EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
Question 211 – 4(3): Status of Government Response to Motion 14 – 4(2) (Angnakak)
On November 6, 2014, all Members of the Legislative Assembly, including the cabinet, voted in favour of Motion 14 – 4(2).
As the House will recall, this motion, which was seconded by my colleague from Iqaluit-Tasiluk, formally called on the government to undertake a “comprehensive review of the merits and benefits of establishing a board of management for the Qikiqtani General Hospital” and to “report on its considerations and findings” to the Legislative Assembly.
My three questions today deal with the “whens,” “whys,” and “whats” of this issue, and there are many.
For the record, can the minister provide a clear answer today as to when the government’s findings will be tabled and made public?
When we were meeting earlier, I replied that we are still conducting our work on this issue and it requires approval by cabinet once we have finalized the details.
What I have stated previously is that the hospital will get an oversight board to manage the facility.
As per my statements, this body will be established, but we first have to develop the parameters and get approval from cabinet before I can commit to tabling the information.
At this time, the document isn’t available, so I can’t respond instantaneously as to the actual timeframe.
For the record, can the minister provide a clear answer as to why this deadline was missed?
I know he had some problems, but why weren’t they addressed a lot earlier so that he could meet the deadline that was requested?
Hon. Paul Okalik (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. (interpretation ends) The commitment is there.
The commitment was made this fall. We will set up a board. It’s a matter of working out the details on how that board will function and we have to make sure that we’re governing properly.
I can set up a board any day, but it may not work the best, so I make a commitment to make sure it works properly.
That’s the role of governing. (interpretation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I understand that we all want a board that’s going to work well and we want a board in place.
For the record, can the minister provide a clear answer as to what conclusions the government has reached to date?
There must have been some kind of research done already and perhaps some things that have been approved.
Can you provide us with a clear answer of what conclusions you have reached to date?
Hon. Paul Okalik (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. (interpretation ends) What we have determined so far is the board will be an advisory for starters and we are currently looking at other boards elsewhere to make sure that we learn from their experiences.
As soon as that work is done, I look forward to presenting it in the House. (interpretation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Question 212 – 4(3): Capital Planning (Rumbolt)
My second question of the day is also for the Minister of Community and Government Services.
Mr. Speaker, the other day, the federal government announcement concerning funding for playgrounds, arenas, and swimming pools indicated that the total eligible cost for the projects in question amounted to $49,919,318.
My question to the minister, he stated that some of the projects would be a 75-25 split with the federal government.
I would like to ask the minister for the record what the Government of Nunavut’s total share of this spending will be.
Hon. Joe Savikataaq: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My fellow member is making up for the days that he missed while he was out, and I thank him.
The total costs to the GN will be $6,540,000 and that is our share of the 25 percent of the ones that are going through here. I would like to just add to that. There are two projects where the municipalities are doing their own funding and one is the swimming pool here in Iqaluit and the other one is the cultural centre in Cape Dorset.
The need to replace Sanikiluaq’s health centre is a high priority in my community.
As the minister will appreciate, I am concerned that health and safety projects which are currently being considered for inclusion in the GN’s five-year capital plan do not get delayed or cancelled because of new funding announcements.
What assurances can the minister provide that health and safety priorities for capital spending, including Sanikiluaq’s new health centre, will not be negatively impacted by this announcement?
I can assure the member that this funding announcement will have no impact on delaying any other project.
The funding for this is under the New Building Canada Fund, but it’s under its own separate heading.
It’s called the Small Communities Fund and their funding criteria is different than funding, let’s say, a nursing station or a hamlet office.
This announcement will, in no way, have any delays for a health centre or a nursing station in Sanikiluaq.
Although all governments like to make a big splash about funding announcements, we don’t always see detailed information concerning where the dollars actually end up going.
Will the minister commit to tabling a report during the fall sitting concerning which projects end up receiving funding under the other day’s announcement?
