EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
So, if the Housing Corporation stayed in Trigram and Culture, Language, Elders and Youth through their expansion had moved into the Parnaivik Building, the request would have been for Culture, Language, Elders and Youth for the 86 thousand.
So, I don’t know if that more clearly explains it.
There is an additional space for the government needs that is coming forth from Public Works and Services here; this 86 thousand.
I think I understand the minister now.
This is new space on top of what they already had so I think that’s what he’s indicating.
Does the minister have an idea of how much overall, is this 86 thousand for the year that the corporation is paying for office leases or is it more than that?
Mr. Chairman, in this case 86 thousand is a pro-rated cost for the balance of the current year.
The overall annual costs are actually that 103 thousand overall.
Going to page 6.
If there are no comments, Public Works and Services.
Not previously authorized, 164 thousand.
Chairperson (interpretation): Total 164 thousand.
Chairperson (interpretation): Operations, 118 thousand.
Chairperson (interpretation): Total Technical Services, 135 thousand.
Chairperson (interpretation): Total Department, 135 thousand.
Chairperson (interpretation): 282 thousand, not previously authorized.
Any comments on that page?
We have not dealt with the 100 thousand not previously authorized.
How do you know that you need that amount of money?
Mr. Chairman, these are all internal transfers within the Department of Public Works and Services for the informatics requirements.
Mr. Nutarak (interpretation): The Minister stated that these are transfers, which Department are they coming from?
Mr. Chairman, the 12 thousand is from Community Government Directorate and the 100 thousand is for Public Works from Community Government that is for the motor vehicles.
I am not sure which item he is referring to, Mr. Chairman.
If he can be more specific, I can be more specific.
Mr. Nutarak (interpretation): Intergovernmental Department transfer, it states that under the Department of Community Government and Transportation, 2002-2003 and special warrants and not previously authorized, under that within the brackets there is 12 thousand dollars.
And it is 112 thousand in total.
I am trying to ask the question why they would be transferred to Public Works from Community Government and Transportation.
Does the Minister know which department they are going to?
And how did you know that you needed this much?
These are all going to Public Works and Services for warehouse and storage space leases for the motor vehicles office facility.
Was there an emergency situation?
Is that why you want to spend this much money?
No, this is not a special warrant situation.
This is a supplementary request, an internal transfer.
Maybe because Public Works is giving out expensive contracts; is that the reason why?
No, Mr. Chairman, it is just to meet the community government needs for the Motor Vehicles branch.
Chairperson (interpretation): Thank you, Minister Ng. Is that it?
Community Government and Transportation not previously authorized, negative 12 thousand.
Total directorate, negative 12 thousand.
Chairperson (interpretation): Transportation, negative 100 thousand.
Chairperson (interpretation): Total transportation 100 thousand.
Chairperson (interpretation): Total Department 112 thousand.
The Department of Education not previously authorized.
Corporate Services 64 thousand.
I would like to ask a question on the last 1 million, 293 thousand to provide funding for the additional operational requirements of the Nunavut Arctic College and increased leasing costs of additional student housing units.
(interpretation ends) I want to refer to the Auditor General’s report page 22, number 16. During our audit, we observed that based on the college’s records, revenue for residents had decreased in the prior year, again based on the college’s records, the vacancy rate for residences was around 80%.
Can the Minister clarify that, we’re spending more money on this and we’ve approached 80% vacancy.
Mr. Chairman, I don’t have the details on the vacancy rate for Nunavut Arctic College residents, I mean that’s something that the Minister of Education can reply to or Nunavut Arctic College officials themselves, but I’ll make a commitment to provide that information on behalf of my colleague.
Chairperson (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Ng. Anything else Ms. Williams?
Ms. Williams: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman.
I am requesting some clarification or we could take the auditor general’s report as not being accurate? I just want to get some clarification on that Mr. Chairman.
Hon. Kelvin Ng: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, as I have indicated that I have to get more detailed analysis and information on that, that specific item, I wasn’t aware of that.
