EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
I did not quite catch the question. Could the member repeat the question again?
Mr. Peterson, can you please repeat your question.
I will try to repeat again. I hope I have the correct description. It is called an individual education plan.
It is for students with disabilities.
A special program is set up for the kids with disabilities where teachers work with them in the schools.
I am wondering how many of those are there throughout Nunavut in all the elementary schools and high schools.
I thank the member for repeating his question.
The best information provided to me is that we have between one and two percent of the total student enrolment who would be on an individual education program.
Could the minister, for the record, tell us what the one or two percent translates into in real numbers?
Chairman: Thank you, Mr. Peterson. Minister Picco, do you have the actual numbers?
Seeing that I am the Minister of Education, I will have an opportunity now to ask a question and I would suggest to the member that the total enrolment of the schools in Nunavut are 8,000, and so one percent of 8,000 would be the number on IEP. So if the member would want to do the high end, he could take two percent of 8,000 and that would be the number.
I thank the minister for his; I am not sure if it was a question or a comment, but I am sure all of us here can calculate it.
I am sure the readers out there would like a number. Some will probably have to rush out and get calculators. Can we get a low number and a high number for the record?
I just gave him the answer, I am sure the member can calculate that amount. So if it was 10 percent of a hundred, it would be ten.
In this case, between one percent and two percent of the total amount of 8,000 would be added in IEP. So the member, I think, would be able to very quickly deduct from that of 8,000 is the answer he is seeking.
Chairman: Minister Picco, we will try once again.
What is the figure for that place which he is asking for?
Hon. Ed. Picco: I just gave it, Mr. Chairman.
Thank you, Minister. I am not sure that you did give the answer.
What is the real number, do you have that number?
I will allow the minister to attempt to answer that question again, if it is not possible, then he could get one of the staff to do so.
I thought I did a very good job of answering the question for the member, and gave him an opportunity to calculate that and he is now going to check to see if my calculation was correct.
If the range is between one and two percent of 8,000, then the member knows that the amount could be within that range of less than a hundred, probably around 80 would be the number, in total across the territory, if the number of one to two percent is used. So that is the range and that would be the calculation.
So I hope that helps to answer the member’s question.
I have my numbers here, but I will not waste more time in the House to try to get the actual number. Can the minister provide some information on what are the costs to the education system for an individual education program for a student, which is K to grade 12?
It depends on the individual IEP that is in place. Some students would be in a full-time program, meaning they would be attending school full-time; other students may be only attending in the afternoon or half time. Some students may be on a program where they may be in the school semi-frequently, meaning they might only attend school two or three times a week.
So all these types of programs depend on what the program actually is specifically, meaning each program is geared towards that specific need of that specific child.
I do not have the dollar value and what the total costs are with me, again, it is contingent on what those costs are based on each individual plan.
I thank the minister for that information; I am sure that the costs are considerable because the students require a specialized education.
Does the minister have any information on how successfully the IEPs are, in terms of graduating the students, preparing them for life after high school?
Hon. Ed. Picco: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. We do not track the students that were on an IEP separately for graduation purposes compared to students that were not on an IEP.
All students, when we look at the graduation rates and numbers, are collated given grade 12 and so on. It is not based on IEP or what have you, it is based on the actual graduation rate by school, by community, and that’s correlated into a number which would reflect Nunavut as a whole.
Of these 939.3 positions under School Operations, are any of them teachers/librarian-type positions?
I don’t have a breakdown of that specific of where if a teacher/librarian position is one of those given positions with me.
Does the school or the Department of Education fund librarians in the schools?
Libraries, public libraries, and so on fall under the Department of CLEY, I believe.
In each school, where possible, we do have what we call a resource area now and the resource area/library would be maintained for the total school itself, meaning we wouldn’t actually have a dedicated position within the school for that as what we would call a librarian position.
What we do have is the program support teachers and some of the other full-time teachers and staff who maintain the library.
It would be unrealistic, Mr. Chairman, to have a librarian position in the majority of our schools across the territory when we heard from the members and the public at large that they want to see more in-classroom support.
I do not believe I have any more names on this page.
School Operations. Total Operations and Maintenance. $105,492,000. (interpretation) Do you agree?
Chairman (interpretation): Thank you. (interpretation ends) Go back to page G-4.
Total Operations and Maintenance. $184,268,000. (interpretation) Do you agree?
Chairman (interpretation): Thank you. (interpretation ends) Is the committee agreed that the Department of Education is concluded?
Chairman (interpretation): Thank you. (interpretation ends) Thank you, Minister and Minister, do you have closing comments for the committee?
Hon. Ed. Picco: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the committee for their good work and I think we have done a pretty good job of reviewing the budget.
