EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
That is one of the reasons why I asked this question. Will the birds that stay up north all year round be studied?
Yes, we will. The Avian Influenza is overseas and I think the only way the people can be affected is if a person brought a bird from overseas, but we haven’t heard anything to date.
Question 185 – 2(3): High Cost of Living in Nunavut (Barnabas)
Mr. Speaker, I have risen in this House on many occasions to draw attention to issues related to the extremely high cost of living in Nunavut’s High Arctic communities.
As my constituencies are non-decentralized, jobs are hard to come by.
For individuals who are on income support, every penny counts, and for those with small children, it is often difficult to make ends meet.
Prime Minister Harper has announced that he will introduce a plan to give parents $1,200 a year for each child under six.
Can the minister tell this House whether this federal funding of $100 a month will be clawed back from benefits received by individuals on income support; yes or no?
Claw back regulations are put in place under the auspices of the Government of Nunavut, meaning that we determine, based on the program, and the availability, what would be applicable.
I gave an example yesterday in the House of where we weren’t clawing back the Energy Rebate Program. That decision still has to be made concerning the monies allocated under Mr. Harper’s plan. Again, Mr. Speaker, it is our understanding that that should kick in on April 1.
I believe that’s what has been reported in the media.
I did not understand. Did he say yes or no? I would like a yes or no answer.
I’m sorry if I wasn’t clear on the answer. What I suggested to the Member of the House was; is that the federal government has to introduce a budget first to be able to bring forward their child benefits.
So it’s hypothetical right now to ask if it would be clawed back if and when it would be presented because it hasn’t been presented and it’s only been talked about.
So Mr. Speaker, we’re in a very difficult position because we don’t know exactly what that program will entail.
So once the budget is passed and once Mr. Harper outlines what exactly is the $1,200, is it coming in as a cheque at the end of one month; is it coming in one lump sum of $1,200, and so on and so forth, then we will ascertain as a government what, if there would be a claw back for income support purposes.
Mr. Speaker, claw backs would not occur to any person who is working or to any individual in Nunavut who has a job. It would only apply to programs under the Government of Nunavut, for example, an income support person.
So I hope that helps clarify the answer.
Can the minister tell me or this House: when will this claw back happen?
Again, I don’t know when the claw back would occur even if it would occur because we haven’t seen the details of the program that Mr. Harper has talked about.
It’s like the Iqaluit Port Project; he had a promise that he would build a port. I can’t say when it’s going to be built, where it’s going to be built and I can’t say that there’s going to be a claw back on the National Child’s Benefit Program because we haven’t seen the details, number one and number two, he has to introduce a budget in the House and get it passed to do it.
Right now, we see opposition across the country to this type of plan because a lot of the jurisdictions, ten provinces, have signed on to a National Daycare Program which funded the provinces.
So what I’m suggesting to you: once we and the government have an opportunity to look at the details of the program, then we will have a better opportunity to say what the impact would be.
A number of Nunavut residents have recently received $250 fuel rebates from the federal government.
Will this amount be clawed back from benefits received by individuals on income support; yes or no?
Hon. Ed. Picco: No, Mr. Speaker, no.
Again, we had a prior knowledge of that program, of course, to coming out. The Cabinet decided in November that any money under the Energy Rebate Program would not be clawed back. And that’s a good example of the National Child Benefit Program.
Once we realize and find out exactly logistically, administratively, and financially what that program entails, then we will have an opportunity, as a Cabinet, to review and see what the parameters would be.
Question 186 – 2(3): High Cost of Building Public Housing (Alagalak)
I would like to direct my question to the (interpretation ends) Minister responsible for Public Housing.
(interpretation) To make a preamble, we had been informed, well, especially for the last three years the expenditures for public housing units have been rising drastically.
We can’t keep up with the cost of operating and maintaining rental units.
(interpretation ends) Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask the Minister responsible for Housing: what measures have been taken to reduce the cost of building public housing?
The Housing Corporation has been doing an ongoing review of how they can decrease the cost of building rental housing units.
We are looking at all alternatives. Just recently, I sent out an email on how we can decrease the building of these units.
This is an excellent question and I would like to assure the member that our department has been doing an ongoing review of the cost of building these units.
We hear a lot of things from the people out there and I think it is way too expensive.
There is building up to code; there are extra things that are required to build houses.
For example, putting in piles for a house, for even a small house, for a stick built house, the piles are extremely expensive.
What contributes to the high cost of building these units; is it the piles; is it the lumber?
If you look at it section by section, I’m sure that the Housing Corporation can find out what the major contributor is causing these units to be so expensive.
I can’t really tell you what major contributing factor is causing these units to be so expensive.
Usually, contractors give you an estimate of how much it would cost to build a unit because of course that’s the only way we can build it.