Chairperson (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Ng. Anything else, Ms. Williams?
On that same line, 1 million, 293 thousand dollars additional operational requirements for Arctic College and increased leasing costs for an additional thirty housing units.
Is this in Iqaluit or is this in other regions, either Kivalliq or Kitikmeot, where is this?
Mr. Chairman, four units are for Rankin Inlet, and eight units are in Iqaluit.
Mr. Chairman it’s good to see some additional student housing units here in Iqaluit, I’m sure members are aware that we all received letter from an individual that was trying to become a hairdresser.
That person wanted to be able to move back to her community and go into business herself but wasn’t able to and ended having to quit her course and leave because there weren’t adequate accommodations.
So I think it’s good to see some additional units here, I was just wondering are those units, are they for people that didn’t have married family accommodations, is that what these units here in Iqaluit are for?
Yes, they are for married student family housing.
Mr. Tootoo: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. As I indicated earlier in the session that they did something that seems to be falling, continually falling back on the capital plan, the married residences here in Iqaluit are a good example of you know, the government acknowledges that there is a need for it, having to go out and do stuff just to get places for students to live.
So it’s good to see that they recognized this issue and it’s something that they have to deal with, hopefully we won’t be continuing to see the students’ married residences in Iqaluit falling off.
We keep getting pushed back on the capital plans, on the other amount just for additional operational requirements, for the college.
Can the minister elaborate what that’s for?
Yes, Mr. Chairman, the 300 thousand is for increased utilities and maintenance costs for college buildings, 550 thousand is for student family housing units that they already have leases for over and above what I mentioned earlier, 100 thousand is for increased operating costs at the head office in Arviat and 343 thousand is for student family housing again as mentioned earlier.
Mr. Chairman, so it’s roughly 1 million that the Nunavut Arctic College is basically running into a deficit over the year.
I’m just wondering what measures are being taken to, is something that is their base funding going to be increased next time around so that they don’t run a deficit or measures being taken to make sure that they live within their means that they’re going to allocate to them and don’t over spend.
Mr. Chairman, yes this is also base funding adjustments through Nunavut Arctic College to recognize the increase in operating costs that they have encountered.
Chairperson (interpretation): Thank you, Minister Ng. Anything else Mr. Tootoo?
Negative 64,000.
Chairperson (interpretation): Corporate Services.
Total Corporate Services, negative 64 thousand. Do you agree?
Chairperson (interpretation): Adult Education and Post-secondary services, 1 million 243 thousand.
Chairperson (interpretation): Total Adult Education and Post-secondary services, 1 million 243 thousand.
On the school services, it talks about funding for 2002/2003 which will cover community consultations of 250 thousand and the printing of the Inuktitut version of Inuqatigiit.
Can the minister tell us who they consulted with, which communities?
I don’t have that information here but we can find that out.
The Inuqatigiit document, it was to be done in Inuktitut and translated into English.
Is this English into Inuktitut translation now?
Again I don’t have that level of detail with me and I commit to supplying it.
Sometimes it’s frustrating to try to approve the funds when you don’t have enough information.
Any further comments or questions?
School Services, 400 thousand.
Chairperson (interpretation): School Operations, 1 million 397 thousand.
Chairperson (interpretation): Total School Operations, 1 million 397 thousand.
Chairperson (interpretation): Total Departments, 2 million 976 thousand.
Chairperson (interpretation): Go on to the next page, page 10.
Health and Social Services Department. Not previously authorized.
Directorate, negative 50 thousand.
Chairperson (interpretation): Total Directorate, negative 50 thousand.
Schedule One.
Operations and Maintenance. Total Maintenance Appropriation, 5 million 296 thousand.
Chairperson (interpretation): Bill 17 as a whole.
Chairperson (interpretation): Then we’ll move on to Bill 17 clause by clause.
Supplementary Appropriation, Operations and Maintenance, Act No. 1, 2001/2002/2003.
We can vote clause by clause; do you have that in your binder?
So we’ll start off with Clause 1.