If the member is talking about these five projects and if the funding is nailed down to the penny, yes, I have no problem tabling the document on how much it costs for each project and where.
As of right now, it’s not finalized, but, yes, I can table that document when it’s ready.
I can’t say if it will be ready for the fall, but when it is completed, I can do that.
Question 213 – 4(3): Cape Dorset School Schedule (Joanasie)
I would like to ask more questions to the Minister of Education with regard to the school in Cape Dorset.
Mr. Speaker, as I was asking him earlier, because of the change in schedule, I would like to ask if the attendance is taken for students that go to school every day. Has the attendance been dropping up to now?
Hon. Paul Quassa (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I also thank my colleague for asking about this issue once again.
To date, the Department of Education has kept track of student attendance.
We have maintained the figures for September, October, November, and January, so we are aware of these numbers.
At this time, whether the figures are trending downwards or upwards is something we haven’t deciphered yet as they are currently being reviewed with that purpose. With respect to actual figures, we don’t have that information yet.
Maybe if I paraphrase it in English, with the (interpretation ends) Student Information System, (interpretation) the data is being uploaded to this oversight software.
I just want my colleague to be aware that I can’t provide an actual figure, but the data is still under review and being processed by this SIS as it is being inputted into the system. Also, we are looking at completing the uploading of data from September to January so that we can determine the differences. At this time, we don’t have any figures.
I’ll look forward to getting the attendance numbers to see if they have increased or decreased.
Mr. Speaker, I would also like to ask another question. As a result, every resource was lost, such as books and educational materials used in our schools, and they had nothing left in the old Peter Pitseolak School.
What I want clarified is with respect to the teaching materials needed by the teachers, for example, if you are going to teach classes. I wonder what other resources to assist the teachers like (interpretation ends) additional resources (interpretation) have been identified to date to ensure classes are operated as smoothly as possible in Cape Dorset.
I also thank the member for seeking additional information, especially in light of the importance of schools for our students, including receiving an education.
Subsequent to the school fire, resources were immediately pooled here in Iqaluit as additional teaching materials and supplies are always kept ready in case of emergencies such as this or if a school starts running out of materials and they are housed in a facility or (interpretation ends) warehouse (interpretation) to be available at all times.
With the situation in Cape Dorset occurring, we already had these additional resources, so we pooled the materials and supplies and shipped them to the schools, with a complete set of materials for each grade. We sent those resources as soon as we could. To date, I haven’t heard that they now require further resources.
Nonetheless, our policy of retaining additional resources available to ship out anywhere in Nunavut came in handy. I haven’t heard of any other requests for more resources, but again I reiterate that all classroom and teaching materials required were sent, at least based on my understanding, a complete set for the school.
On a similar issue, again based on the minister’s statement about the February 29 correspondence he received from the Cape Dorset DEA, which was copied to my attention about this request for a meeting with the minister about the impact on the hours, perhaps they need amendments on the hours.
The minister stated that he was willing to meet with the local DEA and I appreciate his availability.
When do you expect to identify a date?
Is it when you are available at the first chance that you will do so or perhaps I could suggest a weekend meeting while our session has its weekend break?
Yes, I did receive that correspondence, but they didn’t indicate a preferred date for meeting with me.
Yes, whenever I am available for a meeting, I will make myself available.
Further, after discussions with the Department of Community and Government Services about this matter, as they also received a copy of this correspondence, we will be attempting to meet with them as soon as possible.
I will ensure that I keep the MLA informed about the actual day, location, and place of the meeting.
We have prepared a teleconference for that meeting since we are unable to directly go to Cape Dorset during the session.
However, we will be available to meet via teleconference and I will inform the member forthwith with the appropriate details of the date once we have that information.
Question 214 – 4(3): Energy Initiatives (Mikkungwak)
Earlier this month, the government announced that ten private homeowners in Cambridge Bay would be selected to receive a free energy audit.
