EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
What has occurred is actually there is extra space in the Parnaivik building, where they are renting, and they’ve actually just made that space available to, I believe, the Department of Finance.
That is the only information that I’m aware of, Mr. Speaker.
I guess by asking my question, I am letting people know… . I’m sure that the minister will find out and some light will be shed on it.
Mr. Speaker, according to the Utility Rates Review Council Act, the minister’s permission is required for the corporation to pursue any capital projects worth more than $5 million.
I would like to ask the minister who scrutinizes capital spending under this amount.
The process has been and still is in place that we have a board of directors of the corporation, which the member is very aware of, and they review the budgets of the corporation.
Last week the board of directors were actually here in Iqaluit meeting with, by teleconference, the Auditor General and went through the budget, and that’s how the process is handled.
I’m just wondering if and when the minister will be tabling the detailed five-year capital plan or any capital plan that the Qulliq Energy Corporation has so that all nineteen members of this Assembly can review it and hopefully make sure that we’re not paying for it with our tax dollars, things like garages built onto the sides of houses that we’ve paid for in the past.
I have no problem in complying with the member’s request.
Question 154 – 2(2): Airport Safety
In reference to the Nunavut Association of Municipalities’ 2004 resolution regarding backup generators for airports, can the minister tell me what the Government of Nunavut’s response was to that resolution?
I’ve never seen the resolution that he’s talking about, but I could say that according to federal government policy on airport lights and generators, we don’t have any policy on those ourselves.
We’re just following federal government policy, because it’s going to be very expensive if we put in extra generators at the airports.
In Coral Harbour the airport is quite far from the community, and after the blizzard, for two days, there was no power at the airport and the new terminal which was recently constructed; I understand some of the plumbing burst because of freeze up.
Before construction, plans were that a back up generator was to be installed, but was subsequently removed.
The municipality of Coral Harbour is in need of such assistance or support.
If the government follows government statutes, can the Government of Nunavut rectify those problems in Nunavut?
They will be putting in another backup power system at the new airport terminal in Coral Harbour, because the airport is quite far from the community and it is manned 24 hours a day. For that reason, they are going to be putting in a backup generator.
Also, the federal government has sole jurisdiction over airports in the meantime.
Speaker (interpretation): Thank you. Your second supplementary, Mr. Netser.
That is really good to hear.
The backup generator that is going to Coral Harbour, will they be able to use it to its fullest?
The generator will be used just for the airport terminal.
Question 155 – 2(2): Social Worker
I made a member’s statement in regard to this.
When will my constituency in the High Arctic be receiving a social worker?
Hon. Levinia Brown (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you for that question.
I’m very pleased to respond to you because they are now interviewing candidates for that position, and our department will be filling it shortly.
These positions have been vacant for approximately a year.
What kind of support has my constituency been receiving?
I know that in some communities, when there are no social workers, social workers from another community travel come in.
For example, if you had no social worker, a social worker from Iqaluit would go to that community.
When we do receive a social worker in the High Arctic, the social worker is usually seconded to government headquarters.
We were in a shortage of social workers; I will look into why this was the case in the past.
Question 156 – 2(2): Fuel Rate Rider Public Consultations
I would like to direct my question to the Minister of Energy in regard to his ministers’ statement.
It states that the cost of fuel worldwide is increasing. We have heard that it’s approximately $50 a barrel for fuel, and I am sure that the cost will go up.
He stated that the Utility Rates Review Council made a recommendation to have a fuel rate rider.
When can we expect to see the fuel rate rider request?
Will the Utility Rates Review Council be holding public hearings in regards to that?
The fuel stabilization rider in the Utility Rates Review Council report, which I will be tabling later today… . The URRC has agreed to the power corporation’s request for a fuel stabilization rider, and the trigger in the fuel stabilization rider will be plus or minus $1 million.
Within 90 days, they would come back to me and say, “This is what we think we will need.”
That may not be until later on this summer, or if they see that the price of diesel is increasing, then they can make that request to the minister so that they can actually cover it off and have the trigger in place.
So, the trigger mechanism for a fuel stabilization rider, again, is plus or minus $1 million.
The way I understand it is that the minister has to respond not only in 90 days, but the rule, I think, is quite clear that you must respond within 90 days of receiving a report from the URRC.
Within 30 days, if the minister does not approve of the recommendation, then the Utility Rates Review Council, from the way I understand it, must go back to the drawing board and hold additional public hearings.
When is that going to happen, Mr. Speaker?
I don’t know when it’s going to happen because it would be hypothetical; it hasn’t happened.
So, what will happen is the power corporation, the members, the House, the Department of Finance, Qulliq Energy Corporation, they will review what is happening with the world oil prices and so on, and at that time, they will be able to ascertain plus or minus the trigger.
