EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
If the Minister of Energy could not find any alternatives, perhaps, we should start looking to find out if we can use snow for heating purposes.
Member’s Statement 266 – 2(4): Charitable Events: MLA Hockey Game & Embrace Life Fundraiser (Tootoo)
I would like to rise today as we know last week I did a statement on the generosity of Nunavummiut, I would just like to bring to the attention today a couple of charitable events that members took part in this weekend.
The first one is our annual hockey game against the firefighters to raise money for a local charity.
I would like to make a special mention of Mr. Picco, who was flying around the ice in a hawk-like fashion.
I think he led us with two goals on the night.
I think he was only able to do that because his two line mates; we call our ‘power play offensive forward line,’ that was centred by himself and winged by his trusty Executive Assistant, Laurie-Anne White, and Siobhan Moss from the third floor of the Legislative Assembly.
I would like to commend them on their actions and their hawk-like performance on the ice.
Mr. Speaker, at the end the game, I thank all the members for when the helmet got passed around for donations, all members dug down deep into their pockets and contributed for whatever charity the firefighters will put the money for. So I would like to thank all the members for that.
Also, Mr. Speaker, another event that I mentioned that took place this weekend was the Embrace Life Council fundraising dinner. I had the pleasure of being there that evening with my two colleagues from Iqaluit.
I would like to thank the organizers of that event.
It was very well run and I look forward to seeing another event like that in the future.
I also want to make a special note that Mr. Picco’s good friends, Cecil Severs, Lance Steele, and Ralphy Von Biggles, were lucky recipients of prizes that night in the silent auction and the draws.
I would like to ask Mr. Picco if he can extend his congratulations onto those individuals as well and thank everyone for attending.
Member’s Statement 267 – 2(4): Communicating About Health (Peterson)
I rise today to bring forward concerns that have been raised by my constituents about how their health issues are received and addressed.
Mr. Speaker, a number of my constituents seem to be losing faith in our health system. Faith and trust are important aspects of wellness and healing, no matter who we are or where we live.
As there are no longer community representatives of the Regional Health Boards who can hear such concerns and bring them forward, it seems that, as the MLA, that role has fallen to me. While I listen carefully to constituent concerns, I have had limited success in bringing many of them forward. A number of my enquiries to the Department of Health and Social Services regional office remain unanswered even after several months.
Mr. Speaker, my constituents bring their health concerns to me because they feel that they have not been heard or their problems have not been dealt with. Their health issues are their top priority.
Mr. Speaker, I am not a medical professional and I cannot diagnose an illness but I can and do detect a rising level of anxiety as some of my constituents continue to suffer and to worry that something may be missed in the early stages and develop into a serious and life-threatening problem.
Mr. Speaker, there are still many people whose level of medical literacy is low. They deserve to be able to describe their symptoms and concerns in a language they are comfortable with. They deserve to have information relating to their health explained to them clearly, in a language that they understand.
Elders in particular are vulnerable. Many of them have lived through a culture of not complaining or demanding things from those in control of essential services. They too deserve to feel comfortable about seeking help and support from our health system.
For example, printed material not only should be available, but it must communicate health information in clear language. Instructions on how to use medications should be printed in an appropriate and accessible manner.
On the other hand, Mr. Speaker, we must also recognize that these days, access to information, including medical information, is made simpler through technologies such as television and the internet.
Speaker (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Peterson. The member is seeking unanimous consent to conclude his statement.
Individuals can research their questions, symptoms, possible diagnoses and treatment online if they have access to a computer.
It is important that our medical professionals also recognize that the people they serve are becoming more knowledgeable and aware of medical issues. Health workers should ensure that they take the time to listen and fully discuss issues with their clients.
Mr. Speaker, there is a saying that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
If we can focus on improving the ability of both patients and health providers to communicate about health issues, especially in the areas of symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment, surely it would save considerable expense in incorrect diagnosis, inappropriate treatment, unnecessary repeat visits to health centres or medevacs to special facilities outside of our jurisdiction.
It may even help to save lives.
As I was supposed to say earlier, I may not know what you did last summer, nor when you were born but I do know that this is a very special day for you and your wife, celebrating your 26th anniversary.
Return to Oral Question 301 – 2(4): Follow Guidelines in Regional Trials (Tapardjuk)
I was asked by Mr. Tagak with Question 301 – 2(4): Follow Guidelines in Regional Trials. The question was in regard to the Kivalliq Under 14 Girls Soccer Team players.
In response to the question, Sports Nunavut policies were followed during the Kivalliq Regional Soccer Championships.
Sports Nunavut assists territorial sport organizations, in this case, the Nunavut Soccer Association.