Similar energy audits have also taken place in Iqaluit and Rankin Inlet.
Mr. Speaker, the most recent Nunavut Housing Needs Survey indicated that Baker Lake has the fifth highest number of private homeowners in the territory.
Will the minister commit to ensuring that the next round of energy audits that is offered by the government takes place in Baker Lake?
The energy audits have happened in three of the main communities that have homeownership at this time: Iqaluit, Cambridge Bay, and Rankin Inlet. There is a desire to expand this program outside of the three original communities so that other communities can have an experience on exploring audits for their homes. We are currently looking at how we can go to the other communities at this time.
As the minister will recall, a formal motion was passed during the recent fall sitting of the Legislative Assembly that called for a comprehensive report on the activities and expenditures of the Government of Nunavut’s Energy Secretariat to be tabled in the Legislative Assembly on the first sitting day of the spring 2016 sitting.
Can the minister confirm that this will be done?
I believe that we are preparing to do that.
Mr. Mikkungwak: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank the minister for that response.
The municipal council of Baker Lake recently passed a formal resolution concerning the need to reduce Nunavut’s dependence on the burning of fossil fuels and the need to explore greater use of renewable energy.
Can the Minister of Energy indicate how her department’s Energy Secretariat is working with the Qulliq Energy Corporation and the Energy Options Working Group established under the Hudson Bay Neighbours Regional Roundtable to make progress towards establishing a hydroelectric power transmission line from Manitoba to the Kivalliq?
We have staff that sit on the committee of the Hudson Bay roundtable energy program that they are looking into.
Speaker (interpretation): Thank you. Oral Questions. Member for Iqaluit-Niaqunnguu, Ms. Pat Angnakak.
Question 215 – 4(3): Status of New Iqaluit Marine Port and Sealift Facility (Angnakak)
My questions are for the Minister of Economic Development and Transportation as well.
As a longstanding advocate for modern marine infrastructure for our territory’s largest community, I very much welcomed last summer’s announcement that the federal and territorial governments would be funding the construction of a long overdue marine port and sealift facility in Iqaluit.
At that time, our Minister of Economic Development and Transportation publicly stated that, and I quote, “This will fundamentally change resupply here and into the communities.”
Can the minister confirm whether or not the formal contribution agreement for this project has been officially signed by the territorial and federal governments?
Speaker (interpretation) Thank you. (interpretation ends) The Hon. Minister of Economic Development and Transportation, Ms. Ell-Kanayuk.
Yes, we are very pleased with the recent confirmation of the federal funding for the Iqaluit marine facility project. I agree that this project will be making a very important contribution to Iqaluit’s sealift operations as well as to hunters and other small vessel owners. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
That’s wonderful news, indeed, for all of us.
Can the minister clarify the government’s current timeline for awarding the contracts for the design and construction of the new Iqaluit marine port and sealift facility?
Minister for Economic Development and Transportation, Ms. Ell-Kanayuk.
Hon. Monica Ell-Kanayuk: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. (interpretation) I also thank my colleague for her questions on this issue.
The timeline, planning, and (interpretation ends) engineering work (interpretation) has been initiated. We look forward to the project beginning this summer. (interpretation ends) Mr. Speaker, we all need to remember that this project is conditional on the Legislative Assembly’s support.
Ms. Angnakak (interpretation): Thank you. (interpretation ends) Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I’m sure she will find that we support it.
Can the minister clarify how key stakeholders, including the City of Iqaluit, the Amarok Hunters and Trappers Organization, and the major sealift providers, will be consulted on the design of our new marine port and sealift facility?
Speaker (interpretation): Thank you. (interpretation ends) The Hon. Minister for Economic Development and Transportation, Ms. Ell-Kanayuk.
Once we have our confirmation that the project has been approved by the Legislative Assembly… . There have been a lot of organizations that deal with sealift, such as NEAS, the Hunter Support Program, and other organizations like the Qikiqtaaluk Corporation that have already approached us on information that they would like to share their ideas on the project moving forward.
