EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
(interpretation) It is generally obvious and particularly in the winter, the airports have no backup generators and I would like to inform the minister that they don’t have any alternative energy sources. In Pond Inlet, our power went out several times over the course of the winter.
In the High Arctic, during the dark period, even during the daytime, you cannot land on the airstrip without any runway lights.
Does the government have a policy for the High Arctic communities whereby they are supplied with a backup generator in the event of a power failure?
For example, health centres and government offices have backup generators, and I believe the schools have them as well. Perhaps it’s time for the government to look at a policy specifically for the High Arctic communities where the airports have backup generators, especially in communities that experience 24-hour darkness in the winter.
Thank you for the question, hon. member from Tununiq.
There is a process in place to make sure that most of these airports in Nunavut have emergency generators put in place, but then again, I, for a fact, know that Pond Inlet does not have one. In looking at that, we will be trying to alleviate and get some more information on the logistics of that and once we have that, we will get back to the hon. member.
I thank the minister for his response and for the review of that issue.
When talking about this issue, I am not only referring to Pond Inlet but also the other communities that experience dark periods in the winter. If the generator at the airport breaks down, aircraft cannot land because there are no lights.
The communities I am referring to are Clyde River, Igloolik, Hall Beach, Grise Fiord, Resolute Bay, Pond Inlet, and Arctic Bay. These are communities which experience dark days during the winter.
Can the minister check to see if all the airports in the High Arctic are equipped with backup generators?
Of course, I’ll be looking into that. I’ll work with my counterpart from CGS and I can assure the member that we will be looking into that not just for Pond Inlet, as you have mentioned, there are some other communities that may have some older, outdated generators.
Once I have all that information, I will be getting back to the member.
Question 061 – 3(1): Medical Travel for Inuit and Non-Inuit (Schell)
Now, going back to the answer on the written question that I’ve asked... sorry, it’s for the Hon. Tagak Curley of Health and Social Services. I asked two questions on that.
He answered the question on the boarding here in Iqaluit, but he did not answer the question: why do non-Inuit have to pay the first $250 of the plane ticket when they fly and Inuit don’t? Does it come from a special Inuit fund, which would be understandable, or does the money come from the government? I did not get an answer on that one.
Thank you, MLA from South Baffin.
I think the member knows that in all of Canada, all of our health plans require a $250 deductible for any service, particularly for transportation, even with the Non-Insured Health Benefits for Inuit. But in this case, the federal government contributes that portion to a recipient which is the Government of Nunavut.
In all of the plans, that $250 is deductible and therefore, that is probably why that was applied, but to Inuit who are covered under the Non-Insured Health Benefits, it should have been covered by our department.
In that case, I will look into that in a bit more detail and provide the information back to you.
Question 062 – 3(1): Client Services Coordinator for Nunavut (Elliott)
Mr. Speaker, even though I have been in this position for a very short time, my constituents are turning to me more and more with problems that they are facing. In some cases, these problems are highly personal in nature, often relating to medical services, diagnoses, and treatment.
As a Member of the Legislative Assembly, I am committed to assisting my constituents. However, when it relates to matters of such a personal nature, considerations of privacy and disclosure make it more difficult for me to provide assistance.
Can the minister advise me and this House what does his department have in place to provide assistance to Nunavummiut who are having problems or complaints with medical services, or have family issues or children issues that they feel are not being addressed?
I’m not sure I fully understand the exact nature of the question because if the issue is related to medical are not being addressed, there is very little that the department can do about it.
I can only offer to my colleague that if there are questions that arise from his constituents, which may be confidential, they can certainly be provided to our departmental officials.
We have I think one of the best confidential systems that we have in place and we are obligated to keep all information confidential and we treat them as such.
So if the member feels that he has a confidential issue, he certainly can sit down with me and we can find appropriate medical officials or senior members of my staff to look into them.
So if I understand correctly what the minister is saying, we funnel all of our questions to his office and there’s no personnel or person like a client services coordinator in place.
Hon. Tagak Curley: Thank you.
From the community perspective, obviously, the local health officials are the first line of contact.
But with respect to regional issues, we certainly have regional operation centres that take care of our regional issues, including client travel or any other operational matters. They are handled by the regional staff that are based in Pangnirtung in this case. In my community, all the regional medical issues are handled by the regional director at that level.
So there are regional operations at every community and certainly they can be addressed.
But if the member has an urgent matter that he feels should be addressed, my deputy minister is prepared to look into all of these on relatively short notice.
