EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
Hon. Lorne Kusugak: Thank you, Chairman.
Unlike the other municipalities, the Rankin Inlet municipality does not maintain the water and sewage services in the community nor do they get funding when people have to pay their water bills.
All of that goes straight to the Government of Nunavut. Water and sewage utilidor maintenance is the responsibility of the government and not the municipality, so that’s why it would have to be a government asset. It’s a government responsibility to maintain the system.
A lot of my questions have been answered by previous members, but just for some clarification and some continuation questions on the Rankin Inlet recreational complex, it’s very difficult when we’re in small communities to accept when a community wants bigger and better for their communities when we never have the basics, such as swimming pools.
My question to the minister is: how do we explain to our communities that you want to approve $500,000 towards a new complex in Rankin Inlet, where our communities don’t have any swimming pool at all?
Maybe I could have Mr. Green explain it. Maybe he will explain it better.
The feasibility study and some of the information that’s in the substantiation sheet is totally based on an arena complex within the community.
I think I mentioned earlier that that’s something we’re looking at from a long-term perspective.
At this point in time, the $500,000 will be used to look at replacing the existing arena in the community with a new arena that meets the long-term needs of the community.
In terms of the swimming pool and some of the other infrastructure that would be in this complex, this is something that would probably be considered over time, if and when there is funding available either from government and some other private sector sources, so that we can move forward and make this a sustainable project.
But at this point in time, the concentration in the planning phase would be looking at an arena with a site that allows the community to expand for a swimming pool or some other recreational activity in the future.
So we’re going back now. This $500,000 is basically for upgrades to the arena now or the replacement of the arena, not necessarily the Olympic-sized swimming pool.
It’s still very difficult for me to accept the fact, considering that if you read the scope of work with this, it does state Olympic-sized swimming pool and other facilities.
If Rankin Inlet wants to go out and get funding from other sources and build such a complex, so be it, if somebody else is funding.
But if our government is funding it, it’s very difficult for us when, again like I said before, our communities don’t have such things as a swimming pool and never had one.
So I’m wondering if the minister can assure us that all communities in Nunavut will get basic recreational facilities, such as swimming pools, before any community, such as Rankin Inlet, gets bigger and better [facilities] using GN funds.
All the funds to construct swimming pools or arenas or schools go through this House, so you will have a say in whether it happens or not.
For me to say it won’t happen or it will happen, well, that’s why we go through this process, Mr. Chairman.
Again I encourage municipalities to look at building infrastructure in their communities if they can build the infrastructure.
If they can build multi-million dollar infrastructure in their communities, then all the government has to do is pay for the planning and design. That’s good for the community and good for the government.
That’s what I think anyway.
It’s important that all communities get the same or similar or what kind of recreation facilities they need. I agree with him there, and I will do whatever I can to help every municipality improve their recreational and other facilities in their communities.
We’ve had discussions around a few tables to see how this government or future governments could improve recreational facilities in municipalities. I think we have come a long way.
It’s nice to see that the new arena in Pond Inlet will finally be there this year. They have waited a long time.
They were the first ones to get their arena years ago and now they’re getting the newest one.
So now all the municipalities will have arenas and I look forward to the day when all the municipalities have swimming pools.
I will support every call from a municipality to have a swimming pool, regardless of their size of population, Mr. Chairman.
Do you have any further questions? Mr. Rumbolt.
Even when this planning and design is done and if this budget is approved, the minister stated that it would be great if all communities could come up with the funding to build multi-million dollar facilities, but the reality is that the smaller communities will never have the funding.
They will never come up with the funding without the aid of the government.
That is the stumbling block I’m having. Whether we approve this design or not, the reality is we will depend on the government.
That was just a comment and I’ll leave it at that.
Given all the information that the members have highlighted this afternoon and given the fact that we have not actually put in place to set the stage for any future setting for standards and criteria, I personally have a whole lot of trouble trying to approve this $500,000.
