EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
It’s very frustrating when you can’t get answers and I think that that’s the question if I was selling gas in any of the communities in any of the affected communities I’d want an answer to pretty darn fast.
And maybe get a commitment from the Minister of the department to contact those distributors in the affected communities and deal with that as quickly as possible.
You know, because for a lot of those people if something happens, it could be their business and their livelihood, you know, and their whole life’s work could go down the drain in one lawsuit.
So I think that that’s something that should be a priority of the department to let those business people in the communities know that they are not going to be held responsible because they are selling a sub-standard product.
Hon. Peter Kattuk (interpretation): We will consider the members request to see because they are selling bad gas that we have provided to them because they have to sell bad gasoline in the communities it’s not their fault.
And we will consider very carefully the member’s questions and his comments.
Committee Motion 001 – 1(6): Call for Action to Address the Gasoline Situation
Mr. McLean: This is a. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
This is a motion from the Committee of the Whole.
WHEREAS the quality of gasoline in our communities is of great importance to the Members of the Legislative Assembly;
AND WHEREAS it is in the public interest that a solution be found to address the quality of the present supply of gasoline in our communities, and to ensure that a repetition of this situation does not occur;
AND WHEREAS there has been damage to the property of Nunavut residents as a result of the quality of gasoline;
AND WHEREAS appropriate levels of compensation to Nunavummiut whose property has been damaged as a result of the gasoline supply must be provided;
AND WHEREAS the safety of the public on the land, sea ice and water is of concern;
AND WHEREAS any disposal of the current gasoline supply must take place in as environmentally responsible manner as possible;
AND WHEREAS public confidence in the Government can only be strong if actions and decisions are taken in a transparent and accountable manner;
AND WHEREAS there is no clarity as to where the accountability for this situation rests;
NOW THEREFORE I MOVE that this Committee recommends that the Government of Nunavut, along with other stakeholders, work in an expeditious manner to achieve a solution to the quality of the present gasoline supply;
AND FURTHER, I MOVE that this Committee recommends that the Government of Nunavut, beginning the week of June 3, 2002, make announcements on a regular basis concerning the status of its actions regarding this situation; including the issue of compensation for Nunavummiut whose property has been damaged as a result of the quality of the gasoline supply;
AND FURTHER, I MOVE that this Committee recommends that the Government of Nunavut prepare and table in the House during the fall 2002 Session of the Legislative Assembly a comprehensive report on the situation, including the Government's conclusions as to where the accountability for the situation rests.
Ms. Williams stated that public works should be next and we would like to deal with public works.
Chairperson (interpretation): Thank you. Do we agree that we deal with the Department of Public Works?
Thank you, minister.
Perhaps the minister can start with his opening remarks for the Department of Public Works.
I would also like to acknowledge and thank my officials.
I know that the bad gasoline situation is not going to get any better overnight but we will do as much as we can in the meantime and I’d like to assure the members that we will be working on this diligently.
We will consider all the remarks that were made by the members of this House. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Chairperson (interpretation): Yes we understand your final comments on the bad gas situation.
I was supposed to say thank you to your officials.
I think there’s going to be another official coming in.
Can you begin with your opening comments Mr. Minister?
Hon. Peter Kattuk (interpretation): I don’t have my opening comments so, I will have to go and get them first.
Chairperson (interpretation): I think our clerk is getting very good at giving the opening remarks to the ministers.
Go ahead Minister Kattuk.
Mr. Chairman, I have a couple of pages for my speaking notes.
I will be reading in English.
(interpretation ends) Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the 2002/2003 main estimates for the Department of Public Works.
For fiscal 2002/2003, Department of Public Works and Services has a total budget of 65.2 million dollars which consists of 58.9 million dollars for operations and maintenance and 6.3 million dollars for capital projects.
To give a brief overview of the budget details, I will highlight the distribution of the operations and maintenance budget.
The combined salaries and operations budget includes 8.5 for the directorate.
The directorate, including the deputy minister’s office and corporate services division at headquarters is responsible for senior management of the department as well as for advice, assistance, planning and administration of human resources, finance and policy functions of the department.
In addition it provides government wide leadership in records management policy and procedures development and implementation.
In the regions the directorate includes the regional director and finance and administration services section.
Five million 700 thousand dollars has been dedicated to technical services in order to:
provide planning, design and management services for government projects carried out on behalf of client departments;
assist clients in identifying their long term capital requirements and operational guidelines;
develop government wide technical standards for infrastructure.
Thirty million 900 thousand is slated for operations to meet the responsibilities of:
managing the GN’s inventory of owned and leased office program facilities and the allocation of space;
conducting inspections and reviews of existing and planned facilities to ensure compliance with mechanical/electrical codes and standards;
purchasing goods and administers the Eastern Arctic sealift on behalf of the Government of Nunavut;
in consultation with clients developing, implementing and monitoring contracting policy and procedures, including the Nunavummi Nangminiqaqtunik Ikajuuti policy;
developing contracting guidelines and procedures.
