EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
Mr. Chairman, these are the major airport projects we will be undertaking in the 2010-11 fiscal year.
There are also some other projects, each under $250,000, which are grouped together under the heading “Small Capital Projects.”
We have allocated $800,000 to complete these projects, which will include new runway inspection vehicles for seven communities, as well as runway dye markers and wobbly wheel compactors.
Several larger equipment purchases will be made under the “Minor Capital” project heading. Under this project, we have allocated $1.7 million which will be used to purchase wheeled loaders for Cambridge Bay and Rankin Inlet, a plow truck for Pond Inlet, and crawler tractors for Hall Beach and Coral Harbour.
In the past several years, the department has made an annual capital investment of $500,000 in the Community Access Roads Program.
This program has been very well received by the communities in past years.
I want to point out to members that while the program does not appear in next year’s capital plan, the $500,000 will now be made available through a new departmental program which will be included in next year’s proposed business plan.
The federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans, in collaboration with my department, completed the Nunavut Small Craft Harbours Report in 2006. The report concluded that small craft harbours bring many benefits to our communities, including improved safety, better access to our resources, and increased economic activity.
Mr. Chairman, we continue to believe that these harbours are essential and we will renew our efforts to lobby Fisheries and Oceans Canada to make a financial commitment to this infrastructure. We have included $500,000 in our own capital plan to make some improvements to community marine facilities and to support continuing lobbying of the federal government to implement the Nunavut Small Craft Harbours Report.
In addition to the transportation project that I have mentioned above, we have $700,000 identified for the planning and design of the Kivalliq Visitor Centre. The Kivalliq is currently the only Nunavut region without a regional visitor centre to promote community and regional tourism opportunities and attractions for its communities.
This funding will be used to start the process towards rectifying this situation.
Mr. Chairman, the Department of Economic Development and Transportation’s 2010-11 capital plan makes good use of the limited financial resources by focusing on key elements within the department’s mandate.
We all realize that there is much more to do and that we would like to do, in some ways, more.
I will continue to work hard to ensure that our financial resources lever partnerships with the federal government, industry, and communities and that the investment this government makes in Nunavut has a lasting and positive impact on our social and economic well-being of our territory.
Mr. Chairman, I will be pleased to answer any questions from my fellow members.
Thank you. (interpretation ends) For the record, Minister Taptuna, please introduce your witnesses.
On my right is Deputy Minister Bob Long and on my left is Assistant Deputy Minister of Transportation Methuselah Kunuk.
Does the Chair of the Standing Committee on Community Empowerment have comments?
I am pleased to provide opening comments on behalf of the Standing Committee on Community and Economic Development as the Committee of the Whole begins its consideration of the Department of Economic Development and Transportation’s proposed 2010-11 capital estimates.
Members note that the department’s proposed capital budget for 2010-11 is $5.55 million. Its capital budget was $5,833,000 in 2009-2010 and $9.47 million in 2008-09.
The department’s proposed 2010-11 capital budget is focused primarily on transportation-related infrastructure, such as airport improvements and runway upgrade projects.
Members note that $700,000 has been allocated for the new Kivalliq regional visitors’ centre in the proposed 2010-11 capital estimates.
While members recognize that federal investments will be essential for realizing a number of the department’s longer term capital projects, the department is encouraged to not lose sight of its economic development responsibilities.
Mr. Chairman, the January 2009 federal budget contained funding to accelerate the construction of Pangnirtung’s new harbour.
The Department of Economic Development and Transportation’s proposed 2010-11 capital estimates include $500,000 in funding for the GN’s contribution towards the construction of small craft harbours in Nunavut communities.
Members encourage the minister to table an annual report in the Legislative Assembly concerning the department’s actual expenditures in this area, including a detailed list of which communities have received funding.
In June 2009, the Senate Committee on Fisheries and Oceans released its report titled Nunavut Marine Fisheries: Quotas and Harbours.
It listed eight recommendations, the first being that “The committee recommends that the Government of Canada move forward to develop and implement, in collaboration with the Government of Nunavut, the harbour development plan recommended by the DFO-Nunavut Harbours Working Committee in its 2005 Nunavut Small Craft Harbours Report.”
The standing committee notes that the Government of Canada’s response to the Senate Committee’s report was presented on November 18, 2009. The committee notes that the response indicated that, “There are no immediate plans to construct additional commercial fishing harbours in Nunavut at this time. However, discussions continue with the Government of Nunavut regarding infrastructure needs to further support local fisheries.”
Members are pleased that the minister tabled in the Legislative Assembly on June 5, 2009 an updated Nunavut Transportation Strategy.
Some of the objectives of the strategy are to “Implement the federal Small Craft Harbours (SCH) Program in Nunavut,” “Act on the Nunavut Small Craft Harbour Report,” and “Extend the Small Craft Harbours program to other communities.”
