EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
On my left is David Kolot, Corporate Services. (interpretation) Thank you.
Welcome to the House, Ms. Williams and Mr. Kolot. (interpretation ends) Hon. minister, (interpretation) I would now like to give you an opportunity to make your opening comments.
Hon. Jeannie Ugyuk (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Chairman. (interpretation ends) Mr. Chairman and hon. members of the Committee of the Whole, I am pleased to be here today to discuss the 2015-16 Department of Family Services’ capital estimates.
The department requires ongoing small capital resources in the amount of $600,000 to adequately maintain our facilities, keep our vehicles up to date, and replace furniture and equipment.
More specifically, our small capital for 2015-16 will be allocated as follows:
For the Qikiqtaaluk region:
In Arctic Bay, we plan to spend $3,000 on furniture and equipment upgrades for both the income assistance and child and family services offices.
In Cape Dorset, we plan to spend $45,000 for vehicle replacement. The current vehicle is seven years old and is incurring high maintenance costs.
Renovations required to co-locate income assistance and child and family services offices and create adequate storage and meeting space in Cape Dorset is estimated to cost $20,000.
Furniture and equipment comprising of desks and chairs for the income assistance office in Clyde River is estimated to cost $15,000.
We plan to spend $15,000 in the Igloolik office for furniture and equipment.
In Hall Beach, we will spend an estimated $3,000 on minor renovations.
In Pangnirtung, we plan to spend $45,000 to purchase a new vehicle.
The current vehicle is six years and is incurring high maintenance costs.
A total of $139,000 is earmarked for Iqaluit for minor renovations to co-locate income assistance and child and family services offices.
The Qikiqtaaluk regional allocation amounts to $285,000.
For the Kivalliq region:
In Baker Lake, we plan to spend $20,000 on minor renovations required to co-locate programs.
In Chesterfield Inlet, we plan on replacing aged furniture and equipment for an estimated total of $10,000.
In Coral Harbour, the department plans to spend $10,000 on furniture and equipment.
In Coral Harbour, the current vehicle is seven years and is incurring high maintenance costs.
A total of $45,000 is planned for the purchase of a new vehicle.
Similarly in Rankin Inlet, the current vehicle is eight years and is incurring high maintenance costs and $45,000 is planned for the purchase of a new vehicle.
The Kivalliq regional allocation amounts to $130,000.
For the Kitikmeot region:
We plan to purchase two new vehicles for Gjoa Haven and Taloyoak.
The vehicles are 6 and 12 years old respectively. The two vehicles are estimated to cost $45,000 each.
Minor renovations are required to [co-locate] offices in Gjoa Haven for an estimated total cost of $90,000.
In Kugaaruk, we plan to spend $500,000 on minor renovations in the income assistance office.
The Kitikmeot regional allocation amounts to $185,000.
The Department of Family Services also requires one-time-only capital funding in the amount of $1,190,000 to renovate the adult group home in Rankin Inlet.
The building was constructed in 1994. The facility now requires extensive renovations throughout the building to update plumbing, electrical, and heating systems.
In the 18 months since the department was established, we have made steady progress towards achieving our mandate.
I look forward to your continued support.
Mr. Chairman, that concludes my opening comments on the purposed Department of Family Services’ 2015-16 capital estimates.
I welcome any questions or comments that members may have as we proceed.
I am pleased to provide opening comments on behalf of Standing Committee on Social Wellness as the Committee of the Whole begins its consideration of the proposed 2015-16 Capital Estimates of the Department of Family Services.
Members note that the department’s proposed capital budget for 2015-16 is almost $1.8 million.
Mr. Chairman, the Standing Committee on Social Wellness recognizes that the Department of Family Services is still a fairly new department, incorporating a number of divisions and resources from other, pre-existing departments.
Members note that the plan to establish this department was given long-term consideration and that the Legislative Assembly was assured that the transition of divisions into the new department would be smooth and seamless and would not result in any disruption of services.
As you will recall, in May of this year, the Assembly approved $2.6 million in supplementary funding for the Department of Family Services to renovate the old courthouse building in Iqaluit in order that a number of divisions and headquarter personnel be co-located in a centralized area.
While the standing committee supports the rationale behind consolidating staff and service delivery, members feel strongly that such plans should have been included in the usual capital planning process, with regular updates being provided through such documentation as capital project substantiation sheets.
Members recognize that the Department of Family Services still needs to work on assessing its inventory of capital assets, such as vehicles, offices, and equipment, across Nunavut and cautions the minister not to delay in addressing needs at the community level as well as focusing on providing new space at the headquarters level.
Mr. Chairman, members note that in some communities, health care workers and family services staff continue to work out of the same office space and share access to GN vehicles.
