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This legislation implemented the recommendations of the independent Electoral Boundaries Commission, which submitted its final report last year.
Under the direction of the Management and Services Board, work is underway to plan for the expansion of the Legislative Assembly from 19 to 22 seats at the next general election.
The recent investiture ceremonies in Arviat and Rankin Inlet coincided with the first two events in the Bringing our House to Your Home: Speaker’s Parliamentary Outreach Program and Community Mace Tour.
It is my intention to continue visiting schools and other facilities in a number of communities across the territory over the coming years and I would welcome invitations from my colleagues to visit their communities.
The fourth Speaker’s Youth Parliament will be held later this year.
This event, which is held every two years, brings together high school students from across the territory for a week of learning and fun.
I believe that these initiatives will help to improve awareness of our Legislative Assembly’s procedures and activities and contribute to a greater understanding of our distinctive style of consensus government.
These include upgrades to computer, audiovisual and interpretation equipment.
In recognition of the significant budget and staffing increases that have been provided to the Office of the Languages Commissioner of Nunavut as a consequence of the passage of the Official Languages Act and the new Inuit Language Protection Act, the Management and Services Board is continuing its practice of inviting the Languages Commissioner to appear before the board to present her proposed budget and work plan for the coming year, prior to my appearing before you today.
This provides members with an important opportunity to contribute to the process of ensuring that the Office of the Languages Commissioner’s proposed expenditures and activities conform to her statutory mandate and reflect our commitment to the wise use of financial and human resources.
I would like to thank my colleagues for their support and I welcome their comments, suggestions, and questions.
Do you have witnesses that you would like to bring to the table, Mr. Speaker?
Speaker: Yes, please, Mr. Chairman.
Sergeant-at-Arms, please escort the Speaker’s officials in.
For the record, to my right is the Clerk of the Legislative Assembly, Mr. John Quirke, and on my left is the Director of Corporate Services for the Legislative Assembly, Mr. Mike Rafter.
I welcome Mr. Quirke and Mr. Rafter.
We are on page A-4.
Before we begin with the page-by-page review, do any members have any general comments on the opening comments of the Speaker? While we are dealing with the Office of the Legislative Assembly, are there any comments? Sometimes the ministers ask questions when we deal with the Office of the Legislative Assembly.
Does anybody have any comments?
There does not seem to be any.
We will go to page A-4.
Assembly Operations. Total Operations and Maintenance. $7,058,000.
Mr. Curley (interpretation): Yes, I just want to thank the Speaker and the Clerk and all the officials of the Legislative Assembly and the interpreters.
They work very hard and I want to recognize all the people from the third floor and to thank them. At times, they don’t go home for a long time and the members are assisted very much by the Clerk’s office.
The member thanked you, (interpretation ends) Mr. Speaker. (interpretation) We’re on page A-4.
I have 10 minutes, so I might as well use my 10 minutes.
If I make a mistake or if I say something that I’m not supposed to say, let me know.
I want to thank the Office of the Legislative Assembly for working on our behalf.
I, too, want to say “thank you” to Mr. Speaker and all the staff of the Legislative Assembly. I have been here since 2004 and their services to ministers and MLAs have been superlative. Keep up the good work.
On behalf of the members, I would like to be able to say “thank you.” There’s so many of us that we will have to be here all night if we all speak.
We’re on page A-4.
Mr. Curley (interpretation): Mr. Chairman, we also have some people who work in our community. I would also like to thank our constituency assistants in the community. They are assisted by the Office of the Legislative Assembly.
I would like to thank Bernadette Dean, my constituency assistant, for keeping me informed of the concerns of my constituents. All of our constituency workers assist us and we thank them all.
I also thank the constituency assistants.
I don’t see any names.
A-4.
Ever since I became a Member of the Legislative Assembly in 2010, I have asked them to visit my community, along with the Mace. I’m expecting them to visit in the fall and go to the schools in the Kitikmeot.
When schools are visited and they see the Mace, they learn more about the Legislative Assembly. I will be expecting them to go to the Kitikmeot region.
Chairman (interpretation): Thank you, Ms Ugyuk.
I didn’t hear a question, but I’m sure that they heard the member’s comment. If the Speaker would like to make a comment on that, I give him the floor. Mr. Speaker.