During the minister’s appearance before the standing committee, members were informed of the minister’s recent fact-finding visit to Labrador to conduct research on harbours. The committee was pleased that the minister tabled this report on his visit in the Legislative Assembly earlier this afternoon and looks forward to reviewing this document.
The standing committee was also pleased to be advised during the minister’s appearance that Transport Canada and the Department of Economic Development and Transportation have recently agreed to undertake a joint study on marine needs in Nunavut.
Members look forward to receiving a copy of this study when it has been completed and encourage the minister to table it in the Legislative Assembly.
Given the potential that small craft harbours have to enhance the territory’s economic development and self-sufficiency, members strongly support efforts to obtain federal investments in this area. Members also look forward to being kept informed of progress in relation to the potential development of an Iqaluit deep sea port.
Mr. Chairman, members note that the department has changed the funding approach for its Community Access Roads Program.
The budgeted amount for 2010-11 remains $500,000 but is now accessible to communities through a departmental program funded through the department’s operations and maintenance budget.
Members encourage the minister to table an annual report in the Legislative Assembly concerning the department’s expenditures in this area, including a detailed list of which communities have received funding.
Mr. Chairman, in the fall of 2006, the Legislative Assembly passed a formal motion that called on the government to work with the Northern Air Transport Association to bring forward an action plan to improve the availability of affordable, reliable air service to Nunavut’s smaller, under-served communities.
Members note that the relocation of the Pangnirtung Airport is included in the department’s five-year capital plan and look forward to ongoing updates on its progress.
Some of the objectives of the updated Nunavut Transportation Strategy are to “Assure the integrity of the Nunavut transportation system by ensuring every community has infrastructure adequate for its needs within that system” and to “Enhance the current airport system.”
Other objectives are to “Rationalize government use of the transportation system” and “revisit the government Air Services Study.”
At its recent annual general meeting in Cambridge Bay, the Nunavut Association of Municipalities passed a resolution concerning air travel in Nunavut.
The standing committee looks forward to receiving a copy of the department’s response to the resolution and encourages the minister to table this document in the Legislative Assembly.
Mr. Chairman, on August 10, 2007, the federal government announced a number of major sovereignty investments in the High Arctic, including a docking and refuelling facility in Nanisivik. The Department of Economic Development and Transportation is budgeting $600,000 in 2010-11 to substantially complete the new Arctic Bay Airport.
A total of $24,887,000 has been spent to date on both the Arctic Bay Airport and Nanisivik Highway.
The department has not allocated any funding for ongoing maintenance of the road between Arctic Bay and Nanisivik.
Members look forward to clarification on this issue and urge the GN to work closely with the federal government and the local community to coordinate initiatives related to infrastructure development and use in the High Arctic.
Mr. Chairman, two major projects with which the GN has been involved are the Bathurst Inlet Port and Road Project and the Manitoba-Nunavut Road.
Members note that no funding has been allocated for these two projects in the 2010-11 capital estimates.
Members recognize that the Manitoba-Nunavut Road Project is a nation-building initiative that will require a significant commitment from Ottawa in order to achieve substantial progress.
During the minister’s appearance before the standing committee, members were informed that the GN has been collaborating in cost-sharing a business case study in relation to this project.
Members also look forward to receiving a copy of the recent presentation that the minister made on October 14, 2009 at the Strategic Northern Infrastructure Conference that was held in Yellowknife.
Mr. Chairman, that concludes my opening comments on the proposed 2010-11 Capital Estimates of the Department of Economic Development and Transportation.
Before we proceed, I would like to remind members of the contents of Rule 77(1) and Rule 77(2) as we commence.
I thank the minister. In his opening remarks about air, land, and sea travel, I think the majority of the time, especially for me, I travel by air. Recognizing that, it is a belief of the world that travel by air is the safest way to travel around the globe, within the area, but that would be next to walking.
Mr. Chairman, I think the minister will recall that I asked him either here in this committee or other forum about air travel safety and that was in regard to getting an ILS for main points like Rankin Inlet, Cambridge Bay, or perhaps Kugluktuk, ILS meaning instrument landing system for heavy planes like the 737.
I believe, majority of the time when I travel in the heaviest, big aircraft, sometimes medium-weight aircraft, we are travelling by ILS. That’s an instrument rule.
There are times that I am in the aircraft with other people and it is not uncommon to see big, heavy aircraft landing in minimal weather. Sometimes when I’m travelling out of my community, if you go to the airport on time in the minimal weather, most of the time, the aircraft will be on approach two or three times and there they go.
That’s how bad the weather can be up here.
I remember a few times when I travelled, just going home, and the weather is good. You phone home and say, “I’ll be home within half an hour if the weather is okay.”