We have had some opportunities to increase the budget over the past year and a half and increase the number of positions, which has been a benefit for our schools.
I look forward to this June when I will be able to report back on some of the work that is occurring on the Education Act.
For Mr. Peterson and others, Mr. Clendenning, who is with us today in the House, will be, in the next couple of days, working on connecting with the Miramar people on the Doris North Project to see if there is an opportunity for training that the member has raised and some other members have raised with that project now that it has received regulatory approval. So that’s something that we will be following up and I know that the member and members are interested in that.
Chairman: Thank you, Minister and thank you to the staff.
I would now like to ask Minister Akesuk, Minister of the Department of Environment to make his opening remarks.
Bill 12 – Appropriation (Operations & Maintenance) Act, 2006-07 – Review in Committee – Environment
I am pleased to appear in the Committee of the Whole to represent the department’s main estimates and business plan for the 2006-07 fiscal year.
Mr. Chairman, the Department of Environment’s proposed budget for 2006-07 is $16,642,000.
I would like to take a few minutes to quickly highlight some of the accomplishments my department achieved in 2005-06 and some of our challenges for the upcoming fiscal year.
July 9, 2005 was a proud day for Nunavummiut, especially for those who dedicated their time and commitment into the making of a Wildlife Act. On that day, the modern and made-in-Nunavut Wildlife Act was proclaimed into law. The Wildlife Act was the first piece of legislation that recognizes Inuit knowledge and I’m very proud of our accomplishment.
Mr. Chairman, the next step will be to proclaim regulations under the Wildlife Act. My department has continued to work very hard through the Legislative Working Group to accomplish this goal.
There are still some issues that require further discussions with our partners, but I am optimistic the regulations will come into effect over the next few months.
One of our challenges this coming year is polar bear management, especially in Baffin Bay and Western Hudson Bay. New western research information indicates that the Western Hudson Bay polar bear population is not healthy, and is estimated to be lower than we thought when the quota was increased a few years ago. We also learned that Greenland hunters have been harvesting an unsustainable number of polar bears from the Baffin Bay population we share with them.
Mr. Chairman, having said that, I am happy to say that Greenland has now implemented a polar bear management plan with a new quota system in place as of January 1, 2006.
My department will continue to work with Canada and Greenland to come to an acceptable polar bear management agreement for Baffin Bay and other two shared populations.
Mr. Chairman, you will be pleased to know that beneficiary conservation officer training in my department is going very well.
As you may recall, my department established a Conservation Officer Training Program last year with positions for three trainees. Two beneficiaries have been in training since last fall in Pangnirtung and Kugluktuk.
The third successful candidate wanted to finish his Environmental Technology training before accepting the trainee position. He will start in April in the Kivalliq.
Mr. Chairman, if resources permit us, we plan to continue these training programs so that in time, most of our conservation officers will be Inuit.
One of my future goals is to make sure there are two officers in each community, especially in larger ones.
This would provide the officers with more security and support, and the second officer could ensure that communities continue to be serviced when an officer goes on holiday or if a position becomes vacant.
Another area where we are working hard, in partnerships with other government departments, is solid waste management and plastic management. These two areas have been a great concern of the Members of the Legislative Assembly.
However, this initiative will also require partnership with other departments and associated financial resources.
Members of the Legislative Assembly have also expressed concerns with the Government of Nunavut’s harvester support programs. My department has been working closely with NTI on a joint review of our programs. As I promised in the last session, this report will be made available to members.
Mr. Chairman, with respect to the fisheries and sealing section, the Fisheries Strategy is being implemented. We continue to support emerging fisheries in Nunavut. We continue to lobby the federal government for our fair share of resources within the adjacent waters of Nunavut.
Part of the Fisheries Strategy is the establishment of the Nunavut Fisheries Training Consortium. 81 percent of beneficiaries who register for this program successfully complete it. I understand that 39 beneficiaries have now received their certificates and are qualified to work in offshore boats.
Hon. Olayuk Akesuk: Our Parks and Special Places Division continue to work with other stakeholders in areas such as the Thelon Wildlife Sanctuary Management Plan and Inuit Impact and Benefit Agreements, Canadian Heritage Rivers IIBAs, and designation of the Coppermine River as a heritage river.
Mr. Chairman, on top of the specific initiatives I have highlighted, I’d like to remind you that the Department of Environment is responsible for a wide range of regulatory and legal obligations for the Government of Nunavut, including working in partnership with five of the co-management boards created under the land claims agreement.
As you can see from my brief presentation, we are proactive in providing the best services with the available resources to Nunavummiut.
We have challenges ahead of us. I am positive with my leadership as Minister of Environment my department will be able to tackle those challenges in 2006-07.
