 2007, a decrease in the fuel rider for Nunavummiut. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Speaker: Thank you, Minister. Your first supplementary, Mr. Curley.
Mr. Curley: I know, Mr. Speaker, that it’s Halloween Night. The minister does not have to act like a clown because he normally does.
But, Mr. Speaker, to be more serious, the minister should tell exactly what the government’s plans are, not what happened last year.
We’re dealing with high oil prices today. Will the minister tell the Nunavut Power Corporation that they should not and will not raise power rates during the winter consumption period? Thank you.
Speaker: Thank you, Mr. Curley. Minister Picco.
Hon. Ed. Picco: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. All I can say to the member and I don’t mean to say he’s clowning around, and indeed, if there are any clowns here. I would suggest to the honourable member that there is no plan of the Government of Nunavut to increase power rates during the winter season, or indeed, in the next 12 months.
We had an increase two years ago of about 16 percent, I believe it was at the time, on rates, and as I just said earlier, we’ve actually decreased the fuel rider from 6.5 cents per kilowatt hour to 6.40 cents per kilowatt hour.
Now, that is a small decrease, Mr. Speaker, but it is a decrease in the rider.
So hopefully that will not spook the member but give him the level of comfort that he seems not to have had for a long time.
Speaker: Thank you, Minister. Your second supplementary, Mr. Curley.
Mr. Curley: Thank you. I appreciate the minister’s comments. I don’t believe the minister could spook anyone around here; they are now too smart to...
... but I want to be serious. Mr. Speaker, the minister, if I understand him correctly, he will not accept recommendations from NPC or the Public Utilities Board, and that he now commits to this House that he will not accept any recommendations to increase power rates soon.
Hon. Ed. Picco: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I don’t intend to scare people, frighten them, or bring them forward to any type of Metro Golden Meyer, MGM movie scenario of ‘The Exorcist.”
What I would suggest to the member that what he is asking for is actually in place.
We have a subsidy in place for the first 1,000 kilowatt hours during the winter months and we have a subsidy in place for the first 750 kilowatt hours during the summer months, and Mr. Speaker, there is no intention, at this time, of the Power Corporation to bring forth any type of increase that I have seen.
However, after saying that, we do have checks and balances in place to provide an open and transparent, and indeed, a ghostly-like presence on power rates and those ghostly-like presences are transparent.
Question 290 – 2(4): Update on Implementing “Junk Food” Tax (Tootoo)
Mr. Tootoo: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to direct my question to the Minister responsible for Finance and there’s going to be no tricks or treats in here.
Minister Picco missed an opportunity for a trick on Halloween when he could have said, “Yes, we are raising things,” just to fool everybody on Halloween.
Mr. Speaker, my question to the Minister responsible for Finance and I know in the last year there were some changes brought around for taxes to increase taxes on what we call the ‘SIN’ taxes.
I guess today would be, being Halloween, an appropriate day to ask the minister, at the time I had asked him to commit to looking into a Junk Food Tax, which is a big hot item that’s going to be out there today.
I’m just wondering if the minister could give us an update as to what progress, if any, they’ve made at looking at implementing a tax like that.
Yes, the department is still looking at the whole issue of junk food taxes. We’re struggling with the issue a bit because it’s become very clear that it’ll hit the people it should not hit the most.
We are still looking at the issue; whether we will go ahead with it or not. We’re struggling at this point but we are still looking at it.
The minister indicated that it’ll hit the people that will be affected the most and that it shouldn’t.
The same argument could be said for the taxes they raised for alcohol and tobacco. The impact of the sale of those products affects the same people.
The whole idea behind it is that they are trying to find ways to reduce that stuff being purchased. Like I said, we are paying in the long term for health care reasons in all those areas.
So I would ask the minister not to dwell on it too much. It’s the same argument that they used for the increase in tobacco and alcohol taxes. Why wouldn’t they use that same argument looking at the same unhealthy effects of the consumption of junk food as well?
It is an active file. We are looking at it. We will come to some conclusion some time soon.
Yes, we’re still working on it.
Can the minister give an indication of when they may be looking at coming forward with some type of legislative proposal to address that issue?
We should be in the position some time soon to clearly state which direction we’re going to go with this file.
If you look at it, we have a little over 11 months left on our term, probably. I’m just wondering if the minister is saying that “some time soon” means that we’ll be able to look at legislation like that in the life of this Assembly.
That’s quite possible if we decide to go ahead with the Junk Food Tax. As I said, we should know that in the very near future.