Just on the final approach, the weather can change in seconds, only to overshoot the runway and away you go back to point A.
I know that safety is a matter that is next to nothing else, as the minister has outlined in his ministerial opening remarks.
Again I would like to ask the minister that which I have asked him since I have been elected: is there any way to try and find ways to bring instrument landing systems to the major points in Nunavut, meaning Rankin Inlet, Cambridge Bay, or perhaps Kugluktuk? It’s a matter of safety and we travel by air more than any other way of travelling up here.
I’ll try and answer that question as best I can.
He’s referring to some critical regulations that pertain to weather instruments and we only have that in Iqaluit, where there are actual FLO landing instruments.
Most aircraft that go to the smaller communities do not have those instruments on board.
So at the best of times, they really have no real need for this equipment in the smaller communities.
I’ll have my ADM, Methuselah Kunuk, elaborate more on that.
With respect to the matters under discussion, only Iqaluit has that instrument called ILS (Instrument Landing System) due to the difficult terrain that surrounds the airstrip.
The other sites are less terrain challenged, such as Rankin Inlet and Cambridge Bay, and do not have these types of instruments.
These navigational tools are managed by Nav Canada and we do not deal with them.
(interpretation ends) There are also other rules that the airlines have to abide by, including the approach plan, as they call it.
When they don’t see anything at a certain point, they have to abort their landing to be safe.
I think that we can talk to Nav Canada, but at this time, I don’t think there are any new plans to put instrument landing systems in Rankin Inlet and Cambridge Bay.
At no time at all in my reply to the minister’s opening remarks do I suggest that the pilots we do have up here take chances. I think they are all professional pilots, and I respect that and we all appreciate that.
My question to the hon. minister is: will the minister commit to do some study and perhaps make some kind of comparison with the other airports across the country?
I understand that one issue is the terrain of the area.
The area has to be applied according to what is stated by the air regulation of the country.
Are there airports in the country smaller than Rankin Inlet, Cambridge Bay, and Kugluktuk?
We live in a jurisdiction where the weather can change in a matter of seconds and I think this is important to note.
Will the minister commit to do a study across the country on how big the airport has to be and what is the variation of weathers in different areas in order to be determined to have this very special instrument that you have to have?
With a very limited budget for the department, it is going to be a difficult task. We’re not going to go to all of these various other airports around the country to try and determine how feasible it is to be used up here.
We’ve got to remember that the majority of these aircraft that do fly up here do not have instrumentation for that type of landing and weather instruments that the member is talking about. Iqaluit is the only city in Nunavut that does have this instrumentation. I believe that it’s a huge cost to these airlines and aircraft to install these special types of equipment.
For that matter, in Nunavut, there are very few missed flights due to weather. Of course, all of the pilots are professional people who do pilot these planes.
They do have standards, limitations, and regulations to abide by.
At this time, we will probably just talk about it some more, but I don’t believe that at this time, we will be doing any study to see how feasible it is to put all of this instrumentation into every community.
The minister seemed to suggest that I am suggesting that every community gets the instrumentation. No, I’m talking about the main points: Cambridge Bay, Rankin Inlet, and Kugluktuk. Kugluktuk happens to be his community and I think the point here is the safety of the public.
The safety of the public is a responsibility of the federal government.
Do you wish to comment on that, Minister Taptuna?
I would rather comment on the capital plan.
Welcome and I welcome Methuselah as well. We used to be children together and it looks like he’s pretty capable now.
I’m not going to be making a long speech, but today we still have an opportunity to make some comments on the minister’s opening remarks.
We talked about the airports, surface transportation, and small craft harbours, which are under the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans.
We heard that you went to Newfoundland and Labrador to look at the harbours and ports, where they have an adequate supply of facilities.
We have been talking about this since 1996.
North of 60, there are absolutely no docking facilities, ports, or anything of that sort.
I don’t think the federal government realizes what they are going to be used for.
They probably think that we don’t need anything because we have a very small population and we probably don’t have boats.
We realize that in the south, just about every family has a car and there is a need for roads.
Up here, we live on coastal areas. Just about every family has a boat, especially in Pond Inlet, for example, because you can’t travel by four-wheeler because of the rough terrain.
We can’t use any other mode of transportation except by boat in the summer and every single family has a boat.
On the coastal area from left to right, it is absolutely filled with boats when the boats are landed in rough weather.
The whole beach is covered with boats.
We lose boats every year. This summer alone, we lost two boats which were docked but turned over because of the weather.
These boats were 25 feet long.
The people of Nunavut usually have boats that are 25 feet and over because 25-footers fit our environment.
In Pond Inlet, around the Davis Strait, when it’s blowing from the Davis Strait area, the waves will collapse onto the boat and once there is too much, they start tipping over, and then they are filled by water and collapse.