Do you have witnesses you would like to bring to the table with you?
Hon. Olayuk Akesuk (interpretation): Yes, I do, Mr. Chairman.
Chairman: Thank you. Does the committee agree to bring in the witnesses?
Chairman: Sergeant-at-Arms, could you escort the witnesses in?
For the record, would you please introduce your witnesses.
On my right is my Deputy Minister Simon Awa, and on my left is Steve Pinksen, Director of Policy, Planning, and Legislation.
Does a member of the Standing Committee Ajauqtiit have comments?
Mr. Chairman, I am pleased to be able to give the committee’s opening remarks as we begin consideration of the 2006-07 Main Estimates for the Department of Environment.
Mr. Chairman, the Standing Committee Ajauqtiit has had the opportunity to meet with the minister and his staff. The minister was able to give an update on his department’s proposed expenditures.
Mr. Chairman, members are concerned about the polar bear issue.
Members were pleased when the polar bear quotas were increased in some areas of Nunavut last year. However, the minister has recently indicated that the polar bear population is estimated to be lower than previously thought.
Mr. Chairman, at the same time, the United States Government is considering adding the polar bear to its endangered species listing and this could have an economic impact on communities where sports hunts take place.
Mr. Chairman, members expect the minister to keep the committee informed on this issue.
Mr. Chairman, members are also concerned about compensation for hunters who have lost equipment.
Although the department administers a disaster compensation program, this program does not cover damage to property or equipment damaged by animals.
Members urge the minister to consider such issues when reviewing its disaster compensation program.
Mr. Chairman, members were pleased that the department is making efforts to increase the number of Inuit conservation officers through its Conservation Officer Training Program.
Members would wish to see more beneficiaries serving as conservation officers in their own communities.
Members encourage the department to work with Nunavut Arctic College in preparing environmental studies students for careers in this field.
Mr. Chairman, members look forward to seeing the results of two recent studies conducted by the department on the Peary Caribou and Polar Bear Deterrents.
Mr. Chairman, members understand that the department is continuing work on the drafting of regulations for the new Wildlife Act and that it has been consulting with communities.
Members wish to be kept fully informed on progress in this area.
Mr. Chairman, members are aware that not all entities may agree with some areas of the draft regulations.
Members urge the minister to work closely with NTI and NWMB to resolve any outstanding areas of disagreement.
Members will recall that the Committee tabled a letter on this matter on May 5, 2005.
Mr. Chairman, the committee is committed to the development of Nunavut’s fishing industry, as this sector has potential to create much-needed employment for Nunavummiut.
Members note that the department is starting to implement its Fisheries Strategy.
The committee will be monitoring this issue with attention.
Mr. Chairman, members are concerned about Nunavut’s turbot fishery.
Members have noted that federal government is preparing to make fish off of Nunavut’s coast available to southern fishing interests, despite the recommendations of its own Advisory Panel.
Mr. Chairman, Nunavut’s sea is bountiful. We must be given the opportunity to develop our fishery and work towards economic self-sufficiency.
Mr. Chairman, members eagerly look forward to reviewing the department’s draft Sealing Strategy. Mr. Chairman, members note that the minister recently held discussions with the Greenland Home Rule Government with respect to the banning of the importation of Canadian seal pelts to Greenland.
Members urge the minister to continue his efforts to promote and defend the sustainable harvesting practices that are used by Inuit when harvesting seals.
Mr. Chairman, members note that the department’s business plan indicates that a new departmental strategic plan is under development. Members look forward to reviewing this document.
Mr. Chairman, members note that the department has conducted studies on the establishment of territorial parks in Clyde River, Kugaaruk and Coral Harbour.
Members expect to be kept fully informed on these initiatives.
Mr. Chairman, it has come to the committee’s attention that some areas of responsibility in relation to land use planning have been transferred from this department to EIA. The committee sent a letter to the Minister of EIA with respect to this issue and looks forward to a response.
Mr. Chairman, this concludes my opening remarks. I anticipate that individual members will raise their own comments and concerns on the department’s 2006-07 Main Estimates.
Before we proceed, I would like to remind members of the following: according to Rule 77(1), you have 10 minutes to speak and according to Rule 77(2), subject to the decision of the Chair, the member may speak more than once to a matter under discussion but not until every member wishing to speak has spoken.
I suggest to members that whenever possible you ask your detailed questions during the page-by-page review of the departmental estimates.
I have some concerns that I would like to express on the research council, and also the western scientists, and the Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit. I have been working with scientists for quite a while. How far are we in getting closer together in meeting with the scientists, also with Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit?
I have concerns on the fact the Inuit and the wildlife had been studied for so many years.