Members encourage the minister to work with her counterparts in the Department of Health and Community and Government Services to ensure that there is adequate and appropriate access to office space, equipment, and vehicles so that the effective delivery of all related services at the community level is not negatively impacted.
Mr. Chairman, the Department of Family Services’ 2015-16 capital estimates again include $600,000 for small capital projects.
The standing committee appreciated receiving a comprehensive breakdown of the department’s proposed projects and the details of their estimated costs under this budget item.
Members are of the view that prior to approving the expenditure of public money, it is important to know what it will be spent on.
Mr. Chairman, the Department of Family Services’ 2016-20 five-year capital plan does not indicate whether the department has given any consideration to planning for any additional facilities, such as elders’ homes, shelters, or group homes.
While the committee recognizes that different levels of care require different levels of support from individual government departments, members encourage the minister to work with her counterpart, the Minister of Health, to address future needs in this area and begin to plan for them as soon as possible.
Mr. Chairman, that concludes my opening comments on the proposed 2015-16 Capital Estimates of the Department of Family Services.
Before we proceed, I would like to acknowledge an individual who is visiting the Gallery, whom I used to work with for many years. Sandy Teiman has worked for social services for a long time. Welcome to the Gallery.
If there are no general comments, we will begin our review starting with page D-3. If any member has questions, please raise your hand so that we can write you down on the list.
We’re on Family Services. Branch Summary.
Corporate Management. Total Capital Expenditures. $1 million… .
I wish to ask the minister this question while we are reviewing the capital estimates, along with small capital.
Your department has vehicles or is looking at purchasing new vehicles for your department. I would like to know exactly how many vehicles your department is expecting this summer.
I don’t understand my colleague. What is Aujaqsiutit? What is he asking about?
Mr. Mikkungwak (interpretation): I sincerely apologize.
Due to our dialectal differences, when I say, “Aujaqsiutit,” I’m referring to vehicles.
I also thank my colleague for asking about the vehicles and how many we expect this summer.
There are some vehicles we are expecting for Igloolik, Iqaluit, and (interpretation ends) Clyde River. Igloolik is a new vehicle?
Yes. (interpretation) They will be replacing the old vehicles with new vehicles; at least that is what I understand to be the case. A new vehicle will be sent to Iqaluit, (interpretation ends) Clyde River, Baker Lake, Cambridge Bay, Kugluktuk, and Kugaaruk. (interpretation) Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
The vehicles your department will be purchasing, will the purchase be all at once or are you purchasing them singularly for each community?
Since my official is the one with that level of detail about the dates and such, I would ask that Mr. Kolot be allowed to respond to that question.
The vehicles that the minister referred to were purchased in 2014-15.
The Department of Family Services worked with the Department of CGS to ensure that they were tendered and all the specifications the department required were met.
If I speak in English, they will probably have a better understanding. (interpretation ends) I’ll rephrase my question.
Are the vehicle fleets that the department will be purchasing in bulk or are you going to be purchasing vehicles respectively at different times for each region?
I hear that they will be purchasing them in bulk.
Mr. Mikkungwak (interpretation): Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. I also thank the minister for her response.
Now, in Baker Lake, the Martha Taliruq Centre, as the minister knows, as this isn’t the first time I have mentioned it, the elders centre and actually it was one of the facilities the ministers toured last summer.
The vehicles servicing the centre are getting quite old and I wonder if the department will be taking that into consideration in the (interpretation ends) small capital (interpretation) budget in the future.
The Martha Taliruq Centre is dealt with as a contracted service, so we cannot purchase a vehicle for them. The contractor has to purchase the vehicle themselves.
If there is maintenance that needs to be done on the vehicle, I believe there is a benefit or allowance of $15,000 to maintain the vehicle.
Chairman (interpretation): Thank you, Minister Ugyuk.
Thank you for your response from the hon. minister.
My question now is that $15,000 that you are referring to on top of the additional funding that the contract pays for the operation of the Martha Taliruq Centre? Is that on an annual basis or after every five years or… ?
Hon. Jeannie Ugyuk (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Chairman. (interpretation ends) In the contract signed by the Baker Lake Hospice Society, there is a provision for vehicle maintenance, gas, and oil in the amount of $15,000 and I believe that’s a yearly contract.
So I presume that if the Martha Taliruq Centre requires a new vehicle fleet, they could do a submission.
I also thank the member asking those questions.
For clarification, I can say no because the contractors are to maintain the vehicle. Therefore, we cannot purchase a vehicle for them.
Maybe I will rephrase my question here.
If the contractor submits in their proposal to run their program or the program that they oversee and if they identify a vehicle or request for a new vehicle in their proposal, would that be captured in small capital or can that not be captured in small capital?