So therefore, Mr. Chairman, I would like to ask that we break for 10 to 15 minutes so that I can prepare a motion on the item I have been asking questions about.
Okay, I’ll use my discretion as the Chairman and we will take a 10-minute break. After the break, we will get back to this item.
>>Committee recessed at 17:19 and resumed at 17:39
Chairman (interpretation): Thank you for returning to the Committee of the Whole.
The item we are dealing with is (interpretation ends) Community and Government Services.
Capital Planning. (interpretation) We are reviewing page H-3, H-4, and H-5.
Mr. Ningeongan wanted to put forward a motion before we continue with our review.
Committee Motion 002 – 3(3): Deletion of $500,000 from the 2012-13 Capital Estimates of the Department of Community and Government Services (Ningeongan)
Mr. Ningeongan (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Chairman. (interpretation ends) I move that the $500,000 in proposed funding for the “New Recreation Complex (Arena)” project be deleted from the 2012-13 Capital Estimates of the Department of Community and Government Services.
Mr. Chairman, I would like to ask for a recorded vote on the matter.
Chairman (interpretation): Thank you. The motion is in order. To the motion.
I would like to remind you that all members have the right to speak to the motion for a total of 20 minutes.
The mover of the motion will speak first and has the right to the last reply.
Mr. Ningeongan (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Chairman. In Nunavut, our government is proclaimed as a consensus style of government and I prefer that model because it can make things equal.
I have made note of that and that is my foundation.
However, the concern I had and the reason for the motion is due to the fact that this process seems to be differentiating between communities without the right kind of foundation and that is my reasoning behind the issue of standards and criteria. Here we are using very old standards and criteria while trying to develop new facilities without a new policy being completed.
As members raised their questions and comments about this process, which I listened to, I found that I am not the only one concerned about this particular process.
Due to that reason, Mr. Chairman, I have made my comment short and concise. The smaller communities within Nunavut have to also be part of the system.
I’ll stop there for now.
Chairman (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Ningeongan. I open the floor to any comments to the motion.
Hon. Lorne Kusugak (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I will not be able to support the motion as it is worded.
My reason is that I believe Mr. Ningeongan misunderstood this funding.
It doesn’t state that it is planning for a new swimming pool or recreational facilities.
The $500,000 is just for (interpretation ends) planning and design for an arena only. That’s all this $500,000 is budgeted for: planning and design of the arena in Rankin Inlet. It’s not planning and design for a swimming pool, for a games arena, and all those other things that you may think.
That’s not what this $500,000 would do. To plan and design for a swimming pool complex/arena with those other things that are written in this sheet would be in the millions of dollars.
This is merely to plan and design, Mr. Chairman, an arena in the community of Rankin Inlet, the same community that gave back a lot more money than this that they didn’t want to waste on renovating the existing arena that they have.
The community felt that it was a waste of money. They gave back a lot more money than $500,000 because they didn’t want to waste the government money.
Instead, the community wanted to start working on building a new arena. If you take this $500,000 out, it will mean that the community of Rankin Inlet will have to not have any more plans for a new arena.
All this is doing is planning and designing for an arena, not a complex, not an Olympic-sized swimming pool or a wading pool of anything.
Colleagues, I want you to know that this is merely a hockey arena, Mr. Chairman, and I hope my colleagues will understand that. The community has plans, yes, to build swimming pools and all those other things. And we, as a government, should not fault communities for those aspirations.
This $500,000 that will be used is not going to be used at all for planning and design of a swimming pool or anything like that.
It will be used for a hockey arena.
I really hope, colleagues, that you will rethink of removing this $500,000. If you say that because it’s going to change and because it’s standards and criteria, well, before the standards and criteria were ever finished, we have started putting in the thermosyphon ice things in each community.
We have worked with the Municipality of Igloolik to fix up their planning and design over and above or outside the original scope. We did that in Grise Fiord. We’re working with municipalities.
Mr. Chairman, the standards of arenas have not changed and this won’t change them.
I really hope that you will rethink this.