Twelve million 600 thousand of the O and M budget has been allocated to our informatics operations division for operations and maintenance of the Government of Nunavut data and voice networks.
This includes Network operations centres in Iqaluit, Rankin Inlet and Cambridge Bay, support centres in six secondary communities and office systems in over 50 buildings throughout Nunavut.
In support of decentralization, my department has been allocated 1.2 million for Phase 3.
This is to ensure that requirements for office furnishings as well as information technology systems are met.
Mr. Chairman I would like to mention that Public Works and Services is embarking on a new environmental assessment initiative for clean up of the Petroleum Products Division’s Tank farms.
In 2002-2003, PPD has been allocated 5.7 million in capital funds for the maintenance and enhancement of bulk fuel storage facilities across Nunavut.
In addition Mr. Chairman, Public Works and Services has been allocated another 580 thousand dollars in capital funds for upgrades to Government of Nunavut facilities.
Committee chair do you have opening comments?
As Chairman of the Standing Committee on Community Empowerment and Sustainable Development, I am pleased to be able to provide opening comments as we begin the review of the 2002-2003 main estimates for the Department of Public Works and Services.
Mr. Chairman, over the past month, the Standing Committee has had the opportunity to meet with the new Minister of Public Works and Services and has carefully reviewed the Department’s main estimates.
Mr. Chairman, the Standing Committee is generally satisfied with the work of the Department to date.
However, a number of issues related to the main estimates require further clarification.
Mr. Chairman, the decentralization branch appears to have allocated $1,035,000 for a study on community bandwidth needs.
The Standing Committee urges the Department of Public Works to work closely with the Department of Sustainable Development - the lead department with respect to the Nunavut Broadband Taskforce.
It is important to reduce overlap between government departments and this study by Public Works needs to be coordinated to avoid redundancies.
Mr. Chairman, the Standing Committee recognizes that federal priorities have changed as a result of the events of September 11.
However, it should be pointed out that federal investment in bandwidth is an investment in infrastructure.
The Standing Committee urges the Department to pursue funding from the federal government for this project.
Mr. Chairman, since the first year of the GN’s operation, the issue of expenditures in the area of information technology has been a concern.
Members have previously expressed concern with the large supplementary appropriations that have come forward in this area.
The Standing Committee is concerned that this branch stays within its budget.
Mr. Chairman, the Auditor General of Canada, in her 2001 Report to the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut, expressed concern with respect to the financial reporting practices of the Petroleum Products Division.
This underlines concerns with respect to hidden subsidies that were highlighted in the Ikuma I report that was tabled in this House on February 18, 2000.
The Ikuma I report investigates the option of merging the Petroleum Products Division and the Nunavut Power Corporation to reduce the amount of overlap that currently exists.
To this end, Mr. Chairman, it will be important that accurate accounting indicate the real cost of the division including the amortization of tank farm equipment, capital costs and GN-wide blanket insurance, as well as legal services and support services provided by other Government of Nunavut departments.
Accurate financial statements are essential in helping to determine whether the Petroleum Products Division should be a crown corporation.
Mr. Chairman, the Standing Committee is also concerned about how the Program Review exercise will affect the work of such bodies as the Ikuma group.
It is important that work continues to progress in streamlining the provision of energy to Nunavummiut.
Mr. Chairman, the Committee is also concerned about vehicles purchased through the petroleum products revolving fund during the 2001-2002 fiscal year.
Because of the nature of the revolving fund, the real costs associated with purchasing those vehicles and shipping them to the communities is not readily apparent.
The Standing Committee requests that the Department provide a community-by-community cost breakdown on the purchase of any new vehicles during the fiscal year 2001-2002 and the cost of shipping them to communities.
Mr. Chairman, the Standing Committee has noted that the GN/NTI NNI Policy 2000-2001 Annual Review was tabled in the House on May 1.
The Committee looks forward to reviewing this document in detail.
However, the Committee is concerned that the contracting appeals board has still not been formed to hear appeals.
In recommendation #14, the Annual Review specifically points to problems of interpretation that should be clarified.
Since the policy is open to such interpretation, it is clear that decisions will be appealed.
Mr. Chairman, more than a year ago the Canadian Coast Guard devolved the eastern arctic sealift to the Government of Nunavut.
In last year’s Joint Standing Committee Report, the Standing Committee recommended that the Department undertake a review of the eastern arctic sealift to determine the costs and outcomes associated with the devolution.
The Standing Committee looks forward to a report being tabled in the fall Session that outlines the costs and benefits related to GN control of the eastern arctic sealift.