Speaker: Sorry.
I don’t know. It seems, when I come up to the witness table, my throat gets dry and I want to cough.
I never did that when I was a minister.
Mr. Chairman, last year, the Office of the Speaker and the Clerk had put out a request. I think the initial idea came from Mr. Curley last year to bring the Mace out and do some type of an outreach program.
A request went out to all members asking if any members were interested in the program where the Speaker brings in the Mace to their communities.
We received three requests last year; one was from Mr. Elliott on March 20, one from you, Mr. Chairman, on March 25, and one from Ms. Ugyuk on April 20.
The initial intent was to go based on that order.
However, because it was our first time doing it and since we were going into Rankin Inlet and Arviat to do the Order of Nunavut investiture ceremonies, we thought we would just piggyback and take the Mace into those communities while we were going in there already. But it is the intent, within the next year and a half to two years, to do all of those communities that were requested.
We are on page A-4. $7,058,000.
A-5.
Expenditures on Behalf of Members. $7,515,000.
Independent Officers of the Legislative Assembly. $2,325,000.
A-3.
Total Operations and Maintenance. $16,898,000.
Do we agree that the Office of the Legislative Assembly is concluded?
Mr. Speaker, if you have any closing remarks, you have the floor.
I’ll just echo the members’ comments they made about the hard-working and dedicated staff that we have here at the Legislative Assembly.
I thank them again for all the work.
I wanted to go on a little bit longer, but I’m going to start coughing right away, so I’ll leave it at that and we will see you next year.
Chairman (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank your officials.
I’m sure that we will be seeing each other.
Please go to your white legislation binder.
If you have white binders underneath your desk, you can pull them out.
Do you all have them? Go to Bill 24.
We will be going clause by clause. (interpretation ends) Bill 24, Appropriation (Operations and Maintenance) Act, 2012-2013.
Chairman: Schedule on page 2. (interpretation) Vote 1.
Amounts Appropriated for the Fiscal Year. $1,247,076,000.
Chairman (interpretation): Does the committee agree to Bill 24 as a whole?
Pursuant to Rule 62(2), do you agree that Bill 24 can immediately be placed on the orders of the day for third reading?
Bill 24 is now ready for third reading.
Before we proceed, we will take a 10-minute break.
>>Committee recessed at 21:42 and resumed at 21:57
Bill 25 – Supplementary Appropriation (Operations & Maintenance) Act, No. 6, 2011-2012 –Consideration in Committee
Chairman (Mr. Ningeongan) (interpretation): Thank you for coming back, even though it’s late in the night. (interpretation ends) I would now like to ask Minister Peterson of the Department of Finance to make his opening remarks on Bill 25.
I am pleased to present Bill 25, Supplementary Appropriation (Operations and Maintenance) Act, No. 6, 2010-2011.
Bill 25 appropriates additional funding for the 2010-11 fiscal year to address a shortfall of $77,000 required by the Department of Justice for their 2010-11 law enforcement contract with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
Thank you. (interpretation ends) For the record, Minister Peterson, please introduce your witness.
We are starting with Bill 25.
Turn to page 4. (interpretation ends) Justice.
Total Directorate. $77,000.
Total Department. $77,000.
Page 2 on Bill 25. (interpretation ends) 2010-11 Supplementary Appropriation (Operations and Maintenance) No. 6.
Operations and Maintenance Appropriation. $77,000. (interpretation) Do you agree?
Chairman (interpretation): We will now proceed to the clause-by-clause review of the bill.
The bill is in your white legislation binder. (interpretation ends) Bill 25, Supplementary Appropriation (Operations and Maintenance) Act, No. 6, 2010-2011.
Schedule on page 3. (interpretation) Do you agree to the Schedule?
Are we agreed to Bill 25 as a whole?
Chairman (interpretation): Are we agreed, (interpretation ends) pursuant to Rule 62(2), that Bill 25 can be immediately placed on the orders of the day for third reading?
We are done with that bill.
We will now go to Bill 26.
Minister, if you have any opening comments, you may proceed.
Bill 26 – Supplementary Appropriation (Operations & Maintenance) Act, No. 3, 2011-2012 –Consideration in Committee
I am pleased to present Bill 26, Supplementary Appropriation (Operations and Maintenance) Act, No. 3, 2011-2012.