We can look at how we can decrease the costs and how we can get longer life spans for the units that we do build.
That’s usually what we do in our department. We can do a review and see where we can bring down the costs, or we can possibly look to the federal government to see if we can increase the number of dollars that do come in for the building of these units. I can discuss this issue further with the Nunavut Housing Corporation staff.
As I said earlier, usually we receive bids, and award the contract to the lowest bidder. We do look at alternative ways that would decrease the costs of building these units.
We’re well aware of it, but we do know that stick built houses have a short life span.
There are units that were built in 1963, and they’re retrofitted every couple of years or so.
We’re not going to see new units being built out of stone or gold, but if we look at our western counterparts, or down in Montreal, there are lumber yards galore down there.
The cost of lumber is increasing drastically in the central part of Canada. I would like to ask the minister if we could consider buying our lumber from a place where it doesn’t cost so much, like in the west for example.
I would like the department to consider the piling. They used to be six by six, but are now ten by ten, and they’re high beams.
That was my last question, Mr. Speaker.
We do look at how we can decrease the amount when we are going to be building units.
We look at how much cheaper it will be if we use particular companies, but as you know, cost of living has increased all over the place.
We do look at all kinds of ways to decrease the amount.
Question 187 – 2(3): Changing Street Light Bulbs (Kilabuk)
I will ask if the Minister of Energy got his exercise.
I apologize, Mr. Speaker. As I wished to say, I am starting the training stage. I am sure that the minister will respond to my question.
Mr. Speaker, because we have to lighten up the load during Question Period, I wanted to ask the minister why it is so expensive to change a street light bulb. Is it because of the freight costs to bring them here or is it to use the employees to change the light bulb?
That was just a question that I wanted to ask, but Mr. Speaker, these are two issues that come about in regard to changing light bulbs in Pangnirtung.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to direct my question to the Minister responsible for Energy. How can you change street light bulbs in the communities?
Over the last few days just before the House started, there was some concern as to whom Mr. Kilabuk would be asking his first question to and what would it entail. I had thought it might be to me, but I knew he could not ask me about fish. So his first question was about fish and we were right on at least half of that.
Mr. Speaker, the member brings up an interesting point and that is the changing of light bulbs.
I will go back to an earlier discussion and that was there was a concern raised at one point on how the lights came on in the communities: do we have someone in the power plant turning on a switch when it got dark and so on.
The lights are operated by photo sensor which means when it gets light they will automatically come on or go off and it is done in that kind of sequence. Mr. Speaker, how many people does it take to change a light bulb? Well, we could be answering that all day…
Mr. Speaker, the quick answer is: at each power plant, there is a supply of light bulbs. There are specific types of bulbs for specific types of purposes. In most of our communities, we will see the orange type of light bulb and we also see the white type of light bulb.
The orange type of light bulb and the white type of light bulb are changed in the same manner. There is a ladder brought up to the pole.
The person would climb up the pole using safety equipment, make sure all the safety gear is in place, unscrew the bulb, and then screw the bulb back in.
Mr. Tootoo has volunteered to be part of that group. I think even Mr. Tootoo, with his limited ability, would be able to change a bulb.
I like the sense of humour and appreciate the fact that he does know that much about changing light bulbs and what kind of bulbs some require because in the community of Pangnirtung, the common problem that has been expressed to me with the bulbs that needed repair had to be replaced.
The delays in replacing those were with excuses and reasons they had forwarded to the municipality.
By saying that, they’re not going to be replaced until the Power Corporation finally gets somebody into the community.
So it is not just a simple fact of picking up a yellow bulb versus a red bulb and it doesn’t seem to matter.
My supplementary question to the minister is: can the minister looking into developing a training program so that locals can provide an essential service, and at the same time, benefit from an employment opportunity?
I will continue to push every chance I get to raise the need for jobs until these decentralized positions that were supposed to come in have been filled.
So pertaining to that Mr. Speaker, will the minister responsible commit to looking into training local guys from Pangnirtung to be able to change the light bulbs?
In some cases, depending on the community, there are plant operators who have the ability to be able to go up the poles. Again, I was talking about the safety issues.
In communities where that is not the case, that there is some issue with that, then our regular maintenance checks this past September we changed the rules, or the norms of operating the corporation, to ensure that on regular maintenance, and if there are bulb replacements that need to be facilitated, then those are carried out.
On the training aspect, the member is correct. The Power Corporation is one of the largest users of apprentices in the Territory of Nunavut.
We regularly hold a linesman boot camp. I think, right now, we have seven under training, who are all Inuit, to be linesmen.
Again, the corporation has done very well on the apprenticeship training, but, particularly in the community, and the member is correct, there are work concerns with the regular changing of the bulbs.
That changed in September as I just pointed out.
I’m still not clear if the minister is committed to making the training opportunities available to my community.