Mr. Elliott: I would like to thank the minister, but I’m still just a little confused.
I recognize that as a result of problems relating to medical travel arrangements, a new travel coordinator position will be established in Pangnirtung.
It was my understanding that when this position was originally proposed well over a year ago, under the title Client Services Coordinator, the individual in that position would also be handling complaints and issues related to health services.
So a specific position was set aside for specific complains.
Can the minister confirm if that is still the case and if not, what will the exact responsibilities of this new coordinator position be?
I understand the question. I think the department has already hired the client travel manager who will likely be located in Iqaluit, but the travel group remains in Pangnirtung at this moment.
My department continues to evaluate whether or not this system is the most effective.
That is one thing that I’m doing is continuing to have an operational review of the progress, more or less, to ensure that the client travel is not compromised in order to meet this specialist that is normally here for a short time, as well as those that require specialist treatment beyond Nunavut.
So I believe the department has been able to address most of the complaints that have come in and certainly we would like to reduce any complaints coming in but that will take time.
So if I understand correctly, the position is no longer assigned to Pangnirtung, the person is actually in Iqaluit, and they are no longer in terms of being a client service coordinator, they are just a travel agent.
If that’s the case, then I feel that if it was originally proposed that a year ago, they were going to have a client service person to handle these issues, what is the government going to do to see that these issues are addressed?
The issues that I’m dealing with are more than just travel issues, they are health related issues and there’s confidential information that we don’t want to be giving out.
So if the minister could make a commitment, yes or no, whether there is going to be a client service coordinator.
Mr. Speaker, I don’t want to get into whether or not the appropriate title is this or that one.
We can certainly provide the information to you, whether or not the exact title will satisfy the member.
We do have an operational system in place that is well able to address any issue that is put forward, whether they are medically related or travel related, and so on. All of our regional staff are well-established to address them. I also assure the member that if he has any more urgent issues that he feels should be addressed, surely, our senior staff are able to address them as well.
But with respect to confidentiality, we will continue to respect that and will not compromise any confidential and medical issues that the member’s constituents may face.
Member for Iqaluit West, Mr. Curley... sorry, Mr. Okalik
Question 063 – 3(1): Completion Date of Multiplex Units in Iqaluit (Okalik)
Mr. Okalik (interpretation): Thank you.
Perhaps he will be moving to my riding.
He knows that here in Iqaluit, we have a long list of people waiting to get into public housing and many of my constituents are on that list.
There are two multiplexes that are being constructed near the shore and they have been worked on for quite a while.
Could the minister give us an update on what is happening with the two multiplexes that are being built for people on the waiting list for housing?
I would first like to get an update on their status.
I would like to thank the member for raising that question. I know that, not only here in Iqaluit but in every community across Nunavut, housing is a serious issue and you can never get them up fast enough.
Mr. Speaker, the units that the member is talking about are the units that are in the process of being constructed under the Northern Housing Trust program. The units here in Iqaluit are being constructed by the Iqaluit Housing Authority.
I had an opportunity to tour Minister Aglukkaq and Minister Strahl through one of the five-plexes that is being built down there right now. They were working very hard on it and I assume that they’re hoping to have those units probably occupied by next winter.
They’re closed in right now and they’re working at getting them done in time hopefully to be able to have them ready to be moved into some time next fall.
Yes, it would be good to have those five-plexes completed as soon as possible, although there are some projects where we cannot rush.
Mr. Speaker, there used to be some units down by the shore, which were standalone units, used by some of my constituents.
I’m wondering whether these units are still there or if they have been moved elsewhere. I was trying to find out if these units were still inhabitable and whether or not they could have been utilized again as interim housing.
Maybe if I can get the member to clarify this.
The houses that are being removed, is that what he’s talking about or is it the houses that are going up in the place of the ones that have been removed?
The minister wants you to clarify your question. Mr. Okalik.
These units were down by the shore and they were occupied by some of my constituents, but they seemed to have disappeared into thin air. I just wanted to find out if these houses were reusable.
I would like to thank the member for clarifying his question.
Mr. Speaker, that whole area down there where a lot of those units were, those are the ones that I was talking about yesterday that are older than me and older than the member himself, those are part of the 1,000 units that the corporation has identified that we need to replace.
One of the issues that the corporation had with the trust delivery here in Iqaluit is land availability and what the local housing authority decided to do here in Iqaluit was to take those old units, get rid of those old units, they have ended up at the landfill site, and replace them with more energy efficient and newer units.