It is my understanding that we do not provide vehicles for third party agreements due to liability for insurance.
Let me move to another area to question.
Now, she spoke about the capital estimates in her opening statement, including mention of renovation projects for some offices.
Now, for the renovations line item, I want to ask this question about the planned renovations of the offices in Baker Lake. There are vacancies currently in that office. When the renovations are being undertaken, will it include any additional space for the vacant positions?
We work through CGS for the renovations.
They know what renovations need to be done and we know how many office spaces we need and nobody has moved out yet.
On top of that, with the minor renovations that are going to be occurring in Baker Lake, when do we foresee that to be completed?
I would like David Kolot to respond to that, please.
Go ahead, Mr. Kolot.
Mr. Kolot: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Since this is the capital plan for 2015-16, we anticipate that those renovations would be occurring in the 2015-16 year for Baker Lake.
Mr. Mikkungwak (interpretation): Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. (interpretation ends) In reference to the minor renovations regarding the Baker Lake office, does that also include refurnishing?
Does that also include refurnishing?
Hon. Jeannie Ugyuk (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Within the substantiation sheet, it only talks about the renovation aspect of the project.
Maybe we’re getting a little bit into dialectal differences again.
With the minor renovations occurring in Baker Lake, would it be not feasible to do all the renovations all at once?
So my question here again is: will they look at refurnishing while they’re doing renovations on minor capital?
Hon. Jeannie Ugyuk (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I would like David Kolot to respond to that. Thank you.
When the capital plan was prepared for the Department of Family Services, we consulted with regional directors and managers and frontline staff.
At that time, for Baker Lake, it was anticipated that renovations would be required in the amount of $20,000. That did not include furniture.
My question now is: why will refurnishing not be considered for the renovations?
As David Kolot was saying, they go through the regional directors to plan the renovations.
Once we have all the details, we can provide them to you.
When you are doing minor renovations to an office area, I would anticipate that you would consider refurnishing.
At the same time, this would actually, in my opinion, accommodate the staff that is providing the service and at the same time, it would improve service delivery.
Maybe that’s something that the department can consider and, if so, will they consider it in the next capital budget submission?
I would like to get David Kolot to respond to that. Thank you.
It’s unfortunate that the furniture was not considered.
We will take that as notice and when we prepare our future capital plan, we will look at the requirement for furniture for Baker Lake.
Chairman (interpretation): Thank you. (interpretation ends) I think, Mr. Kolot, you just said that the minister will take that advisement. (interpretation) Thank you.
We are on page D-3.
Has your department identified any need to build new facilities over the next five-year capital period?
We are working with the Department of Health.
However, when it comes to capital expenditures, we don’t have any plans right now.
We are working with the Department of Health to plan things for the future, for future improvements.
I’m wondering if the minister can speak to the fact about the group home being closed and that a new facility really is needed to address children who have physical disabilities who can’t remain in their own homes or whose parents are unable to look after them.
How are you going to address it and would you be discussing this with the minister to put it on the five-year plan?
With respect to the five-year capital estimates, it is primarily for youth and children.
We are finding out more and more cases of physical handicaps and why some cases are impossible to be served here in Nunavut. As we find out more information about these handicaps, as the Department of Family Services, we know that we lack doctors in this field and doctors need to be close to their patients.
We are trying to deliberate on our options, especially for longer term plans to deal with these issues.
I can only respond with that. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I look forward to hearing more about that plan and further developments in that area because it’s definitely a need in Nunavut.
The renovations that are currently being done for the family services department to move into, I think, what we refer to as the old court building, can you give us an update on that and how that’s going?
David Kolot can address that with your permission.
The Department of Family Services, as we know, received $2.6 million in capital funding as a supplementary appropriation of capital carry-forward for renovations to the old courthouse.
The intent was to basically bring all the various parts of the department together into one facility. We’re basically bringing headquarters staff in from five other locations within Iqaluit to be in the courthouse.
Renovations are proceeding according to plan. The building is projected to be ready by the end of November. We will be moving over during the weekend, the last weekend in November, to be fully functional the first part of December.
Basically we’re looking to locate 50-plus staff in the courthouse.
Chairman (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Kolot. Mr. Hickes.
With the understanding of the number of staff that are moving into the old courthouse building here, the new Family Services building, in most other communities, there’s a lot of shared space with the previous Department of Health.
I understand that Community and Government Services is doing an office needs study across the territory right now.
With the preplanning phase with the departmental split from Health and Social Services, I would think that your department would have had a head start, I guess we will say, during that preplanning process on the divisional split.
Are you able to identify needs across the territory to alleviate some of the stresses on the infrastructure and what type of use, I guess, is going to be needed? Will it be renovations? Will it be new buildings?
What are some of the options that are going to be needed from the Department of Family Services?