Mr. Chairman, that concludes my comments on the main estimates of the Department of Public Works and Services.
Before we break for our supper, I would like to ask the minister to introduce his witnesses.
I forgot the name of the individual on my left, Patrick Galbraith and Ross Mrazek, our deputy minister.
Chairperson (interpretation): I believe meals are ready upstairs.
We’ll take a 35 minute break.
>>Committee recessed at 5.55 p.m. and resumed at 6.33 p.m.
We can start again.
Members have ten minutes to speak.
I would like to say that I would like to welcome the Minister of the Department of Public Works and Services for coming to this meeting.
Public Works and Services plays a vital part for the communities in the services that they provide.
So we have been thinking that Public Works and Services should be providing some better service for the communities in Nunavut for things such as equipment and for them to be able to grow along with the other communities that have been decentralized.
They have to be more receptive to the needs of the communities and work with the communities.
I know that Department of Public Works and Services for quite some time now just like the other departments of the government have a lot of employees stationed and aboriginal people that are stationed in the communities and it’s good to see that.
The department employs a lot of Inuit people in the communities.
But besides employing Inuit people in the communities sometimes when the people need something they don’t seem to respond to the needs of the people and the communities.
So that this why I would encourage the department to work with the communities not just be receptive to the Members of the Legislative Assembly but be more receptive to the communities’ needs.
We would also hope to be able to work with the Department of Public Works and Services a lot more as MLAs.
So for that reason when the minister made his opening comments I would, there could be more that the department could be doing in the communities to help the people out.
The 65.2 million dollars, in there 58 point something million should be given out to the people in the communities more so.
I’m not exactly sure what they do in the larger communities in the decentralized communities but I know they do have employees in the smaller communities.
I would just like to encourage the department to be able to work with the communities and to be more responsive to the needs of the communities.
Chairperson (interpretation): If there are no more comments we’ll go to the budget of the Department of Public Works and Services.
Are there any questions on 6-5?
If not, then page 6-6.
Total operations and maintenance 8 million 467 thousand.
Are you agreed on that page?
Mr. Iqaqrialu (interpretation): I’m sorry Mr. Chairman.
Under other expenses in the amount of 98 thousand there was nothing on the revised estimates and the 2001-2002 estimates but it’s now showing up in 2002-2003.
If somebody could explain to me what other expenses is used for?
It wasn’t in the revised estimates or the 2001-2002 estimates. It’s to do with computers and materials for office use for this year.
It’s to do with software and hardware.
I’m going to ask about the total expenditures.
It was 6.3 but now it’s 8.4.
What is the total increase for the total expenditures from the previous year?
The reason for the increase from 6.3 to 8.4 is because of the growth of the department and in that page under directorate.
Mr. Nutarak (interpretation): Well, what’s being done now that wasn’t done before?
I will get my finance person to answer that question.
Mr. Galbraith: The increase in directorate is mainly due to the increase in salaries due to the collective agreement signed just recently, last year, as well as an increase in the telephone charges.
We expect an increase in the budget there for the increased telephone long distance charges.
Anything else? Mr. Nutarak.
Do you have an increase in your PYs?
Or is that just for the collective agreement increase or do you have more staff in your department now?
There have been four PYs increased under the directorate here in Iqaluit.
But I may as well in this area.
If it’s not here, would it pass on to the other pages?
I know the department has long term service employees in different communities.
One example is in my community, I know you’ve been there for quite some time and I’m not sure, how much more time or when he’s going to retire.
I guess in the planning part, to make sure we employ local people, do you have something along the lines of training on the job for this and for that position in case or a plan in place where you can have such training on the job type of position.
When a person, say, I may be thinking a little ahead of myself, but it’s good though because we need to have the training positions anyways, so you can hire someone locally instead of trying to hire from south or other provinces.
To the member’s question I will get Ross Mrazek to answer that.
Public Works always follow the basically very simple process wherever we can we will incorporate Inuit employees, number one.
Number two, in some positions where it’s possible we incorporate trainees in different jobs and different positions and that’s basically what we have been doing for the last number of several years.
I cannot really give a straight answer regarding that community position but I can follow up and let you know it will be later on if there is any plan with that.
Directorate. Total operations and maintenance 8 million 467 thousand.
Page 6-7.
Technical Services.
Total operations and maintenance 5 million 724 thousand.
Mr. Nutarak (interpretation): Under technical services, under 6-7, there’s an increase as well under, there was also an increase in a previous page after the union negotiations is that compensation and benefits the same as the previous page because of the negotiations?
Hon. Peter Kattuk (interpretation): Yes, that’s right Mr. Chairman.  Chairperson (interpretation): Mr. Nutarak.
Mr. Nutarak (interpretation): The very last description under other expenses, what is that going to be used for, 693 thousand dollars.