Also, with the space that those individual units were on, we have been able to take those units, I think there were 18 units taken out of that particular area, and put in over 20-some units. So I think the local housing authority has decided to make better use of the land that they have available and replace some of the aging units that it had in stock to replace them with more and new units.
Hopefully that answers the member’s question.
That was why I asked where they had gone as they seemingly disappeared into thin air.
My next question is in regard to these units currently under construction. Since they are in close proximity to the shore and I know that they will be inhabited by people on the list, what I’m wondering is if there will be sufficient storage space for their belongings, especially for equipment used by harvesters.
I just clarified for the member that the Housing Corporation decides on who goes into public housing units. That responsibility and authority has been passed on in every community to the local housing organization.
The local board of directors determines their waiting lists and their priorities for allocation of units. So that’s something that has been devolved and controlled at the local level.
And I assure the member that the corporation doesn’t interfere in the local boards doing their jobs as far as determining priority for allocation of units within their responsibilities.
The reason for raising that question was because these units are in close proximity to the shore, which is much better for the hunters’ access, so it would seem perfect to house hunters in those units.
That’s the reason why I asked if these units are roomy enough to house the equipment that they use for hunting.
These units would be perfect for local hunters with the immediate access to the shoreline and many Inuit, original Iqalummiut in this community, are ardent hunters and that’s why I asked if there was sufficient room to be used for storage.
I think I know where the member is coming from now.
I have received a copy of a letter from an individual that he received last week.
Mr. Speaker, under the allocation formula that the housing authority in any community sets, if you’re a single person, you’re eligible for a one-bedroom unit, or a bachelor unit, if there are two individuals requiring and it’s a couple, they may be eligible for a one-bedroom unit, if you’re a couple with a child, depending on the age of the child, you’re eligible for a two-bedroom unit, and so on and so forth.
But, Mr. Speaker, in the particular case that the member is referring to, my understanding is that the individuals involved were an elderly couple that recently moved into public housing after selling their home. Based on the criteria, they were eligible for a one-bedroom unit and that’s what the housing authority allocated them. A one-bedroom unit is what they were eligible for based on their criteria.
As far as a storage area, Mr. Speaker, the housing authority and the corporation are not in the business of providing storage areas. They’re more concerned about providing adequate housing to Nunavummiut throughout the territory and that would be my response to that.
I don’t believe that the criteria that the housing authorities set is how much equipment you have is taken into consideration when determining what type of unit that the individuals are eligible for.
They would be just looking at how many people are going to be living in the unit and that’s how they determine what type of unit is allocated to the applicant.
Question 064 – 3(1): Transportation for Elders (Pauloosie)
My question is for the Minister responsible for CLEY.
In my two communities of Gjoa Haven and Taloyoak, from what we hear and understand, our elders have a vehicle that they’re supposed to be using for transportation either for an appointment or to go to the elders’ centre.
However, our elders are constantly going on local radio looking for rides from either their family or anybody that can give them a ride to the elders’ centre, or for appointments, or to the airport.
From what I understand, they have a vehicle that they could be transported with, but the problem we have in our community is they don’t have any drivers for that vehicle.
When I inquired about the drivers, I was told that there was no funding to hire a driver for the elders’ vehicle in their communities.
Can the minister tell me if that’s the fact and if he could find some funding to hire a driver for the vehicle?
I would like the minister to tell me if that’s true.
According to my knowledge, the Department of Culture, Language, Elders and Youth does not provide funding for vehicles specifically for elders and we have not set aside any funding to be used for transportation vehicles as that is not our responsibility, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Pauloosie: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. (interpretation) In our community, we have been advised by the local elders that there’s a phone number for elders to call if they want to be picked up.
We also see that vehicle in use around town by maintenance as well as health centre staff. The elders assume that this is the vehicle that has been allocated for that use and they have advised us about this.
Can the minister inform us whether there’s an allotted vehicle for the elders in our community? I would like to find out if this vehicle is the one set aside for the elders but it is not used for them. I’m not sure which minister I should direct my question to, but I would like to find out about this vehicle.
If someone can provide me with the clarification, I would appreciate it.
I know for a fact that in some communities, there is a specified vehicle for elders, but I believe that this is administered locally either by the hamlet or the health centre. The health centres also have service staff that handle these types of services.
Although the Department of Culture, Language, Elders and Youth may be responsible for elders’ services, they don’t provide other services or transportation services within the community for elders.