Once we have that in place, we will definitely be communicating to all stakeholders.
Moving on. (interpretation ends) Hon. Minister, Mr. Mike.
Hon. Johnny Mike (interpretation): I would like to be given the opportunity to go back to Item 5.
Speaker (interpretation): The member is asking to go back to Item 5. Are there any nays?
I don’t hear any nays. Mr. Mike, please proceed.
Hon. Johnny Mike (interpretation): Thank you for allowing me to proceed, colleagues, as whenever you make this request, you hang in the balance awaiting approval.
Actually, I requested that to recognize a visitor to the gallery from my community and his name is Lasalosie Ishulutak. I want it known that this man is a traditional hunter and his chosen lifestyle has allowed him to reach his current age.
Further, in the community of Pangnirtung, whenever he comes in with a harvest of country foods, he shares with the less fortunate people, especially if the catch is fresh.
Item 7. (interpretation ends) Written Questions. Item 8.
Hon. Minister of Community and Government Services, Ms. Ell-Kanayuk.
(interpretation) I’m sorry. (interpretation ends) The Hon. Minister of Economic Development and Transportation, Ms. Ell-Kanayuk.
Tabled Document 086 – 4(3): Government of Nunavut’s Response to the Standing Committee on Oversight of Government Operations and Public Accounts’ Report on the Review of the 2013-2014 and 2014-2015 Annual Reports and 2015-2016 Corporate and Business Plans of the Nunavut Development Corporation and the Nunavut Business Credit Corporation (Ell-Kanayuk)
I am pleased to table the Government of Nunavut’s Response to the Standing Committee on Oversight of Government Operations and Public Accounts’ Report on the Review of the 2013-14 and 2014-15 Annual Reports and 2015-16 Corporate and Business Plans of the Nunavut Development Corporation and the Nunavut Business Credit Corporation.
*See Appendix for full text of Tabled Document 86 – 4(3).
Motions. Item 18. First Reading of Bills.
Bill 15 – An Act to Amend the Land Titles Act – Second Reading
Hon. Paul Okalik (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. (interpretation ends) I move, seconded by the Hon. Member for Arviat South, that Bill 15, An Act to Amend the Land Titles Act, be read for the second time.
Mr. Speaker, this Act amends the Land Titles Act to provide for the merger of leasehold and fee simple estates in land held by the same person, as well as for the preservation of relevant interests in case of such merger.
This Act also corrects minor grammatical, typographical, and syntactical errors in the Land Titles Act. (interpretation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Some Hon. Members: Question.
The motion is carried and Bill 15 is referred to the Standing Committee on Legislation.
>>House recessed at 15:51 and Committee resumed at 16:16
Chairman (Mr. Akoak): Good afternoon, fellow MLAs, ministers, (interpretation) and Inuit watching the proceedings and listening to the radio broadcast. (interpretation ends) Good afternoon.
Today, we are on Community and Government Services. Branch Summary.
We wish to continue with the review of the 2016-17 Main Estimates of the Department of Community and Government Services, followed by the Department of Education.
If time permits, we will commence with the Nunavut Housing Corporation.
To my right is the DM, Lori Kimball, and to my left is the ADM, Mr. Darren Flynn.
Informatics Planning and Services.
Mr. Chairman, in reviewing the draft 2016-17 main estimates, the minister’s department is proposing to expand its Informatics Planning and Services Division by 21 PYs and increasing its budget by $2,594,000.
Can you indicate why your department needs 21 new positions and more than $2 million in additional funding for its Informatics Planning and Services Division?
I shall try my best to do that.
We feel that these positions are very much needed.
There are always privacy concerns, security concerns, and more and more of government work is being done online with different kinds of devices. You’ve got cellphones, tablets, and computers.