Bill 26 will appropriate an additional $16,307,000 of operations and maintenance funding for 2011-12.
Included in this appropriation are:
$14.66 million to the Department of Health and Social Services to fund a projected budget shortfall in various programs and to account for base adjustments in medical travel and fuel prices;
$2,349,000 to the Department of Finance to provide to the Qulliq Energy Corporation for fuel stabilization;
A negative base adjustment of $169,000 to the Department of Community and Government Services to account for fuel price changes; and
A similar negative base amount of $533,000 to the Nunavut Housing Corporation’s budget to account for fuel price changes.
We will now proceed to Bill 26.
Page 4. (interpretation ends) Finance.
Not Previously Authorized. Centrally Administered Funds. Total Centrally Administered Funds. $2,349,000.
Total Department. Not Previously Authorized. $2,349,000. (interpretation) Do you agree?
Page 5. (interpretation ends) Health and Social Services. Operations and Maintenance. Not Previously Authorized.
Directorate. Total Directorate. $1,614,000. (interpretation) Do you agree?
Chairman (interpretation): Thank you. (interpretation ends) Social Programs.
Total Social Programs. Not Previously Authorized. $484,000. (interpretation) Do you agree?
Chairman (interpretation): Thank you. (interpretation ends) Treatment. Total Treatment. $12,562,000. (interpretation) Do you agree?
Chairman (interpretation): Thank you. (interpretation ends) Total Department. Not Previously Authorized. $14,660,000. (interpretation) Do you agree?
Turn to page 6. (interpretation ends) Community and Government Services.
Not Previously Authorized. Government Services.
Total Government Services. -$163,000. (interpretation) Do you agree?
Chairman (interpretation): Thank you. (interpretation ends) Capital Planning and Technical Services.
Total Capital Planning and Technical Services. -$6,000. (interpretation) Do you agree?
Chairman (interpretation): Go to the bottom. (interpretation ends) Total Department.
Not Previously Authorized. -$169,000. (interpretation) Do you agree?
Total Nunavut Housing Corporation. -$533,000. (interpretation) Do you agree?
Go to the bottom. (interpretation ends) Total Department. -$533,000. (interpretation) Do you agree?
Go to page 2. (interpretation ends) Schedule 1. Operations and Maintenance.
Operations and Maintenance Appropriation. $16,307,000. (interpretation) Do you agree?
It’s in your white legislation binders. (interpretation ends) Bill 26, Supplementary Appropriation (Operations and Maintenance) Act, No. 3, 2011-2012.
Chairman: Clause 3 and Schedule on page 3. Vote 1: Operations and Maintenance. Total Supplementary Appropriation. $16,307,000. (interpretation) Do you agree?
Chairman (interpretation): Go back to page 2. (interpretation ends) Clause 4. (interpretation) Do you agree?
Chairman (interpretation): Are we agreed to Bill 26 as a whole?
Chairman (interpretation): Do members agree, pursuant to Rule 62(2), that Bill 26 can immediately be placed on the orders of the day for third reading?
That is concluded.
We will then go to Bill 27.
Minister Peterson, you can proceed with your opening comments.
Bill 27 – Supplementary Appropriation (Capital) Act, No. 1, 2012-2013 –Consideration in Committee
I am pleased to present Bill 27, Supplementary Appropriation (Capital) Act, No. 1, 2012-2013.
Bill 27 is for capital supplementary appropriations for 2012-13 totalling $23,036,000.
It consists of the following items:
$700,000 to the Department of Justice for the design of the proposed emergency overcrowding relief structure at the Baffin Correctional Centre;
$2,436,000 to the Department of Health and Social Services for renovations to the old Tammaativvik Boarding Home in order to repurpose it for use by the Akausisarvik Mental Health Treatment Centre;
$4.5 million to the Department of Health and Social Services for the purchase of a CT scanner, patient archive computer system, and digital CR X-ray equipment relating to the patient wait times guarantee;
$12.8 million to the Department of Health and Social Services for renovations to the Qikiqtani General Hospital;
$2.1 million to the Department of Community and Government Services to address the shortfall for the Chesterfield Inlet Tank Farm project; and
$500,000 to the Department of Community and Government Services for the design of a new arena in Rankin Inlet.