Chairperson (interpretation): Clause 7. Schedule. Appropriation Amounts Appropriated for Fiscal Year Ending March 31st.
Total Supplementary Appropriation, 5 million 296 thousand.
Chairperson (interpretation): Bill as a whole?
Chairperson (interpretation): Does the Committee agree that the Bill is ready for third reading?
We would like to continue with the review of Bill 19, Budget Measures Implementation Act.
Chairman (interpretation): Minister Ng.
I’m pleased to appear before the committee to discuss the Budget Measures Implementation Act.
This Bill will enact tax changes the government announced during its budget speech last spring.
Mr. Speaker, the Bill will reduce the personal income tax rate for all Nunavut taxpayers, it will also increases tax credits that are strategically designed to help lower to middle income earners.
Corporate tax rates are also reduced as part of this Bill.
Nunavut is now known as one of the most competitive jurisdictions within Canada.
I look forward to answering any questions that Members may have.
Chairman (interpretation): Thank you, Minister Ng. Minister Tootoo.
Mr. Chairman, the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Services has reviewed Bill 19, the Budget Measures Implementation Act.
Mr. Chairman, Members of this House will recall that in the fall of 2001, the Legislative Assembly reviewed and approved the Bill to introduce the so-called Tax On Income System in Nunavut.
This system is intended to give the provinces and territories greater flexibility in implementing tax measures that suit their own particular circumstances.
Mr. Chairman, at that time the Standing Committee recommended to the Government of Nunavut that they must carefully consider how to address issues such as the need to reduce the tax burden on elders and the disabled, of the need to stimulate job creation and to encourage businesses to set up in Nunavut or allocate a portion of their income here and the need to address the high cost of living in Nunavut.
The committee is pleased that the Budget Measures Implementation Act, acts on these issues.
The committee supports the passage of this bill and the committee is of the view the Government of Nunavut must evaluate the success of these tax measures over the coming years with respect to their success in achieving the goals I just mentioned.
Mr. Chairman, that concludes my opening comments and I’m sure that the other members may have comments or questions as we proceed.
Before we move on to considering the bills, we’re going to take a 10 minute break and once the 10 minutes is over, we’ll resume.
>>House recessed at 14.56 p.m. and resumed at 15.16 p.m.
Bill 19 the Budget Measures Implementation Act.
I think that we can move on to that Bill.
Are there any questions or general comments?
If there are no general comments, we will move on to a clause by clause review.
Bill 19 Budget Measures Implementation Act. Mr. Tootoo.
Just in general, a question on it before we get into this clause by clause.
In this system and as I said in my opening remarks, it allows us to structure our tax credits and things like that to suit our needs and address areas where we as the Government of Nunavut decide it is best needed.
I am just wondering if this is going to significantly, if there will be a decrease in taxes as a government we are collecting from our own sources.
I am just wondering if you know based on an article that I recall seeing, I am not sure if it was in the spring or this summer, comments by the Prime Minister talking about these jurisdictions that apply for more money and yet they are lowering their own taxes.
I am just wondering what kind of impact if any, the Minister is anticipating, or does he anticipate any concerns as a result of this in our desperate plight for additional funding from the Federal Government?
Mr. Chairman, the overall impact of our own source revenue reduction is not significant given the overall magnitude of the sources for revenue from the Federal Government.
The impact is minimal in respect of our reduction of our income tax rate.
Maybe just for the record, if I could just ask the Minister, can the Minister indicate what they are projecting the impact will be on our revenues?
Overall, Mr. Chairman, I believe the changes were 6 million dollars approximately in lost revenues to the Government of Nunavut as a result of these income tax changes.
Mr. Chairman, will this have any impact on two things, I guess.
One, the funds that we receive through the formula financing agreement other than the lost revenues that the minister had indicated, was there any other consequential impact on any revenues through the formula financing agreement that may happen as a result of this six million lost in own source revenues?
For all intents and purposes no, because of the small magnitude of the overall reduction.