We all know that once the email system shuts down, it seems like we, as a government, can’t seem to get our jobs done and we all just kind of panic and say, “What now?” That’s the main reason.
I’ll just throw out some numbers for Mr. Rumbolt to put it in perspective. The annual budget for IT for Nunavut is roughly $35.5 million. For the NWT, it’s $53 million.
The average IT money spent per employee, so the amount of time an IT employee, if it were to be calculated, spent on a Nunavut government employee, in Nunavut, it’s currently at $8,609 and the NWT is at $10,170.
That’s just a bit of comparison.
In terms of percentage, the number of IT positions in Nunavut is currently 2.1 percent of the total workforce. We are requesting to put it up 2.7 percent.
In the NWT, they’re at 3.9 percent, the Yukon is at 3.2 percent, and Newfoundland, which is the closest to us, is at 3.8 percent.
We’re requesting this because we need it.
We are falling behind on services.
As I stated earlier in my opening comments, we are a service department, so these IT positions are for servicing all of the GN. It’s not just CG&S; it’s for servicing all of the GN and all the departments.
We feel that we are not meeting the needs of the departments in the IT department.
Before this budget was introduced or the budget shortfall or the shortfall in PYs, how was this service provided in the past?
The short answer to that would be that it wasn’t provided adequately at all.
We’re not providing enough security.
When I talk security, I’m talking about security online and on the Internet, not physical security. We’re not providing enough security.
There are security issues. There are confidentiality issues.
We weren’t providing the level of service that needs to be provided for all the departments, such stuff like confidential information that is withheld, the data positions, and not adequate backup being done for information like data that is being stored.
It’s just that it wasn’t being provided at all and this is to catch up.
This is not the endgame either.
We will be requesting more in the following years because we are playing catch-up and we need to be up to speed on these issues.
The minister stated that these positions will be for all the GN, not just Community and Government Services. With that being said, will all these positions be centrally located in Iqaluit or will they be spread out throughout the territory?
The majority of these positions will be located here in Iqaluit. It’s just logistics. This is where the bulk of the government does sit, but they will be a resource for all of Nunavut and for all of the departments.
They work for CG&S. As I stated earlier, we are a service department. If a Department of Health’s computer should go down or Education, then we are there to help them out.
We are hoping that with all this, there will be more videoconferencing. There is one position that is going to Cambridge Bay, but the bulk of them will be going here to Iqaluit.
With these 21 positions, we are only a month away from starting a new year and these positions are hardly sophisticated IT professionals.
Realistically, how are you intending to recruit and have all these positions in place within the next fiscal year?
We will work hard at it.
Right now, some of these duties are being done by casuals and contractors.
We are hoping that when the jobs are advertised, they will be filled from these.
Some of the work is being done right now by casuals and contractors, so we are hoping that they will fill in the gaps.
We are realistic that it may take a little while because the hiring process is done by HR and that is out of our control. Of course, we have input into it, but HR is the hiring department. We are going to do our best to make sure these positions are filled.
HR has a history of taking a long time to fill one position, let alone 21.
It would be interesting to see how quick they fill these positions. That was just a comment.
Has your department been in touch with the Nunavut Housing Corporation to make sure there is adequate staff housing for these positions?
Yes, we have looked into it.
Is there adequate staff housing available in Iqaluit for all these positions?
No, there is not adequate staff housing, but there is a private housing market here and private housing rental, so we are hoping that, if need be, then that’s one route to go.
We’re at Community and Government Services. Branch Summary. Informatics Planning and Services.
Good afternoon, Minister.
I want to ask a question related to that, but first let me start off with this question, although I am aware the minister may be unable to respond to my query about informatics services.
Let me first ask this question, Mr. Chairman. Who is responsible for ensuring the veracity of our employee email addresses? I ask because I wonder if all departments have to update their own addresses.
Is this handled by a specific sector? I am asking about the entire public service employees’ email address system that allows people to send emails to the appropriate staff.