This is merely planning and design for a hockey arena of $500,000. Now once this is done, I hope, colleagues, you will support this because once this is done, then the municipality will start looking for funds outside this government if it has to build a hockey arena.
Take the swimming pools and all those other things out of your mind for a moment because they’re not part of this $500,000. They have nothing to do with this $500,000.
If we made it muddy and made you think that way, I apologize. When they did this proposed project, they should have never included the swimming pool and stuff like that because that’s not what this $500,000 will be for.
I assure you it’s only for the planning and design of an arena.
I hope, colleagues, that you will join me in voting down this motion because if you don’t, then our fine community of Rankin Inlet will not be able to plan and design a hockey arena, one that they need very badly, one that is so deteriorated that they have even given back the money to the Nunavut Government to say, “No, we don’t want to renovate this arena anymore because we’re throwing good money after bad and what we want to do is plan and design a new one.”
And that’s where the planning and designing started for this.
We took the money back and the government said, “Yes, okay, we will take the money back and we will help you plan and design.”
That’s where we are at and now we will just say, “No, we should have took that money, a lot more than $500,000, and painted the place.”
Mr. Chairman, I am pleading with my colleagues to think twice. You’re not voting on a swimming pool.
You’re not voting on an arctic sports facility. You’re not voting on all the other things that may be highlighted in here that are the dreams of the community.
You’re voting on whether Rankin Inlet should get planning and design for a hockey rink.
That’s all that this will accomplish, Mr. Chairman.
(interpretation) I hope my colleagues will reconsider this motion prior to the vote because we’re only talking about a hockey arena.
If members disapprove, then it will cause a lot of grief to Rankin Inlet because they are very much into hockey. Every year, they have a hockey team sent out by dint of all their fundraising so that they can hold hockey tournaments.
If you have ever played there or attended a hockey game, every night when the senior men are playing, there are between 200 and 300 people watching just a regular hockey game.
It can get kind of dangerous due to the overcrowding, especially when there is an intense hockey game. This arena is utilized for a lot of hockey tournaments, which draws teams from all over Nunavut.
I want this motion defeated. It is designed to stop the construction of a recreational facility in Rankin Inlet.
We have all deliberated about recreational facilities and the need to support our youth. We make these statements, yet this one community that is planning a long-term capital plan around just its hockey arena will not be approved. It is a serious problem if we are going to do that.
So, Mr. Chairman, I want to work with my colleagues to defeat this motion to delete the $500,000 towards the planning and design of a hockey arena.
I do understand part of the reasoning, but I don’t fully understand it.
I’m making this statement to everyone here and the public in Nunavut: Nunavut residents maintain that our youth are our priority. We state that our youth are at risk.
I can tell you that this hockey arena is over 30 years old. It was built when I was an MLA in the NWT legislature. It was one of the very first arenas built.
It’s now very old and dilapidated.
It’s quite cold even inside the arena. It’s not conducive to elders, especially when they want to enter. It can be dangerous, especially if there is a blizzard due to the placement of the door because it is facing the south where the prevailing winds are.
The members keep stating that the youth are our priority and that they go through hard times and are at risk.
Today questions are raised about youth in this predicament.
Look here, you are trying to vote on a facility that would really be utilized by many youth, but because it just happens to be the community of the minister, it becomes the reason behind this disapproval.
That’s not even funny.
I don’t understand why the member is doing that, Mr. Chairman.
In looking at our future, this is problematic because you are elected to represent your constituencies in this government. If we’re going to pick and choose which community gets funding, then it will become problematic because the members state that we don’t have any rules and procedures. This is also hard to understand.
Due to that reason, we have to deliberate carefully and take into consideration these kinds of issues.
We haven’t heard any concrete reasons from the members and due to that reason and because of the time, I move to report progress.
Mr. Curley has made a motion to report progress and the motion is not debatable.
Let me get people to approve the motion to report progress and we will return to the committee meeting tomorrow.
Minister Kusugak, I would like to thank you and your officials for appearing before the Committee of the Whole. I know we’re not done yet.