Hon. Jeannie Ugyuk (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Chairman. My Deputy Minister, Rebekah Williams, can respond to the question.
Chairman: Ms. Williams.
As we should be all aware of, an extreme shortage of office space and housing exists throughout Nunavut and this lack of capacity is currently under review by CGS.
Due to this reason, I was tasked by my minister to reassess all of our office needs to ensure we have adequate spaces. This highlights the lack of space, as per the member’s question to the department.
We know that our social workers require adequate space in order to provide the best services possible.
This is something we are looking at to improve, not just through reviews and assessments, but by cataloguing the actual limitations we face already are we able to deal with future needs in order to resolve it at a later date.
Thank you for that answer, Ms. Williams.
I understand that you’re still studying some of the needs, but I guess the kind of thing I was getting at with the preplanning phase of the departmental division, I would assume that a lot of this would have been looked at, at that time.
I don’t see anything in next year’s capital estimates on actual major renovations other than the Iqaluit project.
Are there any coming in the year after next capital plan to renovate or build new office space for the Department of Family Services?
The department looks forward to receiving the Stantec report on regional facility needs assessments and will use this report for future capital planning in the regions.
I guess I’ll bring that topic up again next year.
I would just like to take a step back and talk about the Income Support Case Management System that has been implemented within your department.
I understand, through previous budgets, that there has been a fairly substantial capital investment in this project, but I don’t see any ongoing capital investments in this year’s minor capital plan. I do know that it’s not ruled out in all communities yet.
Is there money going to need to be [spent] or were there capital carryovers to cover that project?
Perhaps you can allow David Kolot to respond.
The income assistance delivery system is included under the O&M budget for the Department of Family Services.
Within that budget, we have an allocation of $307,000 and part of that includes the contractual requirements.
In terms of the current situation with the system, it has been deployed in Iqaluit, Pangnirtung, Pond Inlet, Rankin Inlet, Arviat, and Cambridge Bay communities.
The system is currently being deployed in Baker Lake and Igloolik and hopefully will be online by March 2015.
Now, we probably wanted to operate a little faster, but there were some problems in terms of contractual delays, but to date, that is the status of that project.
I think that the member is bringing up a very good question in terms of the whole area of system requirements for the Department of Family Services.
It is our intention in future years and we have already had a preliminary discussion with the Department of Community and Government Services to look at the development of an IT plan across the department.
That will most likely result in a capital submission for the Department of Family Services, which would probably not just be a link to the ISDS. It would be linked to all of our system requirements.
That’s exactly where I was going with the infrastructure IT needs.
Just to go back to the office space, has the Department of Family Services faced any major restructuring, reorganizing, or refurnishing any of the current office space to improve service delivery?
Hon. Jeannie Ugyuk (interpretation): Perhaps David Kolot can respond.
The priority for the department in this last year has been movement into the old courthouse.
That came out of a facility needs assessment that was done by CGS and that’s what we have worked on to date.
We look forward to the tabling of the facility needs assessment for the regions, which we should be receiving, I believe, in March of this year, which will be fundamental in the development of future capital planning.
Let me remind you that we’re on page D-3.
With respect to the community plan for Arctic Bay, a question just popped into my head about the proposed expenditure for that line item.
This is with respect to the income support facility, perhaps they mean the social services building. I wonder when would be the proposed opening of this office.
Is it this year or will it open in the next fiscal year? What timeframe does this planned renovation for the facility have?
What kind of timeline are you looking at for this project?
I apologize for that lengthy discussion.
For that project in Arctic Bay, the office project is scheduled for the fiscal year 2015-16.
This social service office, including the income support office, continually moves around and they haven’t been able to get permanent offices as they keep getting shunted from one building to another.
The office keeps getting moved to another location, where the income support worker is based out of, and this is problematic to the clients they serve.
In looking at their plans for the future, have you included a permanent location to house your offices in our community of Arctic Bay? We don’t want to see a rental building that can house all of the other services, such as the social worker, income support, and mental health and to have all of them housed in one building. Is this part of your long-term strategy for our community?
The Department of Community and Government Services handles the design and construction of office buildings for our department. Based on the studies to date, we will be adding more details on the capital budget down the road.
We are aware that office space is inadequate for some of our social workers and income support workers, and that some offices are relocated from time to time, especially where space is at a premium in the smaller communities.
However, I want my colleague to understand that CGS is our partner for planning any future office space needs, but I expect that this will be brought up in the future.
Chairman: Qujannamiik, hon. minister. (interpretation) Mr. Shooyook, any further questions?
Thank you for allowing me this second round of questions. I just want clarification on the renovations of the adult group home.
Is that third party or is that solely government owned?
It is owned and operated by the government.