EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
I would not be able to say at this time Mr. Speaker, how many communities actually have come forward in a formalised way with a proposal to have their plant moved.
In actuality Mr. Speaker, in some cases some of the communities would like to keep the plant where it is because we are using it as a benefit to the community.
For example, in Taloyoak, the plant is in the middle of the community and the last time I was there, about a month and a half ago, the plant was being used for the reheat of the water.
So that is working well there.
In some other communities there has been some concern about noise and some of the smoke from the plant itself.
However, I would not be able at this time to give the member the actual number of how many communities have come forward with a formalised concern about moving their plant.
I would like to thank the minister for his appropriate response.
Mr. Speaker, my supplementary question is in regards to the communities that would like to relocate their plant, because they could always recycle the waste heat for other facilities.
For those communities that would like to relocate their plants, is there money set aside so that there could be relocation of their plants so that there could be an improvement in the pollution coming out of the plant.
Mr. Speaker, actually there are two kinds of questions there.
One is on the emission standards of the power plant.
As the member know the Power Corporation as any other organization or corporation has to follow the emission standards set out by the Canadian Government which regulates Federal emission standards for smoke and so on.
Mr. Speaker, on the second question.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, as you can see that Mr. Ng would like to get back home.
Mr. Speaker, on the second part of the member's question, no there are actually no dollars allocated within the budget or the capital budget of the new Nunavut Power Corporation for the actual relocation of a plant in the 20 year capital plan for the Northwest Territories Power Corporation and the Nunavut Power Corporation.
We have different items that have to be replaced but there are no specific monies allocated for the relocation of a plant.
If a particular community made a formal request to me as the Minister responsible for the Power Corporation, if there was a health concern, if there was a safety concern and so on that a plant had to be removed then I would look at it in that respect.
I know the Nunavut Power Corporation has a plan in case of an accident like an oil spill that is major.
However, I have noticed that in some communities in case their plant burned down, there are no emergency backups for other generators to keep the community functioning.
Are there any plans to put emergency backups in the communities that don't have emergency backup generators.
Mr. Speaker, the member brings up an interesting point.
Sorry Mr. Speaker, it is very difficult sitting here with some of my colleagues.
Mr. Speaker, the member brings up a very interesting point.
That point being the location of emergency power at a time of an incident where the power would be unavailable, for example with the power plant burning down.
In Iqaluit for example we have located, because the community of Iqaluit is a bit older, two power plants, one located on the Federal Road and one located as the member knows, on the top of the hill.
In each of our communities, Mr. Speaker, under emergency preparation, which I believe is under the Honourable Mr. Anawak's office, we have in conjunction with the Department of Education, we have allowed for emergency shelters.
So for example, Mr. Speaker, if the power went off for two or three days we know that the nursing station for example, has a standby generator for their operations. We know that the schools for example, Mr. Speaker, have a standby generator that would be able to house individuals and so on.
The costs Mr. Speaker, of putting extra generators and locating them at a separate point in a community based on a plant catching fire or some other catastrophe occurring right now is not fiscally available to us as a government, or indeed to the Nunavut Power Corporation.
So I hope that helps answer the member's question.
I guess I should also add, Mr. Speaker, on that point.
When you are looking at the power plant itself, the power plant does not have a backup generator adjacent to it in most cases, or located near it.
Therefore and thus, Mr. Speaker, we would have to spend more money to relocate and allocate other resources and other generators.
In our case, Mr. Speaker, in the case of diesel generators, storage facilities somewhere else in the communities so that we would be able to provide that backup emergency plan.
Mr. Speaker, there is no budget for that.
If again, if the member would like to bring forward a proposal, that is something Mr. Speaker, that we would be able to look at in a very serious manner.
I hope that helps answer the member's question.
Question 522 – 1(3): Required Distance from Power Plants
I would like to direct my question to the Minister responsible for the Power Corporation.
Quite a few plants are located right in the middle of the communities.
Is there a policy on how much distance there should be between the plant and adjacent buildings.
What is the closest that you can be to a power plant.
Mr. Speaker, in most of our communities when the power plants were built, and they were originally built by the Northern Canada Power Commission, NCPC, our communities were much smaller.
They were located in a central location which would allow for a quicker and most effective way of providing transmission lines and so on to the house.
Over the years, Mr. Speaker, in many of our communities, our communities have expanded and I know the member's town very well because I lived there.
The power plant is located in the middle of the community and the community has expanded along the beach in Hall Beach as an example, away from the plant.
After saying that, Mr. Speaker, the power plant is still in the middle of the community.
I don't know Mr. Speaker, what the limitations are or what the regulations are on the construction side of what the adjacency of buildings and so on would be.