Question 291 – 2(4): Lead Minister on Suicide Prevention Strategy (Peterson)
Mr. Speaker, the Premier announced a release of the Suicide Intervention Prevention Strategy at the end of June in a news release on June 29. We were encouraged to see the Government of Nunavut has made progress on this important initiative. I hope that it helps our communities and residents.
We hear about suicide and attempted suicide it seems like every week in Nunavut.
Interdepartmental coordination and strengthening relationships seem to be at the heart of the strategy. My question for the Premier: can the Premier tell the House who the lead minister is who will be accountable for the success of the strategy?
Premier of Nunavut, Honourable Paul Okalik.
We have worked really hard on this.
We are working with Health and Social Services because we cannot do it alone and as a government, we can only try and assist those people who do consider suicide.
Speaker (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Premier. (interpretation ends) Your first supplementary, Mr. Peterson.
Mr. Speaker, the Government of Nunavut’s news release said that they would use existing resources to establish an office with a staff of three.
My question for the Premier: can the Premier tell the House if any specific dollars have been allocated to the strategy to date?
The staff that we are currently using will be helping by collecting information to run an office.
We want it to run very smoothly for the benefit of all Nunavummiut.
Mr. Speaker, it’s important that when we implement these strategies that we know how successful they are a year from now, two years from now, or even 10 years from now, and ongoing in the interim.
I wonder if the Premier can tell the House if he can explain to us how the Government of Nunavut will measure the success of this strategy once it’s implemented.
This will be ongoing.
There was the Department of Education and the Department of Health and Social Services.
So what we’re trying to do is to make it into one so that we can help the people.
At this time, we are not sure but we certainly want to see a decrease in suicide.
Mr. Speaker, at the Kitikmeot Inuit Association Annual General Meeting, suicide was discussed among the youth and elders, and women’s groups.
They’re urging the Government of Nunavut and other organizations to put some strategies in place to help the communities with suicide issues and help people.
I sense that there wasn’t a whole lot of communication at that meeting with the Government of Nunavut.
I think communication with the communities is important for the successful implementation of the strategy.
With that in mind, my question for the Premier: can the Premier tell us, to date, how the Government of Nunavut has communicated this strategy to the local wellness workers in the communities who have to work with people with suicide issues?
That’s exactly what we’re trying to do; to do that so that there will be good communication between the communities and the government without a concern to work together so that we can make a dent in the number of suicides.
We have to work together with the community and work with the families, even though it is one of the most difficult things to tackle in Nunavut.
Question 292 – 2(4): Streetlights in Pond Inlet on April to August (Arvaluk)
Mr. Arvaluk (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is directed to the Minister of Energy.
When the Premier was in Pond Inlet last month with his colleagues, the CGS Minister and Transportation Minister along with Mr. Akesuk, they were asked why the streets are lit during April to August when we have the sun out.
It costs $10,000 a month when they have the lights on for that period of time.
Why is that minister? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Speaker (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Arvaluk. Minister of Energy, Honourable Ed. Picco.
I did have an opportunity to speak with the Premier after his visit to Pond Inlet and he relayed the concerns to me about the lights.
I think that, just for a little clarification, each pole light in Nunavut has a sensor, and that sensor automatically turns on the light when it gets dusk and getting dark, and of course, the light automatically would go off when it gets light out.
In some cases, you have a sensor that is malfunctioning. It is my understanding that there were some lights in Pond Inlet that were malfunctioning because of the sensor issue.
Speaker: Thank you, Minister. Your first supplementary, Mr. Arvaluk.
Is this rectified up to date? Are the lights going to be turned off during this winter because they are costing the government $10,000 a month for the local energy? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Speaker (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Arvaluk. Minister Picco.
It is my understanding, and again, being familiar with Pond Inlet, as we get further into the year, it’s getting darker there and the lights will come on.
What we have tried to do is look at the sensor issue on those street lights and determine what the best course of action is.
In most cases, it’s just a matter of changing the sensor.
It is my understanding, Mr. Speaker, with the information provided to me that that has been done.
Speaker: Thank you, Minister. Your second supplementary, Mr. Arvaluk.
Mr. Arvaluk: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think everywhere everybody knows, especially most other Canadians know, that when you ask for service, when you get service, you pay for the service.
That’s agreed to between the two parties.
But hamlets didn’t seem to ask to have the lighting service, especially in May, June, July, and August, not just in Pond but in other High Arctic communities, too. I don’t think they ask for that street lighting service.
Why is the Power Corporation charging them for it?
Hon. Ed. Picco: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. If I understand the member correctly, what happens, Mr. Speaker, is that in any community, not just the member’s community but in any community in Nunavut, indeed, in Canada, where you have an electrical utility company, they provide the light service.