As I indicated earlier, this really should be a no-brainer because the Power Corporation does come back to me and say, “Well, this will cost too much.”
Well, those can be taken directly out of the savings from the reduced number of charters they use to send repairmen into the community, if you look at the cost of a charter, that’s quite substantial for each charter, as you know Mr. Speaker.
Will the minister commit to helping to develop these training programs for somebody in Pangnirtung to be able to replace the light bulbs?
As I indicated earlier, we do have something that we call a boot camp for linesman.
In the Power Corporation, you have several different types of responsibilities and jobs.
Everyone can’t climb a pole. Some people are specifically dealing with running the diesel generators as an example. In the Power Corporation, people who go up the pole are lines people.
We do have, as I said, a boot camp for lines people.
We have a couple right now from Nunavut, Inuit beneficiaries who will be graduating from that program this year.
What we will do, Mr. Speaker, is try to recruit some people from Pangnirtung.  Through questioning in the House today, the member has raised it and might bring more awareness to it.
If there are people in Pangnirtung who are interested in being journeymen lines people for the corporation, then we’ll be doing another boot camp this spring and we’ll be able to look at an opportunity to bring them in.
At the same time, I don’t want to leave a false impression, Mr. Speaker. The reality is that if the lights had to be changed, they can be done without sending a charter into communities.
When a charter does go into a community by the Power Corporation, it is on a specific issue where, for example, Mr. Speaker, there needs to be maintenance required in the power plant itself. That is only done on a cost basis, meaning if we could fly someone in on a regular schedule, then that’s what occurs.
I must apologize if I’m giving a picture to the mind of my colleague that every time a light bulb needs to be changed then it’s done through a charter.
I know there are staff that travel on regular schedules, but it goes back to my question Mr. Speaker, because I know that the Power Corporation will not hire individuals from my community if they are not trained.
So again Mr. Speaker, because I know that they will not hire people who are not trained to be able to do a simple job, or what should be a simple job, and can be done by any one of my unemployed constituents that are looking for a job.
Will the minister commit to helping to develop a training program to be able to do this work?
As I indicated, we’re planning on holding another boot camp for linesmen in April of this year, in a month and a half.
Anyone from Pangnirtung who has an opportunity will have an opportunity to apply to join that boot camp. That’s an on-the-job program and a lot of our people working in the communities have trained on-the-job to do this specific training on OTJ - on-the-job.
At the same time Mr. Speaker, the member is right.
When you are dealing with electricity and going up poles, you need to be trained. You can’t just hire someone off the street and say, “Ed, you are going to do that.”
And as I indicated earlier, it would be very difficult for someone of Mr. Tootoo’s calibre to just go out there and climb up a pole and change a light.
So Mr. Speaker, as long as training is done on-the-job and if an opportunity exists for anyone from Pangnirtung or any other community in Nunavut who would like to be a linesman, then we would be holding a boot camp in April and we will make sure that we solicit those names.
And if the member, further to that, has any information where some people that have applied to the Power Corporation to be on a program, qualified for whatever, and were not successful, then we would be able to follow that up too.
So I hope that helps answer any concerns.
I would like to seek unanimous consent to go back to Item 5 in our Orders of the Day.
Before I recognize some individuals in the Gallery, I would just like to comment to the Minister of Energy that jealousy will get him nowhere.
Mr. Speaker, in the Gallery with us here, it’s my pleasure to acknowledge an individual that I have known for many years and was actually living in my constituency when I first got elected in 1999 and was a good supporter of mine and that is Mr. Kusugak who is now our Languages Commissioner.
And with Mr. Kusugak is Shawna Wright, is a policy analyst and Anna Zeigler, the public affairs person for his office.
Replies to Opening Address. Item 10. Replies to Budget Address.
Item 13. Reports of Committee on the Review of Bills.
Tabled Document 079 – 2(3): Annual Report of the Languages Commissioner of Nunavut for the Year Ending March 31, 2005 (Speaker)
Members, I am pleased to table the Annual Report of the Languages Commissioner of Nunavut for the year ending March 31, 2005.
Tabled Document 080 – 2(3): Photos of Deteriorating Buildings in Grise Fiord (Barnabas)
Last week, I spoke about the new infrastructure required in the High Arctic. As I mentioned at that time, the government offices in Grise Fiord were once condemned, but today government employees still work in this building.
Today, I would like to table a series of photographs that clearly reveal the shameful conditions of the Grise Fiord government office.
Tabled Document 081 – 2(3): Government of Nunavut’s Report to the 2004-05 Annual Report of the Information and Privacy Commissioner (Okalik)
I would like to table the following document. The Government of Nunavut’s Report to the 2004-05 Annual Report of the Information and Privacy Commissioner.