I would suspect Mr. Speaker, that they would have to follow the building code, have to follow the fire code and so on.
If that is something that the member needs, we would be able to get that information for the member and provide it to him and other interested members in the House.
Question Period is over.
Motion 23 – 1(3): Appointment of New Standing Committees
Mr. Akesuk (interpretation): Whereas the Legislative Assembly has chosen to make revisions Mr. Speaker, I would like to speak to this motion.
WHEREAS Section 38 of the Legislative Assembly and Executive Council Act provides that the Legislative Assembly may establish Standing and Special Committees;
AND WHEREAS Rule 89(2) of the Rules of the Legislative Assembly provides for the Striking Committee to recommend Members to fill vacancies on Standing Committees;
AND WHEREAS the Legislative Assembly has chosen to make revisions to the membership of its Standing Committees:
NOW THEREFORE I move, seconded by the Honourable Member for Iqaluit Centre, that the following Member be appointed to the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Services:
Levi Barnabas, Member for Quttiktuq, to replace Glenn McLean, Member for Baker Lake.
AND FURTHER that the following Members be appointed Alternates to the Standing Committee on Government Services and Operations: Glenn McLean, Member for Baker Lake.
Donald Havioyak, Member for Kugluktuk.
AND FURTHER that the following Members be appointed to the Standing Committee on Culture, Education and Health: Donald Havioyak, Member for Kugluktuk,  Glenn McLean, Member for Baker Lake.
AND FURTHER that the following Member be appointed an Alternate to the Standing Committee on Culture, Education and Health:
AND FURTHER that the following Member be appointed to the Standing Committee on Community Empowerment and Sustainable Development: Donald Havioyak, Member for Kugluktuk.
AND FURTHER that the following Member be appointed an Alternate to the Standing Committee on Community Empowerment and Sustainable Development: Olayuk Akesuk, Member for Baffin South.
AND FURTHER that the following Member be appointed to the Standing Committee Ajauqtiit: Levi Barnabas, Member for Quttiktuq.
AND FURTHER that the following Member be appointed an Alternate to the Standing Committee Ajauqtiit: Enoki Irqittuq
AND FURTHER that the following Member be appointed to the Striking Committee:  Glenn McLean, Member for Baker Lake, to replace Kevin O'Brien, Member for Arviat
AND FURTHER that the membership of the Standing Committee on Rules, Procedures and Privileges be reconstituted with the following Members: Hon. Kelvin Ng, Member for Cambridge Bay, Uriash Puqiqnak, Member for Nattilik, Hunter Tootoo, Member for Iqaluit Centre, David Iqaqrialu, Member for Uqqummiut, Levi Barnabas, Member for Quttiktuq, Ovide Alakannuark, Member for Akulliq.
AND FURTHER that the following Members be appointed Alternates to the Standing Committee on Rules, Procedures and Privileges: Enoki Irqittuq, Member for Amittuq,  Jobie Nutarak, Member for Tunnuniq.
Motion 24 – 1(3): Extending the Review Period for Bill 11
I move seconded by the Honourable Member for Amittuq that Rule 68(1) be waived and that the period for the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Services to report back to the House on Bill 11, An Act to establish Nunavut day as a Holiday be extended to the fall sitting of the Legislative Assembly.
I would like to speak to this motion.
As Members are aware, Bill 11 was introduced during the Rankin Inlet sitting of the Legislative Assembly.
After its introduction, the Standing Committee decided to place ads in the northern media, requesting input and feedback from Nunavut residents on this initiative.
(interpretation) Members of the Standing Committee have also been undertaking consultations within their own communities.
To date, Mr. Speaker, I can advise the House that the feedback from our constituents has been mixed.
While some agree with the initiative of making July 9 a holiday, others are upset that they will be losing a long-established August long weekend.
Members have also been told by some of their constituents that they would prefer to see April 1 be officially recognized in some way.
(interpretation ends) During its meeting last week with the sponsoring Minister to review the Bill, the Standing Committee was advised that there would be significant cost implications to the Government, hamlets and the private sector if the Government were to add a new public holiday to the calendar, rather than just replacing the first Monday in August with July 9, as the Bill currently sets out to do.
The Standing Committee is also aware of the fact that negotiations with the NEU are still in progress.
(interpretation) Mr. Speaker, the Nunavut Association of Municipalities will be holding its Annual General Meeting in early May.
The Standing Committee has directed me as the Chair of the Committee to meet with Nunavut's mayors to formally seek their views and input on this initiative.
I am hopeful that a consensus will emerge from this meeting.
(interpretation ends) I would also thank the sponsoring Minister for his commitment to providing the information that his department used to calculate the different cost implications associated with this initiative, and for any information on how hamlets and their employees would be affected.
This will be useful to present to the Mayors.