Go to page 4 of Bill 27. (interpretation ends) Justice.
Total Corrections. $700,000.
Thank you, Mr. Minister. It’s very encouraging to hear that there’s proposed emergency overcrowding not only for Iqaluit but also for the entire territory.
I would like the minister to give us an overview of the Akausisarvik Mental Health Facility, which is the old Tammaativvik building.
The minister stated that it is “to repurpose it for use by the Akausisarvik Mental Health Treatment Centre” and I’m hoping that they would begin the renovations.
So my question is: when are the renovations going to start and when will it open?
How will it help out the people of Nunavut?
How many beds will it have? How much space will it have?
The yearly operations and maintenance of the building… .
I was also very pleased to hear that there’s going to be purchase of a CT scanner and renovations for the Qikiqtani General Hospital.
I’m sure that’s going to start soon.
I think that’s a lot of questions, but I decided to ask them all at once.
In the supplementary appropriation capital, I had a question about the Akausisarvik Mental Health Treatment Centre. I would like to know exactly who is going to be the clientele of this treatment centre.
Mr. Chairman, there would be a number of patients who would reside in the facility and then there would be day patients.
They would mainly be, primarily I would think, from around Iqaluit and the Baffin. We may repatriate some persons with mental health issues from the Selkirk home just outside of Winnipeg, Manitoba.
The Akausisarvik Mental Health Treatment Centre would probably be utilized more by the Baffin region and we would like to see one in the other regions like the Kitikmeot. I would like further information on this issue.
This evening, we are going to be approving funds that will focus mostly on the Baffin region.
We will wait patiently for the other regions to get mental health treatment centres.
We’re doing a page-by-page review and $700,000 is the first one.
If you have detailed questions, please ask them at the appropriate page.
Ms. Ell, I apologize. You probably wanted to ask a question on the (interpretation ends) emergency overcrowding relief structure. (interpretation) Do you have a question on that?
I had asked questions on the opening comments of the minister on Bill 27. Maybe I asked too many questions all at the same time, but I was pleased to see some of the items.
Maybe I’ll start off with the Baffin Correctional Centre, which is under the $700,000 slot.
Chairman (interpretation): Ms. Ell, do you have a question on the $700,000?
They haven’t been approved yet.
Ms. Ell, do you have a question?
It’s very obvious that the Baffin Correctional Centre is a very old structure and the $700,000 is going to be used just for emergency overcrowding relief.
I think this $700,000 is going to be just used for the design phase of the structure.
Chairman (interpretation): Thank you, Ms. Ell. (interpretation ends) Minister Peterson, perhaps you can elaborate on that.
Yes, the $700,000 will be for planning and design.
If we get it approved in this sitting, then the Department of Justice can go out to an RFP to hire a firm to work with CGS to do the planning and design early in the new fiscal year, with a view to bringing back a possible proposal for the structure later in this fiscal year.
We’re on page 4. Mr. Curley.
Although the wording says, “design of a proposed emergency overcrowding,” am I to understand that the design phase would be to make the facility more modern or expanded, or is it something else?
It’s a separate facility from the Baffin Correctional Centre. I used to call it a sprung structure, but it is type of a tent facility.
An example of it would be in Maple Ridge, BC. It would be a temporary facility. Inside it would be designed with a gymnasium, cafeteria, classrooms, other facilities, and it would be close to or near the existing facility right now.
Yes, I’m certainly in support of the new facility.
The information provided sort of confuses it as though it’s going to be relieving the existing facility and modernizing it.
That’s not what it’s for. This is for the new facility. Am I correct in that?
A design phase for a new facility, which you already indicated, will be near the facility, but would some of the funding be used to modernize the overcrowding at the Baffin Correctional Centre?
I thank Mr. Curley for asking for clarification.
Mr. Chairman, I don’t believe any of the funding will be for the Baffin Correctional Centre, but the funding would be used to design an emergency relief structure that would help the Baffin Correctional Centre.
They would move some of their inmates from the currently overcrowded facility. BCC is only designed for 66.
There are as many as 100 and sometimes 105 inmates in there. It’s very crowded.
We will move some of those individuals to the new facility and that would relieve the pressure that currently exists.