For example, they already have the fuel bought from last year.
If the price of fuel went… Last year when we were buying the fuel, as members in the House remember, fuel went to over $50 a barrel.
If the fuel cost were $44 a barrel, then the trigger of plus or minus $1 million may not occur.
The Utility Rates Review Council is set up to review rates.
A rider is not a rate.
A rider is an add-on so that you don’t have to keep going back through the public process, and the cost of going through that, to put a rider on.
So, a stabilization rider is a mechanism which allows the corporation to respond quickly and expediently to increases.
The URRC, in the report, has recommended that a fuel stabilization rider be put in place when a trigger mechanism of plus or minus $1 million is activated.
So, that’s how it would occur; it won’t be through public hearings.
The rate is put in place under that mechanism as I just explained.
It wasn’t clear as the minister would like us to believe that the fuel rate rider, which is subject to the Utility Rates Review Council review, but it was not all that clear.
The minister says that it was recommended, but he did not say that the minister had accepted that recommendation. So, he must be quite clear on what amount he has accepted and that it is not subject to further review after that.
My second point is that the URRC also recommended that there be an equalization rider.
Exactly when is that going to happen?
Will that be subject to a public review process, through the Utility Rates Review Council?
The Qulliq Energy Corporation, the Utility Rates Review Council, had rejected many of the rider proposals that the Qulliq Energy Corporation had put forward; however, the Utility Rates Review Council acknowledges that there are sudden spikes in the cost of diesel.
The biggest cost to the power corporation, Mr. Speaker, is to buy diesel to generate power.
So, in that case, in the fuel stabilization fund, which is a fund that would be set up under the process for a rate increase, in this case on a rider, then the rider would be applied.
So, in that case, the trigger is a plus or minus $1 million.
The other rider that the member talked about is a capitalization rider. That’s what I said, that the Utility Rates Review Council has recommended to the Qulliq Energy Corporation that they come back within 90 days with a recommendation on how they would structure a capitalization rider to subsidize capital costs for the corporation.
I understand quite well exactly what the minister is rehashing here, because it’s quite clear here on page 3 of his statement.
My question is, when will that capitalization or equalization rider be subject to the public review process, through the Utility Rates Review Council?
In this case, the Power Corporation has two mechanisms to raise revenue: one is a rate, to charge more, to charge less; a rate increase, and that’s what the GRA is called, a General Rate Application.
The second mechanism that the power corporation, like every other utility in Canada, has is what’s called a rider.
In this case, the Utility Rates Review Council recommendation is that the corporation have two riders, one being a fuel stabilization rider, when the fuel costs go up or down.
That’s not subject to a General Rate Application and therefore not subject to a public approval process.
It’s the same with the capital stabilization rider.
They will make a proposal within 90 days and that’s what we said, they could come forward with their rider proposal and say, “We want a rider proposal of three cents or five cents,” or whatever that amount may be.
Then we analyze their request to see if it’s acceptable; is it equitable, and so on.
At that time, I may, in consultation with the cabinet, say they’re asking for too much money, so I would like to put it out to a public process and you can do that.
But the asking of a stabilization rider, the capital stabilization ride, doesn’t automatically trigger the GRA process. That’s the General Rate Application process when you’re trying to increase your rate.
So, it gives the corporation some flexibility like other utilities.
Question 157 – 2(2): Update on Gasoline Problems
Following up on the member’s statement that I made earlier, I would like to ask some questions to the minister for petroleum products.
In January, I told the minister that there were some concerns about the gasoline supply in Sanikiluaq.
I would like to ask the minister if he could give us an update.
I would like to assure the people of Sanikiluaq, as I have with others who also have been similarly affected in Nunavut, that studies in Rankin Inlet have shown that a particular additive has made a marked improvement in performance.
The communities that were to be shipped fuel with the additive included, to make it work better.
We’ll do the same in Sanikiluaq.
Shell Canada is to ship the improved fuel to affected communities.
Speaker (interpretation): Supplementary, Mr. Kattuk.
I would like to thank the minister for that response.
I would like to ask the minister where this bad gasoline was bought, whether it is from the same stock that they are getting from in the Keewatin or in the Baffin.
If I recall correctly, the Sanikiluaq supply is the same supply that Baffin communities receive.
In January, there were quite a number of breakdowns in gasoline engines.
Is the government going to consider giving compensation to the hunters whose snowmobiles or outboard motors broke down?
In the House, I had given an explanation of what the government is doing about the supply of gasoline, and we have not made any announcement on whether there is going to be any compensation.
We will have to identify what the problem is before we consider any type of action for the individuals who have had breakdowns.
We would like to identify the problem.
Of course, we do need good gasoline in Nunavut.