Mr. Speaker, it is important that issues like this, issues that affect the daily lives of all Nunavut residents, be fully discussed and debated, and that the widest possible consultations be held before final decisions are made.
And Mr. Speaker, given that it is almost May, and given that many families will have already made their summer plans, I believe that it is appropriate that any changes that occur to the calendar take effect with ample time for individuals and families to plan accordingly.
Mr. Speaker, it is possible that no consensus will be achieved on this initiative.
However, these further consultations in the coming weeks will ensure that as many voices as possible are heard, and that a wide understanding is achieved of the options available and their implications.
Your Standing Committee looks forward to reporting the Bill back when we reconvene in the fall.
At that time, I believe that this House will be in a better position to make its final determination on how to proceed.
I apologise I have forgotten something.
I forgot to table a document.
So therefore if I could get unanimous consent to go back to Item 13.
Speaker: Ms. Thompson is requesting unanimous consent to make a comment to go to Item 13.
Revert to Item 13: Tabling of Documents
Tabled Document 94 – 1(3): Task Force on Housing - Final Report
Thank you, for your patience my colleagues.
(interpretation ends) I would like to table the final Housing Task Force Report.
Mr. Speaker, there are a number of excellent ideas that all members should review so that we can get a broad range of feedback from all MLAs.
Just to note that I have an English copy and a syllabics copy.
I need an Inuinnaqtun copy which is still at Culture, Language, Elders & Youth.
We will give it to the members as soon as possible.
Back to Item 17.
Bill 13, Tabled Document 41-1(3), Tabled Document 61-1(3), Tabled Document 85-1(3), Tabled Document 87-1(3), Tabled Document 93-1(3).
The Committee of the Whole will stay in session until it reports itself out, with Mr. Iqaqrialu in the chair.
Prior to the start of the Committee of the Whole we will break for lunch.
Members are asked to return by 1:15. Sergeant-At-Arms.
>>House recessed at 12.06 and resumed at 1.17 p.m.
Chairperson (interpretation): Thank you members for coming back and welcome members, interpreters, CBC media people, and public in the gallery.
We will now get back to Committee of the Whole, comments and questions on Bill 13 and on Tabled Documents 41-1(3), 81-1(3), 87-1(3) and 93-1(3).
When we had our last committee of the whole we are under the Department of Justice, general questions and comments.
Minister Anawak you are now ready so go down to the witness table with your staff.
Mr. Minister and your staff, perhaps maybe you can reintroduce your staff for the record.
On my left Nora Sanders, who is my deputy minister for the Department of Justice and Rebecca Williams who is my assistant deputy minister and we also have staff in the gallery and if we need them we will ask for their assistance.
Chairperson (interpretation): Thank you Mr. Anawak, we are on general comments before we get to the main estimates we have Mr. Irqittuq.
Mr. Minister and staff, just a short comment in regards to the smaller communities that want to take in some inmates out on the land.
In Igloolik there has been a request to the Department of Justice to take in some inmates to the camps.
But they could not do it because they did not have any equipment to take people out on the land.
They did not have any transportation equipment and they could not be provided with equipment.
To take in inmates that are not going to be incarcerated long and young people could also be taking out to the land and the camps for rehabilitation especially those that have substance abuse problems.
They should be given the opportunity to provide them with people that they can take out on the land.
Under the main estimates or under capital estimates there does not seem to be any funding to help those communities to take out people to the outpost camps from the BCC.
For those communities that want to take those inmates out on the land, we are in support of this program and we have started to take requests to take prisoners out on the land.
We expect that many people will be requesting to take out inmates out on the land.
We cannot take them all.
I know there are many people who are incarcerated who want to go out to the outpost camps.
This is a very good program for other youth that are having problems in the community, but we have to talk with the community involved.
Perhaps we will not be able to provide all funding but we can give the people a little bit of money to subsidise for their gas and their supplies.
We are in a process of trying to do this at this time we have to be able to provide as many communities as possible in providing assistance to the inmates or to the youth who have committed crimes in order to rehabilitate them at outpost camps.
We are in support of this program.
We expect that there would be a lot more people requesting the people who are out in the outpost camps who have committed crime.
We are not going to approve everybody who requests to do this program.
However, we can review the communities that want to take people out on the land but at this time if they could have their equipment already in place we would probably approve them faster than the ones that don't have the equipment.
We would like to look into what types of equipment they would have in their community.
Some communities have equipment and some communities do not have as much equipment as the others do.
But we can speak with them but we cannot say that no we refuse to let you go into the program with us.
What we can say is that we have to look into what they have and the equipment they have in their communities before we approve what they have to do.