To be more careful of the wildlife; to be more concerned about the status on the land and their habitat when they are studying the animals that they use helicopters to survey the polar bears.
I do believe that they do scare the polar bears from their habitat.
I know Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit is better even though when we do hunt the polar bears we try not to disturb their habitat.
We do hunt using motorboats; we do not use motorized vehicles so that we will not scare the animals. This should be respected as well by the scientists.
If we are going to be using Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit by the scientists then they should be more considerate of the animals that they are studying.
I know that the animal rights activists use the helicopters to disturb the animals as well. If they had been more considerate of the animals they would be using Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit and have more respect of the animals that they are studying.
The hunters know more about the animals than the people who are studying them.
Are they using the hunters to help the scientists so that the scientists will not have to use the helicopters to do the surveys of the polar bears, or even motor vehicles to do their studies on the land?
They should be using Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit as a rule to respect the animals that they are studying so that they will not scare the animals in their habitat.
Up to this date we know that the scientists do scare the animals that they’re studying. After the studies have been through the area the animals become thinner because they have been disturbed so much to the point that they cannot eat. Studying polar bears would have an effect on their habitat and their way of life and their environment.
If they can use the local hunters and trappers when they’re studying the animals in that area, they know how to approach the animals in their own land and they have their own rules and procedures to approach the animals.
For that reason, I would like the minister to know about this aspect, so I’ll be asking some questions on the researchers that they should have more respect to the animals and use the Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit.
Chairman: Thank you, Mr. Kattuk. (interpretation) I have no other names on my list. (interpretation ends) Environment. Branch Summary.
Total Operations and Maintenance. $2,516,000.
Branch Summary. Program Development.
Total Operations and Maintenance. $13,126,000.
On page I-21 of the business plan, there is a priority for 2005-06 to complete and install new program directional and interpretive sign in your Parks in Cambridge Bay, Rankin Inlet and Iqaluit. Status is ongoing. The project was tendered and awarded.
Can the minister give me an update on the current status on that project and if it will be completed in the new fiscal year?
Before I proceed, I should have reminded the members that we are dealing with page I-6. However, that also includes I-7, I-8, I-9, and I-10.
Hon. Olayuk Akesuk (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Maybe this summer they will be on a press release.
It says that the contract has been awarded. Who has the contract been awarded to?
The tendering process goes through CGS. We do not have the company who is doing the signage, but we can get back to you and give you the contractor’s company or name.
I thank the minister for making the commitment.
Mr. Chairman, I have asked the question of the minister a couple of times in the past about the status of the Kitikmeot land use plan.
Last year, the Nunavut Planning Commission and Department of Environment were trying to arrange meetings together to discuss it and it seemed like there was a problem. I think they did have a meeting eventually.
Could the minister give me an update on the status of the Kitikmeot land use plan from his department’s perspective?
Can I have my deputy answer that question?
Mr. Simon Awa (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
The Nunavut Planning Commission has an acting chairman. The acting chairman met with the minister. Also, the Kitikmeot land use plan update was given to the minister.
It’s ongoing.
I can only report that the Nunavut land use plan is ongoing at the same time as the Kitikmeot land use plan. It is an ongoing process and it was stated by the NPC.
Mr. Peterson: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I thank the minister and his deputy minister for their answer.
The information that has been given to me in the past by the Nunavut Planning Commission folks is that it was essentially complete; at least they felt it was complete, but they were concerned that the Government of Nunavut did not think it was complete.
I wonder if the deputy minister could indicate to me, following their meetings with the interim executive director, if they feel that the information that the Government of Nunavut seeks will be forthcoming and that the Nunavut Planning Commission will be able to complete the West Kitikmeot land use plan in the current calendar year.
Chairman (Mr. Arreak): Thank you, Mr. Peterson.
I am aware that we have the final draft of the framework document.
The land use planning is coordinated through EIA. So once that goes through it goes to the Cabinet. So we’ll be in the position where we can help the Kitikmeot land use plan.
The minister’s priorities on page I-17 of the business plan says, “…work with NIRB, the Nunavut Impact Review Board, to review major development projects in Nunavut.”
Does the minister anticipate that there’ll be additional major resource development projects in the upcoming fiscal year?
Our goal as the government, as the Department of Environment is to make sure that we have a close working relationship with NIRB to deal with exploration permits, or NEIS, NIRB, and hopefully we’ll have more work done this year on potential mines in Nunavut.
Chairman: Thank you, Minister Akesuk. Mr. Peterson.
Can the minister confirm for the House if it’s his department that takes the lead on behalf of the Government of Nunavut when dealing with the Nunavut Impact Review Board and major resource development projects?
Yes, we take the lead with other departments of the government. We work together to make sure that we come up with a proper impact assessment.