We are also aware, Mr. Chairman, that on the right-hand side of Lancaster Sound up to the Greenland waters, very close to Bylot Island, there are new commercial fishing zones and the fishing boats are fishing for shrimp or turbot in that area.
Once they have a full load, they go all the way to Greenland to offload their fish, either that or go to Newfoundland.
That requires a lot of fuel to offload that far away because it takes more than one day to reach their offloading destination.
Pond Inlet is right around the corner. If you just turned around that corner, Pond Inlet will be right there, where, if we had the proper facilities, it would be used to offload their vessels.
It’s very likely that the products could also be processed in that community.
The federal government does not seem to realize the need for docking facilities and you probably know we’re in a Catch-22 situation. We don’t have any docks because there are no businesses.
There are fishing and other business ventures that can’t go up because we don’t have docking facilities. I’m not a mathematician, but I know we’re in a Catch-22 situation.
Earlier, I was asking questions to a minister because each one of us is waiting for each other to do something.
In Pond Inlet, there are business opportunities that are not going up because we don’t have docks.
We are trying to set up our freezer and a meat processing plant so that we could create job opportunities. This summer, the hunters and trappers organization bought a Peterhead that could be used to ferry their loads back and forth.
If there’s no dock, I’m sure we’re just going to lose it because those big boats are very hard to pull on land.
We are in a dangerous situation and we are losing business opportunities because we don’t have the marine facilities. If we did, there are a lot of business opportunities that we can start and then there would be employment created.
Pangnirtung is a very good example where people who don’t have the education are used to butcher animals and they fit right away in the fish processing plant.
We know that already. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure that out.
I will be asking questions on that later.
I would like to make another comment on (interpretation ends) the surface transportation on page... .
(interpretation) I don’t believe there are page numbers in (interpretation ends) your opening comments. (interpretation) I have stated on more than one occasion, Mr. Chairman, to have page numbers on opening comments or speaking notes so that we can identify which page we’re on.
It’s on page 4 if you follow the cover.
I would suggest that you put in page numbers.
In the middle of the paragraph (interpretation ends) under Surface Transportation, there is capital investment of $500,000 for the Community Access Roads Program.
This is nice, but this $500,000 has unchanged since time immemorial.
I think that should be looked at again because the communities are now becoming more aware of their own desire for happiness, desire for positive lifestyles, and they want to go back to the land accessibly, even for short periods of time when they’re not working, on the weekends, etcetera.
The access program is popular, but $500,000 is never enough. Amongst the 25 communities, it’s not a lot. I think that should be looked at.
For the community freezer [program] that I was talking about before, that we had under the NWT government, building a community freezer was not expensive. It’s a regular building with an aluminum interior, with a small freezer engine along the wall, punctured through the outside.
It’s not an expensive proposition.
Not only that, we use it in the spring and summer quite effectively, and it’s not fully blasted during the winter because it’s too cold outside anyways.
I would like to have Economic Development and Transportation reassess the policy of having community freezers in every community, a policy to renew aging buildings like community freezers or for replacement.
When we review the government report card, we stated together, “Let’s listen to what the communities want; what the communities’ desires are.”
We also talked about needing to hear from the community what economic development opportunities exist in those communities.
I’m just telling you right now that these are the community economic development potentials or opportunities if we would like to invest in it.
Chairman (interpretation): Mr. Arvaluk, I have given you an opportunity even when your time was up.
I didn’t even realize that because I’m excited here.
I will stop for now and when we go page by page, I’ll ask some questions along these particular items.
I wanted to welcome the hon. minister and his officials.
I’m glad we have this opportunity, more or less, for some development, team building, and also identifying what the needs are.
In your opening statement, you mentioned Baker Lake as well as Agnico-Eagle.
At this point, I just want to state that Agnico-Eagle has developed their own runway in order to land their own resources and fly out their own people.  It is also important to note that there are also Areva, a major company, and other developing prospecting companies that come in and out of Baker Lake, with more charters coming in than has been known in the last two years.
I just want to keep that in mind.
I look forward to asking other questions in the page-by-page [review].
Chairman: Thank you, Mr. Aupaluktuq. (interpretation) I didn’t hear a question.
I think that was to the point and you will have an opportunity to ask questions afterwards.
I guess I’m a little like James. I’m getting a little excited about being able to bringing issues forward.
I agree with what Mr. Arvaluk was saying in terms of providing economic opportunities with the small craft harbours.
In terms of small craft harbours in the three communities that I have… .
Sometimes I feel I have to talk three times as much because I’ve got three communities and it gets a little crazy once in a while.
When you talk about small craft harbours, you’re not talking about those floating docks that have gone to my three communities.