We are open to the public but we have to see what type of equipment the community has or the people have that would like to take those inmates out on the land for rehabilitation and if the individual wants to be enrolled in the program then we might be able to help them with food and gas.
If they already have these boats and transportation equipment in place already.
We are not going to be shutting the doors for anybody.
Mr. Irqittuq(interpretation): Thank you Mr. Chairman.
I would like to ask a brief question.
We have to take care of people who are incarcerated although I don't want to talk about people committing crimes but these people need help and they have to be sent to the outpost camps and the correctional centre.
The people who are responsible for these inmates, like how many people do you need to take care of that many inmates.
Is there a guard inmate ratio.
So that is my question.
Are they paid by the number of inmates or are they paid annual salary.
Yes they vary from community to community.
If we have one guard who can work with inmates we would have to work with the guard and see how many inmates he would be willing to take on.
If that is going to be the case then we would be definitely paying the guard when he has three inmates to take care of so we would be paying the guard 95 dollars per person a day.
Not for a year.
Sometimes it might be the case that the guard will be taking care of that inmate for three or four months at a time, we will pay the guard for four months if that inmate is incarcerated for four months and we pay them by per inmate.
I just wanted to comment and it might be a question too.
I'm not sure how closely you are working with Sustainable Development as to what Mr. Irqittuq was just talking about.
I also see this a business opportunity for some of the Inuit in our communities for employing our elders as counsellors.
I'm just wondering if you have the criteria to say maybe this is the business opportunity for the individuals in each community.
I think in the long run that they might see this as a good way as creating a business in one of the communities in the future.
Hon. Jack Anawak (interpretation): I guess the thing to do is that we don't necessarily see this as a business opportunity but at the same time as much as we want to support people who have the willingness to do this kind of thing.
If we had somebody on the contract to do this what we would also want to make sure if there is other opportunities for this person to do other things outside of looking after people in the outpost camp.
We would not want that person cut off from other business opportunities such as through Sustainable Development.
We might not want that person deprived of other applications for assistance say to start a business on other stuff.
We want to make sure that if we put somebody in a home like that we would want that person to feel like they are at home with the home care healing program.
So we would want this to be more of a home environment type rather than a business opportunity.
But at the same time we want to make sure that this is an individual that might have other things that they want to do outside of what they are doing in terms of private business.
We would not want that person deprived of that opportunity to go to sustainable Development say for an economic development program.
Chairperson (interpretation): Thank you Mr. Minister Anawak.
The reason I said that was that lets say I know that you talked about the start of the costs as to what Mr. Irqittuq was saying before.
I can say the reason I said that is it is in small communities you do not get this type of opportunities to start a business.
When I say business I am also including the things that you said about healing and counselling and so on.
So you will be hiring some elders to do that also aside from your own business for example.
In outpost camps they want to develop before they can look after themselves by making some let say making good profit out of it and then go on to something else.
I am also saying that there is also an opportunity, I hope you are not saying it is not, but I can see it coming in the future once you say that.
Hon. Jack Anawak: We are open to suggestions because I am sure that maybe a person is about to look after some people, maybe they don't have the wisdom for lack of a better word, to provide counselling or home care type.
Those are the kind of things that we would want to look at.
While we maybe are not doing it right now, we want to look for ways to lessen the population in the correctional facilities.
If there are opportunities where we could provide a better system that is what we look for.
We are open to any suggestion and any discussions on how we could provide a better service then in place of a correctional facility.
But we realize there will always be a need for correction facilities but the more we can do things outside of a correctional facility as long as we ensure their safety we are open to ideas.
Any further questions or general comments.
This is more of a comment then a question.
At times some people have been incarcerated for years.
What can we do to provide support to children of these inmates because a lot of the children do not know whether they have fathers because their father had been gone for a long time.
In the Inuit tradition there is always room for improving a person but when a person has been incarcerated for years you have pity for the children and the mother's of these children and the wives of these inmates might get married to somebody else.
It is not always the case but it does happen.
What kinds of plans to you have to provide a support system for the families of the inmates.
We have realised it for a long time and it finally sunk in while I was a Member of Parliament and I went to go visit the Borden Penitentiary in Alberta.
I went there twice to see the inmates and afterwards I realised some of the inmates or all of the inmates that I went to see never got visitors.
These were the Inuit population and there were about sixty in total in the Borden Penitentiary.
There was one Inuk elder who worked there and went to see the inmates but the rest of the population never got a visitor from any of their family members.
At that time I realised that they did not only not get visitors from their families but you realize that when these inmates finally went home there was going to be no improvement.
There was going to be a deteriorating environment for inmates returning home.
Sometimes when they went home, I am not saying all of them, but some of the inmates when they returned home would have a deteriorated setting.
No more material things.
All the things that they had were gone and those who were married might have separated from their spouse.