On the same lines as the formula financing agreement, we all know that this is something that’s under review.
Will any changes like this have a negative impact on the review for the formula financing agreement with our federal colleagues?
Mr. Chairman, prior to our putting forward these decreases we did make sure the Federal Finance and the Federal Minister’s office were aware and there was no concern one way or another that was expressed at that time.
So I would hope that would also prevail in due course over our work in re-negotiating our formula financing agreement.
With these changes, I’m sure the Minister of Finance has a better idea then me, are there going to be any costs to the government for making the required changes that we have here other than the lost revenue like just in the administration and set up of this new system and as well what amounts are we looking at?
Mr. Chairman, I don’t believe so and if so it would be minimal as well under our current arrangement with the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency in our tax collection agreement.
Mr. Chairman, I think if memory serves me correct, that when we were doing the TONI bill last year, the minister had indicated that any changes or any costs as a result of the implementation of this legislation would be borne by the Federal Government.
I just wanted to confirm if that is still the case.
It states that we’ll lose six million that the territorial government gets from the federal government.
Who will be affected by this reduction, will all the residents be affected or will just the employees be affected?
This is all Nunavut tax filers, those who would be entitled to paying Nunavut income tax.
The income taxes would have a reduction so in effect it’s not the federal government but our tax filers.
Anybody earning income in Nunavut.
The hamlets in the communities are given funding from the department of CG&T; will that amount be reduced because of this reduction in our revenues?
Hon. Kelvin Ng: No, it wouldn’t, Mr. Chairman.
Just a question to follow up on my opening comments.
As a Chairperson for the Standing Committee that reviewed the legislation, and in there it indicated that the committee felt that the government must evaluate the success of these tax measures over the coming years and to ensure that they are achieving the goals that they set out to do and I think that’s a crucial moment of any program or service offered by government.
Forecasting measures can be a very, very valuable management tool for the government.
Can the minister outline any plans they have in ways of being able to do exactly that, to monitor and evaluate the success of these changes?
Yes, in a report that is provided by the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency through the tax collection agreement, we will be able to track the impacts over the course of the years that it would be in place.
Mr. Chairman would the Minister commit to providing updates to this House when they do receive that information so that all members can be aware of hopefully the success of these changes.
Hon. Kelvin Ng: Yes, we will.
Chairperson (interpretation): Good response. Anything else?
I think we can continue to Bill 19, Budget Measures Implementation Act.
Are there any more general comments?
Clause one. Do you agree?
Chairperson (interpretation): Clause 2. Do you agree?
Chairperson (interpretation): Clause 3. Do you agree?
Chairperson (interpretation): Clause 4. Do you agree?
Chairperson (interpretation): Clause 5. Do you agree?
Chairperson (interpretation): Clause 6. Do you agree?
Chairperson (interpretation): Clause 7. Do you agree?
Chairperson (interpretation): Clause 8. Do you agree?
Chairperson (interpretation): Clause 9. Do you agree?
Chairperson (interpretation): Clause 10. Do you agree?
Chairperson (interpretation): Clause 11. Do you agree?
Chairperson (interpretation): Clause 12. Do you agree?
Chairperson (interpretation): Clause 13. Do you agree?
Chairperson (interpretation): Clause 14. Do you agree?
Chairperson (interpretation): Clause 15. Do you agree?
Chairperson (interpretation): Clause 16. Do you agree?
Chairperson (interpretation): Go to the front page.
Does the committee agree to the Bill as a whole?
Some Members: Agreed.  Chairperson (interpretation): Does the committee agree that the Bill is reading for third reading?
Chairperson (interpretation): Are there any comments?
The committee wishes to go ahead with Bill 27, An Act to Amend the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act, Change of Precedence.
Bill 27, An Act to Amend the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act.
Change of Precedence.
Hon. Kelvin Ng: Before we finish, I just wanted to thank my officials that were here, Mr. Vardy and Mr. Dingle.
Chairperson (interpretation): Thank you, Minister Ng. I hope they heard you.