Once we have completed the department, there will be other comments and closing remarks.
Sergeant-at-Arms, can you please escort the witnesses out.
Your committee has been considering Bill 15 and the capital estimates, and would like to report progress. Also, I move that the Report of the Committee of the Whole be agreed to.
A reminder that there’s a meeting of the Regular Caucus tomorrow at ten o’clock in the Nanuq Boardroom.
This House stands adjourned until Thursday, October 20, at 1:30 p.m.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Pages 1152 – 1206
Opening Prayer 1152
Ministers’ Statements 1152
Members’ Statements 1155
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery 1158
Oral Questions 1160
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters 1178
Point of Order 1183
Report of the Committee of the Whole 1205
Orders of the Day 1206
Thursday, October 20, 2011 1152
071 – 3(3): Nunavut Research Vessel’s First Season a Success (Shewchuk) 1152
072 – 3(3): Update on the Nunavut Carving Stone Deposit Evaluation Program (Taptuna) 1153
073 – 3(3): Sivuliqtiksat Graduates and Training Fund (Schell) 1153
074 – 3(3): Breast Cancer Awareness Month (Aariak) 1154
120 – 3(3): Congratulations to High School Graduates of Igloolik (Tapardjuk) 1155
121 – 3(3): Financial Support for Elders in Nunavut (Elliott) 1155
122 – 3(3): The Nanisiniq Project in Arviat (Shewchuk) 1156
161 – 3(3): Homelessness in Nunavut (Ell) 1160
162 – 3(3): Contract Award Process for Kitikmeot Air Ambulance (Ugyuk) 1162
163 – 3(3): Government of Nunavut’s Response as per Tabled Document 92 – 3(3) (Tapardjuk) 1164
164 – 3(3): Search and Rescue in Nunavut (Aupaluktuq) 1165
165 – 3(3): Number of Housing Units Committed for Completion (Elliott) 1166
166 – 3(3): Contract for Kitikmeot Air Ambulance (Ugyuk) 1169
167 – 3(3): Update on Progress of Devolution Negotiations (Tapardjuk) 1169
168 – 3(3): Program Management for Building Houses (Elliott) 1172
169 – 3(3): Addiction Levels in Nunavut (Ugyuk) 1174
170 – 3(3): ASIST Training (Elliott) 1175
171 – 3(3): Carving Stone Deposit Evaluation Program (Tapardjuk) 1176
Bill 15 – Appropriation (Capital) Act, 2012-2013 – Community and Government Services – Consideration in Committee 1179
Bill 15 – Appropriation (Capital) Act, 2012-2013 – Education – Consideration in Committee 1189
Bill 15 – Appropriation (Capital) Act, 2012-2013 – Nunavut Housing Corporation – Consideration in Committee 1202
Before we get started, I would like to ask Mr. Elliott to lead us off with a prayer, please.
Minister’s Statement 071 – 3(3): Nunavut Research Vessel’s First Season a Success (Shewchuk)
I am pleased to update my colleagues of the successful first season of the Department of Environment’s new fisheries research vessel, the MV Nuliajuk.
Nuliajuk began an intensive summer of collaborative initiatives throughout the inshore and offshore waters of Baffin Island.
Upon departing Iqaluit in mid-July, Nuliajuk spent several weeks conducting various research projects in Cumberland Sound.
The research initiatives within this area included survey work on Cumberland Sound turbot stocks, satellite and acoustic tagging of turbot, arctic skate, and Greenlandic shark, a joint fish survey with CGS Amundsen and ArcticNet, and water chemistry data collection, to name a few.
Also, the vessel was used for exploratory fishery work near Qikiqtarjuaq and Clyde River in September, where both gillnets and longlines were used to catch turbot in the offshore 0A area.
Mr. Speaker, with initiatives like these completed, I am pleased to report that Nuliajuk successfully completed 100 percent of the proposed research initiatives for the 2011 season.