The hamlet, the town, the city, the village contracts the Power Corporation to install lights and they say, “Can you put a light at a certain location?” And then the Power Corporation moves ahead and does that.
If, for example, the Hamlet of Pond Inlet would like lights removed from different parts of the community, then they can make that application or request to the Power Corporation.
If they would like to add more lights to the community in certain locations where it may be darker and so on, they also can do that.
However, when we look at the lights that may have been on and that there might have been extra charges to the hamlet, if they are able to identify those lights, and we can identify those lights because we have been able to fix it because of the sensor problem, then that’s something that we can look at with the power bill for the hamlet itself which pays for the street lights to see if there is an opportunity for reimbursement for power used that should not have been used.
Speaker: Thank you, Minister. Your final supplementary, Mr. Arvaluk.
Mr. Arvaluk: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Isn’t it the responsibility of the Power Corporation to check if the street lighting systems are not malfunctioning rather than the hamlet? I mean, why should the hamlet have to go around and find out about these things to tell you this is broken, etcetera?
I don’t think I can accept that.
Will the minister then ensure that his staff, in those communities who are affected by this malfunctioning street lighting system, be instructed to make sure that the service is not provided when they’re not required, especially in the summer time?
As the member knows, the people working in our power plant live in our communities and they are quite aware of the situation in regard to the street lights.
What we try to do on a regular basis on community visits in communities is we replace lights that are broken that have a sensor problem. So in this case, in the community, there seems to have been an issue with the sensor and the Power Corporation people would then move forward and fix it.
However, as I just indicated to the member, if the hamlet feels, for example, in this case, that they’ve paying for lights that have been on during the summer time, and they’re paying that bill, then yes, it’s up to them to bring that information forward to the Power Corporation.  It’s no different than the member who’s paying any type of bill that is receiving a service or is not receiving a service which he is paying, or is a receiving what he hasn’t paid for, the same system would be in place as per any business.
So I thank the member for bringing this forward to the House and we’ll follow up with the situation in the community.
Question 293 – 2(4): Update on Medical Travel Co-ordination (Barnabas)
Mr. Barnabas (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is directed to the Minister responsible for Health and Social Services.
Even today, patients sent out for medical care and left behind are still increasing, particularly here in the Baffin where we have the largest population.
Mr. Speaker, the service having been decentralized to Pangnirtung, and the elders and employees who have to stay at Tammaartarvik Boarding Home, and with patients having to be assigned to accomodations in hotels and so on, especially government employees have to make their own arrangements for accommodation when they can’t board the airplane.
When people arrive into town for meetings or to see an osteoporosis specialist, many arrive en masse.
At the same time, all kinds of meetings and conferences take place with the resulting shortage of accomodations for patients left behind.
I would like to ask the minister for an update on whether the situation with the department responsible for patient accomodations being in Pangnirtung?
Speaker: Thank you, Mr. Barnabas. Minister of Health and Social Services, Honourable Leona Aglukkaq.
From what I have been advised, the issues related to travel for patients, complaints have been reduced for travel from individuals travelling to health centres, or to the hospital here from the communities.  I’m not aware of any new complaints of people missing their flights and so on.
If the member is aware of a person, I can look into that.
As far as I’m aware, the complaints from patients have significantly been reduced based on the statistics of the operations in Pangnirtung have in place.  So if the member is aware of a person, I would be pleased to follow through with that review.
Mr. Barnabas (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Sometimes the flight comes through our community on the weekend when there are no staff working.
For those that are left behind, they have told me that they have to be on stand-by in order to travel and they’ll get on if there’s space.
So, why is this happening with the patients that are going home or coming down?
I think there are two different issues here: the first one is related to the coordination of travel for patients’ tickets and the second one is whether there are seats available on the flights or not.
The practice has been that whenever a person is done with all their appointments, that person would be booked on the first available seat travelling out of Iqaluit to various communities.
So if there is a seat available, we would immediately book the person on the first available flight. In some cases, those flights are booked, so that the booking would be to the next available flight where there is a seat travelling to communities throughout the Baffin.
So I think there are two distinctions there: one is the whole coordination and the other is the availability of seats on the airline.
I don’t think she fully understands what she’s talking about.
As I was saying, it’s harder to get on a flight on the weekends because there are patients that are left behind.
For this reason, when there’s bad weather, they can’t go home, and later on, the flight is full for the next available flight.
There are patients that are behind and they have to call Pangnirtung to the GN. They have to check out from the hotel and when they get back to the hotel, if there’s a big conference there and there’s no room for them in the hotels, there are completely no rooms, so they have to find their own accommodations.