The Department of Health and Social Services as well as Community Government and Services, via the hamlets, are generally responsible for services such as the transportation of local elders.
I am grateful for his clarification, but I will check into this matter further and once I have found out more details, I will raise this issue again later in our session.
Yes, we will wait for your question.
Question 065 – 3(1): Specialist Services in Baker Lake (Aupaluktuq)
I would like to direct my question to the Minister of Health and Social Services, Minister Tagak Curley.
I understand that the responsibilities inherent in this portfolio lend themselves to a stressful position and personally, I believe it to be one of the biggest portfolios.
I’m not intentionally asking these questions to cause problems, but I have been asked to raise these issues that I will follow up with written questions later on.
My constituents have passed along their concerns with regard to your officials, more specifically the dentists and optometrists who arrive in our community, that there are no public notices about their visits.
Perhaps the officials can try harder to inform the public prior to the arrival of these specialists because many people require new eyeglasses and dental work on their teeth, and they keep missing the specialists.
My question to the minister is: can his officials work harder to inform the public in each community prior to the arrival of the dentists and eye doctors into their communities?
I would like to thank the member for asking that question. Some communities are not given enough notification prior to the specialists arriving.
The same people don’t always travel to the same communities either. This is also the case in Rankin Inlet. When the contractors arrive, they’re not always the same ones.
I appreciate your question and perhaps we could provide schedules or the community health workers could provide public notices. I know that we can make improvements, especially if our officials can prepare a schedule because community visits are funded out of the Non-Insured Health Benefits Program.
Due to that reason, I can tell the member that we can certainly work towards improving our notification efforts and I will inform my officials accordingly.
Question 066 – 3(1): Problems with Access Housing Units (Ningeongan)
In November 2008, when we were here, I asked the President of the Nunavut Housing Corporation in regard to access housing units.
For many years now, we have been hearing that it is more expensive to live in access housing than in HAP housing units.
It seems like there hasn’t been any prior review done on access houses.
When I first met with the President of the Nunavut Housing Corporation, he said that he would ask his officials to look into this matter.
Therefore, I would like to ask the minister if this review has been initiated.
The access program that the member is talking about is something that the Housing Corporation hasn’t been delivering for quite some time now.
I understand that the units that he is referring to, it was brought our attention that there were some issues regarding heat loss to these units and I just want to again thank the member for bringing that issue forward to our attention.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for bringing that concern forward to Mr. Scott, the president, and then myself.
The Housing Corporation representatives have gone into the community of Coral Harbour, as a result of the concerns raised by the member, and did blower door tests on a couple of public housing units as well as a couple of private access design homeowner units that the member is referring to.
Mr. Speaker, the results of the blower door tests that were done on February 24 and 25 this year, the initial results indicated that most of the leakage was occurring around the windows and doors of not only the access units but also the public housing units.
At this point, Mr. Speaker, I think it’s premature to determine the actual cause of the leakage. It could be a multiple number of issues, anywhere from the lack of maintenance to the design of the building or even construction practices.
I want to assure the member that the results from those blower door tests are currently being reviewed by our district office staff in the Kivalliq and hopefully soon, we will be able to get the report on that review and analysis of that information to determine what, if any, next steps the corporation will take in this matter.
Now, I will cite an example that actually occurred in Coral Harbour.
When they were trying to repair some drywall that had broken in a unit, they noticed that the whole unit apparently had no vapour barrier in the walls.
That leads me to ask if these staff workers have been asked to check into whether other units were also constructed without the vapour barriers.
These houses were built back in the NWT days and I could only assume that the NWT Housing Corporation, and I think our former Speaker was the district manager in the Kivalliq back then, had steps in place to inspect these types of construction.
In this particular case, I’m not aware of whether or not that was the case, Mr. Speaker.
But I just want to assure the member that from the corporation’s point of view, once this analysis gets done, if it looks like further evaluations need to be done to determine exactly where those heat losses are occurring from, if it’s from within the walls, I think the next step would be for our staff to request from the Department of Community and Government Services.
They have an infrared camera and trained individuals that work within that department to go in and have those done to these particular units to determine more accurately and exactly where the heat loss is coming from.
I had tabled a document with respect to this concern and I imagine the minister is now aware of it. People who live in access houses are living in them to work towards owning them and they now know that maintaining a house is quite expensive, especially when you are operating it by yourself.
Many people are concerned both in Chesterfield Inlet as well as Coral Harbour.