To continue this positive momentum and assure a successful second season, stakeholder consultations will continue throughout this upcoming winter.
Additionally, the vessel will undergo several upgrades and modifications over the winter months to continue to build upon the vessel’s research capacity, broadening the amount of research that can simultaneously take place aboard the vessel.
DOE is extremely pleased with the work that is being completed on the vessel to date, the extent of stakeholder collaboration which has made this research possible, and the positive response from Nunavutmiut throughout the territory.
We are optimistic that next summer will be equally successful and we are looking forward to the continued collaboration with stakeholders and to the exploration into the potential of Nunavut’s fisheries resources.
Minister’s Statement 072 – 3(3): Update on the Nunavut Carving Stone Deposit Evaluation Program (Taptuna)
I rise today to speak about the Nunavut Carving Stone Deposit Evaluation Program and to provide some highlights from the first two years of this four-year project.
Through this program, Nunavut carvers work in cooperation with geologists to evaluate carving stone occurrences, including sites that are suggested by community carvers.
These sites are evaluated for the quantity and quality of stone and for the sites’ suitability and accessibility.
A total of 42 sites outside of 11 Nunavut communities were visited during the 2010-11 fieldwork seasons.
The raw material most preferred by Nunavut carvers is a dark, soft rock called serpentinite. To date, the carving stone deposit evaluation program has identified significant carving stone resources near Repulse Bay, Hall Beach, Igloolik, Pangnirtung, Kimmirut, Cape Dorset, and Coral Harbour.
The program will continue with community consultations and with helicopter-supported evaluation of carving stone deposits across Nunavut during the 2012-13 season.
Mr. Speaker, carving stone is culturally and economically important for our communities and for Nunavut’s arts sector, and this work is crucial to ensure that Nunavut carvers have reliable access to this resource.
Minister’s Statement 073 – 3(3): Sivuliqtiksat Graduates and Training Fund (Schell)
Our commitment to building excellence in our public service team and fulfilling the visions of Article 23 has been captured through the success of our training initiatives.
The Sivuliqtiksat program was established to develop Inuit in leadership positions within GN, particularly at the director and managerial level. Our department covers the salaries and positions as identified by departments and agencies based on their Inuit employment plans.
I thank the departments and agencies for their support to this important program and encourage them to continue to inspire their beneficiary employees to build their careers as leaders in management in their chosen professions. 2011 has produced four graduates: two from the Baffin region, one from the Kitikmeot, and there is a fourth anticipated from the Kivalliq.
This year also represents the second year of our enhanced training funding. Our department, in partnership with the Department of Finance, created a $2 million training fund.
The Building Capacity Committee recommended the funding be split into specialized training and program development to provide the greatest contribution to quality assurance in public service provision through our departments and agencies.
Under this plan, the departments and agencies take the driver’s seat in designing innovative and effective training initiatives.
In this fiscal year to date, nine departments are participating in various training projects and a total of 25 training agreements have been signed.
Initiatives include:
Training in environmental assessment and land use in relation to the Kiggavik project through the Department of Environment
Year 3 of the career development officer training program through the Department of Education
The new communications training program led by the Department of Executive and Intergovernmental Affairs and in addition to these important endeavours
4 occupational training programs across two regions, with a fifth planned for the Kitikmeot, the third region and
14 learning and development courses across three regions to date.
Our department is committed to excellence in service and providing the tools to Nunavummiut to provide the best in leadership in all sectors of the public service.
Speaker: Thank you, Minister Schell.
Minister responsible for Status of Women, Madam Premier.
Minister’s Statement 074 – 3(3): Breast Cancer Awareness Month (Aariak)
Hon. Eva Aariak (interpretation): Good afternoon.
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to announce that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and I have provided each member with a pink sealskin ribbon to bring awareness to this important issue.
The Government of Nunavut is committed to creating healthy communities and supports initiatives that raise awareness about particular health issues.
As the Minister responsible for the Status of Women, I am honoured to be able to rise today to recognize October as Breast Cancer Awareness Month.