They have to call to Pangnirtung to get their tickets rearranged.
How is this rectified now? Have you rectified this problem up to now?
In terms of the specific concern the member has related to that individual, once again, I can look into that.
We are trying to provide coordination of travel of patients out of here. Yes, sometimes the weather is bad; that’s a reality in the North.
In those cases, we would do the re-booking of those individuals on the next available flight, and on the next available flight, there may be a seat but the blizzard can continue.
So we continue to provide follow ups to those individuals.
Sometimes those are in the evenings, sometimes those are in the weekends but we have staff that is available to provide assistance.  As well, we have an arrangement with the airline at the airport of who is notified of medical travel clients that are travelling and they are available to assist clients at the airport when there is re-booking required due to weather and so on.
Once the ticket is arranged and the plane is delayed or rescheduled for the next day, the airline counters re-books those individuals on the next available flight, weather permitting.
For the unilingual elders, I know myself that this has happened. People couldn’t get home for a whole week and they had to keep calling to Pangnirtung to make arrangements for their available flight.
Those unilingual people need to be supported and assisted.
Why was this elder here for three weeks, stuck in Iqaluit?
This is a problem. It wasn’t organized. What is the situation with the unilingual elders that are not able to call on their own to get help and even able to call to the airline ticket agents?
I’m not aware of an elder being stuck here for three weeks.
If that was a serious issue at the time, I would have liked to be notified so that I can follow up to make sure assistance was provided to an elder that required travelling. At the same time, in most cases, unilingual elders have escorts.
So we have been trying to improve the services for medical travel along the way.  In cases like that, I would like to hear about that.
If there’s an individual that waited here for three weeks, I would like the name of that person, and then we can follow up to see who the person is and what exactly happened so that we can address some of these concerns that may be of assistance related issues.
Until such time, without the name, it’s difficult to pinpoint exactly what the issue is when we process over 15,000 travel tickets in 12 months in the Baffin alone.
Question 294 – 2(4): Option on Contractors Not Paying Payroll Tax (Tootoo)
I would really like to ask my question to the Minister responsible for Education, Energy, Immigration, Multiculturalism, Homelessness, and our very own House Leader, but I’m not going to.
I’d like to direct my question to the Minister of Finance.
Mr. Speaker, one of the other things that the minister had committed to looking at for me in the last year or so, is when the issue of the Payroll Tax came up. As we all know, the Payroll Tax is designed to capture money leaving the territory from people that don’t live here in Nunavut.
I know that the government has had a growing demand. There seem to be more and more people working on contract. One of the things is that those contract employees are not captured in the Payroll Tax.
The minister has committed to looking at an option of trying to capture some of that. I’m just wondering if he could update me on what they’ve done on that particular file.
Yes, we have been looking at consultants and contractors, and assessing the Payroll Tax.
The problem they’re running into is that they will just end up charging it back to their clients, whether it’s the government or private industry, in the form of higher billings or higher recoveries. We’re still looking at that.
So ultimately, the burden of the tax will not fall on the intended target, the contractor, or the consultant, but instead, fall on the clients employing them, again, as I said, either government or the private industry that are hiring these consultants and contractors.
So they’re still looking at the issue and they’re still dealing with it. (interpretation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
In the department’s way of looking at it, have they looked at or tried to determine the amount of money that has been paid out to contract employees?
Have they looked at trying to determine what that amount is to see how much we’re missing out on?
No, I have not seen that actual number.
In part, I may have looked at it, but I personally have not seen that number yet.
Could the minister commit to; if that idea has been looked at in trying to determine how much out there is escaping us on the Payroll Tax; if it has been looked at, and if not, would he commit to looking into it to try and get a grasp on that?
Yes, I will check with the department on that after.
I believe the Department of Human Resources keeps track of how many contract employees are out there; whether they’re on contract.
Would the minister commit to contacting the Department of Human Resources and see if they keep track of that information, and if not, look at other ways to ensure that that information is adequately gathered?
Hon. David Simailak: Yes, that is a very good suggestion.
Tabling of Documents. Mr. Arvaluk.
Tabled Document 135 – 2(4): Correspondence to Minister of Community and Government Services Concerning Pond Inlet Community Hall & Arena (Arvaluk)
I wish to table my correspondence of October 31, 2007 to the Minister of Community and Government Services concerning the Pond Inlet Community Hall and Arena.
Thank you, (interpretation) Mr. Speaker.
Speaker: Thank you, Mr. Arvaluk. (interpretation) Could the member please bring the Tabled Document to the Clerk’s table?
(interpretation ends) Thank you. Tabling of Documents.