Mr. Curley: One last question is: will the criteria for the requirement of the design, the architectural design… ?
Do you have a minimum number of beds that would be required or is that yet to come?
Hon. Keith Peterson: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I thank Mr. Curley.
I believe those specs are yet to come.
Chairman: Thank you, Minister Peterson. (interpretation) I have no more names on my list for page 4. (interpretation ends) 2012-13 Supplementary Appropriation (Capital) No. 1.
Justice. Capital. Not Previously Authorized.
Chairman (interpretation): Thank you. (interpretation ends) Total Department. $700,000. (interpretation) Do you agree?
Go to page 5. (interpretation ends) 2012-13 Supplementary Appropriation (Capital) No. 1.
Capital. Not Previously Authorized.
Total Directorate. $19,736,000.
I have a question in regard to that page.
The old boarding home is being proposed for renovation for a new mental health treatment centre.
When are they going to start the renovations?
When are they going to complete it?
How are they going to operate in what they’re going to do at the mental health treatment centre?
Perhaps the minister can elaborate further.
Hon. Keith Peterson: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I thank Ms. Ell for the questions.
Mr. Chairman, it’s proposed that once the budget is approved, the department would acquire the building and almost immediately request an RFP to renovate the facility.
It’s premature for me to guess on the time of when it will be opened, but the plan is to have it opened by later this year, and then they would transfer individuals from the current facility, building 534, into that facility.
The department still has to get some additional funds, probably come back and seek some additional funds through a supp bill for O&M to operate the building.
The programs that they would offer would be similar to the programs they currently offer.
I think they would probably expand their operations because, being a larger facility, they probably have as many as 20 individuals who can reside there and as many as 14 to 15 day patients.
Some Nunavut residents have to go outside the territory to get treatment in Selkirk. Will they be repatriated to the new mental health treatment centre?
Mr. Chairman, it’s hoped that most of the individuals in the Selkirk home can be repatriated to Iqaluit, to this facility.
In the future, will you have to get additional PYs to operate the mental health facility?
Yes, Mr. Chairman, we will likely require additional funds to hire more staff.
The other one is to purchase a CT scanner. Is this funding to purchase a CT scanner?
Hon. Keith Peterson: Yes, Mr. Chairman, there’s $4.5 million in the Patient Wait Times Guarantee Trust Fund that was provided by the federal government a few years ago.
This funding would be used to purchase a CT scanner and what they call a picture archive computer system; and digital CR X-ray equipment for health centres across Nunavut.
Also, in the future, we have to send out patients because we don’t have that equipment. A majority of the patients will not have to leave the territory because of this equipment. Would that save costs in the future, Mr. Chairman?
We estimate that over a five-year period, it will likely save in the order of magnitude of $2 million, but more importantly, Mr. Chairman, people from Nunavut would likely not have to be sent south for CT scans if they could do it here and then return to their communities.
If the CT scan detects serious issues, then they would be sent south.
Ms Ell.
My last and third question is in regard to renovations to the Qikiqtani General Hospital.
Are you going to be renovating the older part of the Qikiqtani General Hospital and what kind of renovations are you going to be doing?
Yes, the plan is to renovate what they call the phase 2 of the Baffin Regional Hospital or the Qikiqtani General Hospital, but they will renovate that part. I have a list.
I wrote it down somewhere, but it would be for primary care, administration, laundry services, office space, and a whole lot of other stuff.
The plan is to issue an RFP near the end of this year or later this year and then start renovations as soon as possible and hopefully have the renovations completed by late 2013.
For the Tammaativvik allocation of $2.4 million, I would like the minister to at least again confirm that he said in response to one of the members’ questions that once complete, that would serve as one of the means to repatriate some of the patients from Selkirk.
That’s my understanding with discussions with staff. If the necessary supports are in place once the new facility opens, they will look at the individuals case by case to see if they can be returned to Iqaluit.
With respect to planning that, mainly it has always been to alleviate the small facility currently near that location, mainly to replace the existing facility, which treats people individually, mainly the day program for individuals with mild mental health illnesses, and so on.
I never did understand while I was the minister that it would eventually serve as treating severe mental illness patients. Did the program change since the last six months?
No, the program hasn’t changed.
It would not be patients with severe mental difficulties.