It’s to do with, to clean up tank farms and other things such as computers and software, mostly to the software.
Chairperson (interpretation): Anything else Mr. Iqaqrialu.
Page 6-8 Public Works and Services.
Total operations and maintenance 30 million 959 thousand.
Under operations it states that the operations and maintenance of Government of Nunavut inventory owned and leased facilities and the allocation of space, it conducts inspections for reuse of existing plans, is this done by contractors?
Hon. Peter Kattuk (interpretation): We will get the person from finance to answer the question.
Mr. Galbraith: In some cases we do employ contractors for these services.
Mr. Iqaqrialu (interpretation): For that reason, during my opening comments that there should be employees for Public Works to do more of what the contractors are doing.
So, 2001 – 2002 it was 19 million dollars for contract services but now it’s only 16 million dollars.
I just wondered by that has been a decrease in there.
Hon. Peter Kattuk (interpretation): I will get my financial person to answer that question.
The decrease in the contract services is due to through several tenders that came in lower than expected, as well as, we also transferred to the Legislative Assembly the janitorial and security contract and as well as the PY. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Correct me if I make a mistake.
He stated that it’s something to do with clean up.
What was cleaned?
Mr. Galbraith: I meant to say cleaning contract that we have with the Legislative Assembly.
We took care of the Legislative Assembly in the past but we transferred that responsibility to the Office of the Legislative Assembly.
What about the communities.
Do they have any cleaning services in the communities as well?
Yes, we hire janitorial services for all Government of Nunavut buildings, as well as lease to own facilities.
Yes, I wanted to find that out because I received a letter from the department about janitorial services.
In the communities in some communities there have been a lot of, there are janitorial services employed by Public Works and it’s a lot of work for those cleaners.
If I understand this properly, I just wondered if they’re kind of loaded.
It’s for the whole of Nunavut.
It’s 16 million 843 dollars.
Like if we, I awarded the contract, then they have to provide the cleaning, janitorial services, for the buildings.
Under contract services.
Who usually gets the contracts?
Hon. Peter Kattuk (interpretation): What we do is we contract those janitorial companies.
Say for instance if you have the hospital or a school that needs cleaning or do they do schools and hospitals as well?
The schools and the others, we don’t deal with the schools.
At this stage in the year 2001-2002 there was 640 thousand and there has been a decrease ever since and when we finally go to 2002-2003 it’s very, very small, is it under travel and transportation, because there’s a decrease in the amount of travel and transportation, in your department.
Chairperson (interpretation): Please go through the chair so our technical people will know when to turn off your mike.
There is a decrease in the travel and transportation because there’s less travel among the staff.
I don’t have the detailed information in front of me, but there is less travel within my department.
In past two years there has been less travel, that’s why there’s a decrease in that line item.
Thank you, Mr. Minister for your response.
Under contract services, 2001-2002 it was 19 million and 2002-2003 it’s 16 million, that’s a lot of money if it was my own but there is a decrease in the amount is that because there are fewer contracts?
This was a question that was posed earlier by one of the members and the response was that we have a smaller amount in the contracts.
That was the response that was given earlier.
In the smaller communities also in the mid sized communities there are development corporations that are starting to get established in those communities and smaller businesses and small businesses.
Does your department contract to the private companies or small businesses in development corporations in the communities for example in Gjoa Haven?
If the development corporation there wanted to build houses or if the co-op wanted to provide services for the government, do you award the contracts and do you also pay for the contracts?
We do the contracts but there is a limit to the amount of the contracts that we can award but we can’t say which company is going to be getting.
We usually try to award it to the lowest bidder.
We usually try to do that.
There a lot of companies that answer those RFPs, but we usually try to award it to the lowest bidder.
When using for example, if we’re going to be building, the government is going to be building houses for example in Taloyoak, there’s usually a call for proposals.
Is it possible for your department to tell us, or give us a list of contractors that were awarded?
Chairperson (interpretation): We’ll try and stick to the page that we’re referring to.
We’re on page 6-8.
Hon. Peter Kattuk (interpretation): I can’t respond to your question at this time.
But I will look into it and inform the member.
Mr. Nutarak (interpretation): Under Operations, Contract Services, where are we with the NNI policy to date?
For the clarity, could the member please repeat the question?
Mr. Nutarak (interpretation): I apologise.
I am sure they can’t write that down in the Hansard.
In regards to the NNI policy, I believe that there was going to be a review of the NNI policy by both the Government of Nunavut and NTI.
What is the status with the NNI policy today?
Chairperson (interpretation): I think our technician is getting a little tired.
Mr. Mrazek: The first year review of the policy has been completed.
Mr. Nutarak (interpretation): Now that it has been completed, you’re going to be tabling a report or status report to the House?
I think it was in March that we tabled the report or the status report.