In developing their team selection criteria to ensure that fair and acceptable practices were implemented, all coaches are made aware of the team selection criteria prior to the event.
The Nunavut Soccer Association team selection criteria read as follows: at the completion of the tournament, the coach of the winning team will select a roster of eight players and a minimum of two alternates.
The selection of the team regional roster and alternates will be made at the coach’s discretion.
There are no age restrictions at issue at this case.
All participants of the regional championships were eligible to be selected to the regional teams.
Parental consent is also required for all participants under the age of 19.
This issue seems to be one of the miscommunication of the selection guidelines and I’m sure it can be settled with further communication between the coaches and Sport Nunavut staff.
If clarification is needed in this matter, please contact Sport Nunavut in Baker Lake.
I can provide the contact information to the member requesting it.
Returns to Oral Questions. Item 5. Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery.
Question 335 – 2(4): The Rise of Diabetes in Nunavut (Mapsalak)
Mr. Mapsalak (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. (interpretation ends) I would like to direct my question to the Minister of Health and Social Services.
Mr. Speaker, earlier today I spoke of the growing number of people with diabetes in my constituency.
The most recently tabled data on the prevalence of this disease in Nunavut are from the year 2000.
Can the minister confirm whether or not the numbers of Nunavummiut diagnosed with diabetes are rising?
In Nunavut, in 2002, 1.2 percent of Nunavut’s population had type 2 diabetes and in which the national average is 4.8 percent.
Overall, the prevalence of diabetes in Nunavut right now is higher in non-Inuit as opposed to Inuit, but over the years, it has been slowly increasing in our territory.
I apologize; I just about lost my voice. I apologize again.
(interpretation ends) Mr. Speaker, I am concerned that the levels of support and services to treat diabetes at the community level are not adequate.
Can the minister provide an update on what specific supports and services should be available at the community level for individuals suffering with diabetes?
The Department of Health is a partner with Nunavut communities, Inuit organizations and Health Canada to deliver the Aboriginal Diabetes Initiative in Nunavut, particularly around type 2 diabetes, and promoting awareness education and information and support to people with type 2 diabetes.
The Department of Health is currently implementing the 2005-10 Nunavut Diabetes Strategy and it includes awareness, prevention, care and treatment, and it enhances our current programs.
Many of the programs are offered through communities.
For example, projects range from elder meal programs to land programs, intramural sports, drop-in cooking classes, initiating healthy store projects. At the same time we have the campaign around ‘Drop the Pop’ and nutrition months, dental health programs, etcetera.
So there are a number of programs that promote healthy living to prevent type 2 diabetes. As well, yesterday and the day before, I tabled two documents: Nutrition in Nunavut: A Framework for Action and our Public Health Strategy; it would also support healthy living which can prevent type 2 diabetes in Nunavut.
The 2004 report tabled in this House indicates that a diabetes prevention and maintenance strategy would be developed for Nunavut. Can the minister update this House on the status of Nunavut’s Diabetes Strategy?
I can elaborate a little bit more from my second response on that.
There are a number of initiatives that we are promoting through our community health centres throughout Nunavut. CHRs have a role in the whole prevention and educating healthy eating and proper diets, and so on. So that is part of our Nunavut Diabetes Strategy and the implementation of it.
Again, healthy lifestyles, exercising, healthy diet, explaining to the general population the impacts of high sugar levels in foods, such as pop, or Kukuk and so on. So those are initiatives that we have in our communities in Nunavut.
At the same time, through the strategy, we’ve also increased the number of positions within the Department of Health to develop programs that are culturally-friendly healthy eating, from country food – Nattiq, Iqaluk - that type of information to again explain the importance of health eating to prevent type 2 diabetes in the territory.
It is not clear to me that the levels of support and services for people with diabetes are adequate at the community level.
What assurances can the minister give me and my constituents that community residents suffering from diabetes will be able to receive the level of support that they need in their community?
Through our homecare services as well, the department is providing more information to people on a community level on living with type 2 diabetes.
At the same time, we are trying to focus on the prevention side of things through our Public Health Strategy, through our CHRs, and so on.  At the community level, the home care services provides support to individuals who are living with type 2 diabetes and educating individuals living with type 2 diabetes at the community level.
So there is support through the CHRs in the prevention side of things. I mentioned earlier that we had increased the positions in the Department of Health to support initiatives around type 2 diabetes in our territory.
The program’s focus is on education, prevention, and at the same time, treating people with diabetes.
I guess the good news about this process is that, percentage-wise, Nunavut is very low as opposed to the national average.
This is one area that we are lower in terms of the number people with type 2 diabetes, but at the same time, we are noticing that more and more people in Nunavut are obese and that can result in type 2 diabetes. So we have to do more in the prevention side.