I think that on March 3, we will be getting additional information on this ongoing concern and pass it on to members in the House.
So, is the government saying that they are going to have to identify the problem before they look at any solutions or compensation for affected hunters?
I had stated last week that the study will be done shortly.
We are now waiting for the results.
Once we find out the problem, then we will come up with what we have to do, as a government, and see if there is going to be any compensation to hunters who have had engine breakdowns.
We will be making an announcement in the House once we find the results.
Question 158 – 2(2): Update on the Workers’ Compensation Board
My question is for the minister responsible for Workers’ Compensation Board.
I understand that the minister hosted his counterpart, from the Northwest Territories, in Iqaluit a few weeks ago.
My question for the minister is: since the minister has not made any statements recently on his Workers’ Compensation Board responsibilities, could he update the House today on what he and his counterpart discussed, and inform us about what they decided.
Speaker (interpretation): Minister responsible for Workers’ Compensation Board, Mr. Akesuk.
Hon. Olayuk Akesuk: (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
My NWT counterpart was here in Iqaluit recently, and I would like to thank him for making the trip here.
I would also like to thank the member for posing that question.
We started Phase 1 before I become the minister responsible and we are now working on Phase 2.
We are talking about issues that affect the governor council and what types of programs, or better programs we might set up for workers in Nunavut.
We understand that the Government of Nunavut and the government of the Northwest Territories are moving forward with amendments to the Workers’ Compensation Board Act.
Could the minister tell us what the Government of Nunavut’s specific priorities are with respect to amending the Act?
We are in a very unique situation with the Northwest Territories and the Nunavut joint Worker’s Compensation Board.
We try to meet our needs from our side and they try to meet their needs from their side.
To make this work, we try to compare which way would be best because I think we’re the only jurisdictions in Canada that have a joint board.
I think that it’s going to take more consultation between the NWT minister responsible and I to make sure that we go into the Committee of the Whole with the same message. We want to leave with members of the Legislative Assembly in Nunavut and the Northwest Territories the same message.
So, there is still some work to be done on the amended legislation, and I believe that we’ll make sure we do our very best with respect to both sides of the territories.
I believe that separation of the boards is probably a forward step in the evolution of the territory.
As with the Nunavut Association of Municipalities when we separated municipal insurance programs, it appears to be quite successful nowadays.
So, I’m wondering if the minister can tell the House if they are any future plans in the works to separate the combined operations of the Worker’s Compensation Board and establish a separate board for Nunavut.
We haven’t even discussed separating from the NWT, because there would be too much impact to our territory, to our workers in Nunavut.
I believe there would be increases in insurance costs to make sure we could meet the same levels of service in Nunavut.
The board needs to run as a board, and that costs money.
As a government, we don’t put any money into the board.
The board is all paid for by the employers of Nunavut.
I think that if we were to look into trying to separate the boards, I think it would take a while for us to decide whether it’s good or not.
I appreciate the minister’s situation with separating.
I’m hoping those kinds of discussions with continue and he’ll update the House with the pros and cons as we move forward in the years ahead.
My final question: can the minister tell me if the Workers’ Compensation Board has any plans to open an office somewhere in the Kitikmeot, given the impending increase in businesses, in particular, mining in the region?
We have not discussed that yet.
I think it’s important that we work closely with the governance council in terms of how much it would cost to run a Workers’ Compensation office in different areas.
As it is now, we have one here and one in Rankin Inlet.
I think it’s important that we look into it.
I will work closely with Mr. Peterson, along with the Kitikmeot members of the Legislative Assembly, to look into what possibilities there are in the future.
Question 159 – 2(2): Plans for a New School
At this time I would like to direct my question to the Minister of Education.
Qikiqtarjuaq School has been in the capital plan for five years. Will it be included in the next five-year plan?
The House, just before Christmas, passed the capital budget for 2004-05 and with projects starting in number five.
I believe that the Qikiqtarjuaq School was in the supplemental capital plan.
That’s something that we’ll have to ascertain.
Question 160 – 2(2): Attendance and Grievances in Government of Nunavut
My question is directed to the minister responsible for the Department of Human Resources.
In Friday’s budget address, it stated, and I’ll quote it, it says, “We value the contribution of our employees and will foster a close working relationship with our public sector unions so that government’s programs and services can best meet the needs of Nunavutmiut.”
According to the 2002-03 and 2003-04 public service report, there were a total of 96 grievances as of March 31, 2003 and 116 as of March 31, 2004.
According to the information contained in the department’s return to written question 14-2 (2), the absenteeism rate across the Government of Nunavut doubled between 2002-03 and 2003-04, and it has doubled again in the first six months of the fiscal year 2004-05.