Motion 010 – 2(3): Establishment of the Electoral Boundaries Commission – Notice (Curley)
Mr. Speaker, I give notice that on Friday, March 3, 2006, I will move the following motion:
NOW THEREFORE I MOVE, seconded by the Honourable Member for Akulliq, that an Electoral Boundaries Commission be now established;
AND FURTHER I MOVE that the Legislative Assembly recommend the appointment of the Honourable Justice Beverley Browne, John Ningark, and Bernadette Niviatsiak as members of the commission;
AND FURTHER I MOVE that the Legislative Assembly recommend that the Honourable Justice Beverley Browne be appointed presiding member of the commission;
AND FURTHER I MOVE that the commission, in fulfilling its mandate under the Nunavut Elections Act, receive all necessary support from the Office of the Clerk of the Legislative Assembly.
Mr. Speaker, at the appropriate time I will be asking that we deal with the motion today.
Notices of Motions for First Reading of Bills. Item 17.
Mr. Curley: Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask for unanimous consent to deal with the motion I just gave notice of earlier.
Speaker (interpretation): The member is asking for unanimous consent to deal with the motion today.
Motion 010 – 2(3): Establishment of the Electoral Boundaries Commission (Curley)
Mr. Curley: Thank you. Mr. Speaker;
WHEREAS the Nunavut Elections Act requires that an Electoral Boundaries Commission be established within 24 months of the swearing in of the Members of the Legislative Assembly after the first general election following the coming into force of the Act;
AND WHEREAS the Legislative Assembly is prepared to recommend appointments to the commission;
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters. Bill 12, Appropriation (Operations & Maintenance) Act, 2006-07 with Mr. Arreak in the Chair.
>>House recessed at 15:29 and Committee resumed at 15:56
Chairman (Mr. Arreak): Thank you for coming back here. I would like to call the committee meeting to order. In Committee of the Whole, we have the following item to deal with: Bill 12.
We wish to proceed with the review of Bill 12 and continue with the Department of Health and Social Services’ Main Estimates and Business Plan. If time permits, we then will commence the review of the Department of the Executive and Intergovernmental Affairs.
Chairman: Thank you, Mr. Evyagotailak. (interpretation) Do you agree?
Chairman: Thank you. For the record, Madame Minister, please introduce your witnesses.
Hon. Leona Aglukkaq: To my left is Dave Ramsden, the Deputy Minister, and to my right is Eric Whitworth, Acting Assistant Deputy Minister.
Chairman (interpretation): Thank you. Yesterday, we were on general comments and I would like to remind everybody that every member has 10 minutes for general comments.
Some members already gave their general comments, but for those who didn’t, I’ll give them this time.
If there are no general comments, we will turn to page H-5. (interpretation ends) Health and Social Services.
Mr. Curley: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. (interpretation) I don’t think I thanked you yesterday. I thank you again.
The letter I read before, now I wonder if she can expand further so that the smaller communities will have a better knowledge on the medical area because it will be different from the bigger centres.
Social services should be the same because they need counsellors and we are not giving enough support to our social services and the counsellors or social workers. There’s a shortage of social workers.
If they want specialized treatment, then they have to go out of Nunavut. What I said yesterday on page 3: will the services be increased for social services?
Yes, we can understand.
I would like to ask the minister if she can further explain (interpretation ends) that it is not reasonable to attempt to offer the full spectrum of services that people in major populations can just take for granted.
(interpretation) That is my question, Mr. Chairman.
Chairman: We are on page H-5, H-6, and H-7 - they’re the same.
Yesterday in my opening remarks, I did say that.
What I am trying to emphasize here and recognize here is that it is not possible to provide every single service available currently in bigger and larger centres. I will use one example and that is related to hospitals. And the member uses that as an example also.
As much as possible, we are trying to maintain a level of service that we are currently providing in every community and enhance those as the needs arises, but we also recognize that for every citizen that requires services, whether it is social services or health, the access to those services may differ depending on each community.
Basically, that was just to emphasize or recognize as an example that is not possible to provide, as an example, hospitals in every community, and that we do recognize there is a need for services such as health care in every community, social workers, and so on, but depending on where the individual is, access to those services, again, differ and we do recognize that.
Chairman: Thank you, Ms. Minister. Mr. Curley.
The social services and the counsellors, they are essential services and other services that are available in the bigger centres.
Those counsellors and specialists to the families or to the youth in the smaller communities should be supported more.
It is the lack of funding that they do not have those benefits.
I wonder if the minister can say that they give services to the people who are in need of those services; that the government and department will try and get all those services as much as they can.
I completely agree with the member’s comments.
The quality of care and services that are provided by Health and Social Services are top priority. We have to maintain the services that we do well and focus our energy in the areas that we are not doing too well and focus on addressing those concerns such as providing or reviewing the functions of social workers.