This is very short, the one that we talked about is to delay implementation for one more year because we didn’t have time to complete the bill and we did our best to complete it.
I’m pretty sure we’ll be able to complete it within the year, but just in case, we want to give ourselves ample time so we decided on December 31st 2003.
That’s the only change that we anticipate to finish it within that year.
Chairperson (interpretation): The chairperson of the committee, Mr. Tootoo.
Mr. Chairman, as members of this House are well aware, Bill 27, An Act to Amend the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act and related statutes, was introduced into the House last week by the minister.
This act requires careful scrutiny and the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Services provided the Bill to Nunavut’s Information and Privacy Commissioner for review.
We’ve just now received her detailed comments on the initiative which we will be considering and in addition the government’s response over the next few weeks, prior to the resumption of the sixth session.
Bill 27 is a measure that preserves this status quo until members of this House has the time to fully consider Bill 20 and I look forward to revisiting Bill 20 in the New Year.
And the committee fully endorses the passage of Bill 27.
To Bill 27, are there any other general comments?
Bill 27, an Act to Amend the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act.
Bill 27.Clause 1.Agreed?
Chairperson (interpretation): Does the committee agree that this Bill is ready for third reading?
We can go on to Minister’s Statement 72-1(6) - Tenant to Owner Program update.
Does the Minister for the Nunavut Housing Corporation have comments? Minister Ng, I would like to ask if you wish to bring officials here to the witness table or are you more comfortable where you are?
Minister Ng?
Hon. Kelvin Ng: Witness table will be fine.
Chairman (interpretation): Sergeant-at-Arms, can you help the witnesses?
Do you have opening comments, Mr. Tootoo do you have any comments?
Sorry, hold on.
Minister Ng, can you introduce your officials?
To my right is Ms. Pam Hine, the President, and to my left is Mr. Chris D’Arcy, Director of Policy and Planning.
Chairman (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Tootoo, your comments?
Mr. Tootoo: As I indicated earlier I have a few questions that I would like to ask the Minister in regards to the Corporation’s Tenant to Owner Program.
In regards to the sale of the Public Housing Units under this program, have there been any complications that have taken place with the Nunavut Housing Corporation through the cost sharing of operations and maintenance on these units that are to be sold?
Yes the Nunavut Housing Corporation officials are aware the bill was introduced.
I would like to say that these units were funded from CHMC who were responsible for the units and as the Members are aware their contributions will start to diminish starting in the upcoming fiscal year.
Mr. Tootoo: Thank you, Mr. Chairman for the information.
Basically if we want to get rid of our public housing units and just keep the money to build new units, basically we can do whatever we want with the funding that CHMC gives us as long as it goes for housing.
Mr. Chairman it varies obviously the practicality of doing things.
Mr. Chairman I know there is the NDAP program under the Corporation and that’s intended to provide assistance for the clients towards the down payment which is not always easiest thing to come up with.
But in cases, like under the program, can it also be used to reduce the mortgage payments of clients to a level that they can afford more to pay under this program.
Yes it was intended to make it affordable for individuals to own their own homes.
It is meant to lower the mortgage payments, I guess it’s to make it affordable for people to own their homes. But in cases like this, where they will be getting a house at a reasonable rate, probably nothing close to the open markets, especially here in Iqaluit with the demand right now, will it be used to lower the mortgage payments for the people applying under this program?
With the market rate, depending on the community, the clients would be eligible provided they meet the criteria for all the programs.
Are there any more comments?
Mr. Chairman, as I’d indicated shortly after the minister did his statement in the House during question period that the affordability level established by lenders and guarantors like the banks and CMHC is 30% which includes the mortgage payments, principal and interest, annual taxes, and I believe the heating costs.
When the corporation is re-evaluating clients with their mortgages under the Access program, will they be looking at providing additional support and assistance to people that may have already received the Down Payment Assistance Program?
It depends on what context the member makes reference to additional support.
If it’s in respect of current programs where they’d be eligible for home repair programs, emergency repair programs etc.