My question is this: what is the Government of Nunavut doing to create a workplace environment that fosters fewer grievances and less absenteeism?
Regarding employees who don’t go to work, we have requested that number.
Maybe it will be thought that it is calculated as a number of people that showed up to work late or missed work altogether.
It has to be understood that it could be one person who gets to work late or who doesn’t show up at all.
So, that’s why that number seems to be getting higher.
So, for that reason, in response to the question he raised, we are continually looking at Government of Nunavut employees and the departments.
We are working closely with them to try to decrease the number of grievances within the departments and to come up with solutions, for example at cases where people resign because they are unhappy at work.
We are trying to look at the different reasons, and once we have clarified or clearly understood what they are, then we will be ready to put out a report or give an answer.
But at this time, I can only state that those are the problems that the Government of Nunavut employees face.
I guess it’s a relief that they are looking at it.
One of the things that dictates a relationship between an employer and employee, is the negotiations around collective agreements.
I know in the past it has not always been a nice thing to go through.
My first supplementary to the minister is: what’s the status of the Government of Nunavut’s negotiations with the Federation of Nunavut Teachers, whose collective agreement expires at the end of June this year?
Up to date, there have been meetings and training sessions within the workplace to deal with the problems there.
Human Resources continue to conduct workshops as to how they can have a better working relationship.
However, the union, the Federation of Nunavut Teachers, we all know that their agreement will expire at the end of June, and we are in the process of preparing for it.
We have to name people that we will appoint to be negotiators, and those names will have to be approved by the cabinet.
Up to date, we have not been given names to consider.
The Federation of Nunavut Teachers has to formally request us for negotiators, and we will have to deal with that when that time comes along and get approval from the cabinet.
In light of what the Minister of Finance stated in her budget address, I would like to ask the minister how often he meets with the presidents with the Nunavut Employees’ Union and the Federation of Nunavut Teachers to discuss matters of concern with them.
Hon. Louis Tapardjuk (interpretation): Up to date, I have not met with those people but the Deputy Minister of Human Resources usually handles them.
I can state that I have met with the union president, though I have not met with the people that he named subsequently.
If there are any meetings or any activities going on, they always inform me about them.
In light of this government’s wish to foster a closer working relationships with its employees, would the minister commit to starting things off by inviting those elected officials from the unions that represent the employees, under the government departments, crowns, and agencies, to actually sit down face to face, elected official with elected official, non-elected officials with deputy minister or anyone else, to discuss the issues that they may have, just broadly to try and find ways in which they can make things work a lot better for everybody.
I don’t think that we have been approached yet, but we will be quite receptive if they wish to meet with us.
The Government of Nunavut tries to work very closely with all its employees, even boards and agencies, like Qulliq employees.
They will have to come up with an agreement, whichever department it might be, such as education, and we do want to work with them closely.
We want to know what is going on.
They also want to know what we want to do.
So, we are quite open to welcome those employees.
Question 161 – 2(2): Arctic Bay and Nanisivik Access Road Funding
The hamlets have had meetings on issues dealing with community empowerment, specifically that they are not given adequate funding.
To go back to my written question on November 19, 2004, it indicates that the Arctic Bay to Nanisivik road system will be re-classified as a community access road.
The length of road is one of the factors used to calculate funding under the Municipal Operating Assistance Policy.
Can the minister assure me that funding for Arctic Bay under the Municipal Operating Assistance Policy will not decrease as a result of the re-classification of the road to Nanisivik?
Our finance minister announced the good news that community government will receive an extra $4 million.
We recognize those needs from consultations, and they kept us informed of their financial difficulties.
I am happy to say that the Municipal Operating Assistance Program will be increased. We will be discussing this further.
The road from Nanisivik to Arctic Bay, from the airport to Arctic Bay… .
When we were up there, we further discussed this and we were made to better understand what benefits it offers, even though the mine is closed. Those comments, what we would talked about are, still being discussed today.
This was previously handled by the airport division. But this fall, after the clean up of Nanisivik, that airport division will no longer function, and the new airport will not be built until 2007.
If this is taken over by the hamlet, will they be given funding regularly?
If the hamlet wishes to take on the responsibility of operations and maintenance, our staff is always available and we can talk about this phase.
We will be quite open if they wish to make a proposal or to come up with a plan how it should be used.
This is quite costly and it is 30- to 35 km long, the road.
It’s the only highway in the Baffin region.
It seems that we will be constantly using the airport, once they make improvements to the road.
Will they be funded adequately in order to operate that?
First of all, I would like to apologize, I’m not too clear what his question is.
Can he please repeat his question.
Speaker (interpretation): Mr. Barnabas, can you clarify your question please.
Will the funding be adequate for the hamlet, that the hamlet will not go into deficit to maintain this?