Question 336 – 2(4): Arruja Development Corporation (Arreak)
My questions today are for the Minister responsible for the Nunavut Housing Corporation.
Mr. Speaker, the Aarruja Development Corporation was created in 1988 by the residents of Clyde River.
In a small community such as ours, it plays an important role in the local economy. Aarruja employs around 20 residents of Clyde River on a full- and part-time basis.
As the minister is aware, the Nunavut Housing Corporation and Aarruja are in a dispute over this year’s marshalling contract.
Can the minister explain to the House why he has not met with Aarruja to have dialogue and resolve this situation, instead of sending lawyers’ letters?
Hon. Olayuk Akesuk (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Chairman, I’m sorry, Mr. Speaker.
The Nunavut Housing Corporation was going to be having a meeting today and I have received a letter requesting my presence at this meeting but I won’t be able to go there due to other commitments. My staff will be having a meeting with these individuals to discuss what types of strategies they are going to take on.
The Aarruja Development Corporation is one of Clyde River’s major employers.
I am very concerned that the bankruptcy of the corporation will cause many of my constituents to lose their jobs.
Is the minister willing to allow this to happen, and if so, why?
The Housing Corporation, especially the government, don’t want to put businesses out of business in Nunavut.
We don’t want to see this happen, so after the meeting, if they come up with something, then I will be more than happy to inform the Member of the Legislative Assembly for Clyde River because we certainly don’t want to see people going out of business.
Mr. Arreak: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. (interpretation) Thank you, Minister.
(interpretation ends) I believe that this situation should be resolved by mediation, not confrontation.
Will the minister commit to directing his officials to sit down and simply talk with representatives from Aarruja?
(interpretation) He said he will deal with this but we don’t want to see any confrontation, if at all possible.
I have informed my officials to see if they can keep this aside from the legal confrontation.
Hopefully, after the meeting today we’ll have a better understanding.
One more simple yes or no question.
Will the minister commit to giving Aarruja a fair chance to bid on future Nunavut Housing Corporation contracts, yes or no?
The contracts could be open to anybody and we will honour the bids from Nunavut.
Question 337 – 2(4): Food Inadequacies in Nunavut Households (Peterson)
Mr. Speaker, I read with great interest the Nutrition in Nunavut Framework for Action document that was tabled two days ago in this House.
I was shocked to read that 49 percent of Nunavut households, based on 2001 statistics, experienced what they call ‘food insecurity.’ That’s defined as not having enough food to eat due to lack of money.
Mr. Speaker, that’s seven times the national average.
My question for the minister: can the minister tell the House if her department is working with or receiving the cooperation of any other Government of Nunavut department to immediately address this serious issue?
The Department of Health, as well as this government has worked with the Department of Education to address people that are on income support, for example, the increase in the food allowances for people that are living on income support.
We have also developed the Healthy Food Strategy to try and promote education at the community level the purchase of healthy foods, promoting the Food Mail Program in Nunavut for people to try and access lower costing of food to purchase at the community level.
So we are trying to promote it that way, at the same time, through the program, trying to educate people to buy a loaf of bread versus a microwave burger that would go a lot longer, buying bread, that kind of promotion at the community level through the healthy foods as an example.
It is high. The member is correct, as outlined in the report, which is one of the reasons why we had put in a framework in place to try and promote healthy living, and initiative from the department in keeping people healthy.
Your first supplementary, Member for Cambridge Bay, Mr. Peterson.
Many of our children are going to school hungry everyday. The report states, “If an essential need, such as food, is not met, it’s not realistic to expect people to think about pursuing higher levels of learning.” And the quote continues on.
My question for the minister: can the minister outline for the House if Health and Social Services has forged partnerships with the Department of Education and all schools in Nunavut to provide and improve school food programs for our hungry students?
The initiative, the framework itself that we tabled, is a step in the right direction to try to address a nutritional food framework for our communities in addressing that area of concern.  The concern that we have is poor diets, people going hungry, purchase of foods for families, and so on.
Of course, promoting that information would be to not just to the schools but the community as well through our CHRs.  It is an ongoing initiative for the department and in partnership with the Department of Education in educating our young people on healthy living and healthy eating throughout the communities.
Mr. Peterson: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m glad to hear that one of the objectives in your report is to build on partnerships with schools and the Department of Education to improve school food programs and nutritional education in schools. So it is very important that we help the kids.
Mr. Speaker, also in your report, it mentions nutritious and dietitian positions throughout the report, and they appear to be very important to fulfilling the framework for action.  One of the objectives is to increase the professional initiative services to Nunavummiut, it says here: “... by developing a timely and effective coordinated recruitment and retention strategy that will result in all nutritionist and dietitian positions being filled by October, 2008.”
So my question for the minister: can the minister tell me how realistic that objective is in light of the skyrocketing Government of Nunavut staff housing costs in Nunavut?
Our goal, as the member stated, is to try and fill the positions as best as we can. By that time, by next year in October, I will have a better idea as to how we did with that. It is a challenge for us in the North to fill vacant professions such as nursing positions and so on.
So I will be able to provide more information to the members by next year where we stand in that.
I hope that we don’t have to wait a year to hire the nutritionists and dietitians.
They do seem to be quite important for the success of this framework agreement, as the minister tabled in the House the other day.
Mr. Speaker, I support the Department of Health and Social Services’ efforts and plans to improve nutrition in Nunavut and to reduce food insecurity for our residents. However, Mr. Speaker, as with any plan, you require people and resources to implement it if you have any hope of achieving success.
My question for the minister: would the minister tell us if she has had the resources to implement the plan, or will she require additional resources in her upcoming main estimates budget?
I have been reminded by my capable staff that that was your third and final supplementary. (interpretation) Minister of Health and Social Services, Minister Aglukkaq.
The Nutritional Framework that we put out was building on existing resources to promote the initiative.
At the same time, some of the initiatives that we’ve been promoting the last little while, as it relates to the Public Health Strategy, the first ever in Nunavut to deal with initiatives at the community level, in efforts to keeping people healthy. Part of that is promoting the traditional Inuit diet, as an example, as a healthy choice versus some store bought food.
So there are a number of initiatives we are doing at the community level through our Health Committees in promoting nutritional food programs and education.
So there’s work in partnership with various agencies; the Department of Health alone cannot accomplish healthy individuals. It starts from individuals making the choices to be healthy, and we can support and educate as much as we can but again, it’s the person’s choice to make that lifestyle choice.
So the programs that we’re trying to promote are to support that, and to promote it and to educate healthy living and healthy eating at the community level in partnership with various agencies.
Question 338 – 2(4): New School for Sanikiluaq (Kattuk)
Mr. Speaker, earlier this session I was pleased to support the minister’s capital budget for the Department of Education.
One of the items in the 2008-09 Capital Estimates was for the new school in Sanikiluaq.
Can the minister clarify for this House and for my constituents, as they have been expecting this news for a long time, what the next step will be for this project?
I appreciate the member’s support of the capital budget for the Department of Education.  As we discussed last week in the House when we discussed the Department of Education’s capital budget, we looked at the project for Sanikiluaq and I’m pleased to say to the House that the new school is moving forward in the community of Sanikiluaq.
We have the technical drawings ready now for the school and they’re almost at the point of being tender-ready. We would hope to be able to tender that project in the new fiscal year.
So that means that the project would be moving forward, and indeed, based on our current capital plan, the project will be on time and ready for construction in the community of Sanikiluaq.
Mr. Kattuk: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Minister.
We have heard of many projects being delayed and even deferred because of tender bids coming in too high and over budget.
Can the minister clarify for me what steps will be taken to ensure that the Sanikiluaq New School Project will not be delayed?
Everything that we see right now for the school in Sanikiluaq indicates that the money that we have allocated within the current capital framework budget will be appropriate, and indeed, will be able to do the project.
Again, it’s very difficult to say, with any certainty, what that amount will be until we actually get the tender document out in the new fiscal year.
So I would be able to update the member at that time on what the capital allocation will look like.
If there is a need for extra dollars, depending on the amount of that project, then that’s something that we can come back through the process of the House to be able to facilitate it.
Earlier this session, I spoke of a group of our students who are learning skills and providing a service to the community by building houses, like Minister Akesuk mentioned in his Minister’s Statement. I should mention that because these students are out on the job during part of the day, this also helps to reduce crowding at the school.
Can the minister update this House on what efforts will be made to provide local training and employment opportunities during the construction of the new school in Sanikiluaq?
We’ve been very pleased with the cooperation we’ve had from Mr. Jamieson and Lizzie Kavik, the principals at the school in Sanikiluaq.
Indeed, the member and I had an opportunity with the Premier to go to Sanikiluaq, and yourself, and visit the school, and saw the construction of the new daycare centre there.
Now, we’ve heard about the good news on the program with the school, with the women working on the school, so that’s good.
Mr. Speaker, I have spoken to the staff in the Department of Education, and where there is an opportunity for employment opportunities through a training program and so on, then that’s something that would be well welcomed by the department.  And indeed, Mr. Speaker, as we move forward with the completion of the tender documents for the new fiscal year, that component of on-the-job training is something that we’ll be working into the project schedule.
Question 339 – 2(4): No Actions Taken on Nunavut Business Credit Corporation Concerns a Year Ago (Tootoo)