EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
On March 6, 2012, I asked the Minister of Environment whether rabies vaccination programs were provided by his department and he indicated that he would look into the issue and provide an answer “later.”
I hope that the minister has had sufficient time to be able to provide an update on this issue.
I also thank Mr. Aupaluktuq for the question.
For pets that have rabies, they have been dealt with by the hamlet council and the municipalities.
If there is a rabies outbreak, then they provide vaccination for the dogs, but people who are bitten or scratched by rabid dogs have to be dealt with by the health officials.
The vaccination for the dogs is provided by the by-law officers, and you can approach the hamlet council and they can be dealt with by the conservation officers.
They also take samples from the rabid or supposedly rabid dogs.
For the question from Mr. Aupaluktuq, I gave him a response by letter on March 13, 2012.
I have seen the correspondence, but I wanted to bring it up again so that the people of Baker Lake will hear the response.
Even if the dogs and other pets in our communities have been vaccinated against rabies, a rabid animal can be very dangerous.
Can the minister clarify whether specific training is provided to conservation officers and other safety personnel, such as RCMP, to recognize and handle threats from animals which may be rabid?
The conservation officers in the communities are not responsible for people’s pets.
They’re responsible only for wildlife issues.
If there are any by-law officers in the hamlets, they are authorized to give the vaccination shots.
However, if a person happened to be bitten or scratched by a rabid animal or by a suspected infected animal, that person should go to the health centre to get the appropriate medical treatment from the nurses.
That is how we manage this process to date.
Mr. Aupaluktuq: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the response as well.
There are a lot of sled dog owners and a lot of dog owners in Baker Lake.
Earlier in our sitting, one of my colleagues addressed the importance of prevention and how it can improve the overall health and well-being of our population.
Would the minister support the introduction of a robust vaccination program for all dogs in our communities, whether they are working dogs, such as sled dogs or family pets, as a preventative activity for the overall health and well-being of our communities? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I also thank Mr. Aupaluktuq for his efforts to inform the general public in Nunavut, especially in trying to make improvements in the dog vaccination program in the communities.
We encourage and urge dog owners to take proper stewardship over their dogs and in trying to vaccinate their dogs against rabies.
We can only encourage all owners to vaccinate their dogs, but every person who owns dogs has the right to refuse treatment, as per their ownership rights.
Additionally, I also thank the member and his community for the Buddy Fund that works towards providing animal services in his community and in Nunavut.
That is very good news for my fellow residents of Baker Lake, both those who own sled dogs or pets. They are very responsible in looking after their dogs.
To cite the example of the Buddy Fund, these volunteers fundraise throughout the year to bring in veterinarians.
There are several veterinarians who have travelled to Baker Lake over a few years and it would be appreciated if this program received more support.
Since the minister’s response was quite clear, I thank him for his support in dealing with the vaccination program.
I look forward to an update on this matter some time down the road in this House if the minister is able to provide it in the Legislative Assembly. We will patiently await further news on this important program.
I personally didn’t hear any questions, but I take this opportunity to further direct my staff to provide an update, if any are available, so that I can provide the update in the House some time in the near future.
Oral Questions. Member for Pangnirtung, Mr. Oshutapik.
Question 504 – 3(3): Status of Health Technology Initiatives (Oshutapik)
Good afternoon to my fellow residents of Pangnirtung and Nunavut.
(interpretation ends) Mr. Speaker, following the results of the coroner’s inquest that was held in the spring of 2011, a recommendation was made for the Department of Health and Social Services to purchase a new CT scanner for the Qikiqtani hospital.
Can the minister update the Legislative Assembly today on the status of this issue?
Mr. Speaker, I can tell the Legislative Assembly that an RFP was let out last summer, there were submissions received, and a proposal was accepted.
I believe the plan is to purchase the CT scanner and ship it up via ship later this year to place in the Qikiqtani hospital.
Thank you, minister, (interpretation) for your response. (interpretation ends) Last year, the Legislative Assembly approved $4.5 million in supplementary funding for the Department of Health and Social Services to purchase new diagnostic equipment in order to “decrease patient wait times.”
Can the minister update the Legislative Assembly today on how much of this funding has been spent and what equipment has actually been purchased?
Speaker: Thank you, Mr. Oshutapik. Minister of Health and Social Services, Minister Peterson.
I don’t have the level of detail that Mr. Oshutapik is questioning.
I can assure the member, though, that we’re well aware of the budget, $4.5 million.
The RFPs for the equipment would not exceed that amount.
As I had indicated earlier, the CT scanner proposals, I believe, came under the $1.8 million that was allocated for the CT scanner, but it is the intention to place the CT scanner in the Qikiqtani General Hospital and the diagnostic imaging equipment in health centres across Nunavut.
We do hope that costs will, indeed, decrease as a result.
Mr. Oshutapik (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank the minister for his response.
Equipment such as CT scanners requires that staff be trained in its use. Can the minister indicate how his department and the hospital are providing training in the use of new diagnostic equipment?
Indeed, the CT scanner is very sophisticated equipment.
We require highly trained individuals to work with that type of equipment.
I think the contract is being developed with a health firm or hospital that can support us with that kind of training. It will be the intention for the people who work with that equipment to receive training and ongoing training.
Speaker: Thank you, indeed, Minister Peterson.
Thank you, minister, for the response.
An ongoing project of this department has been to move towards a system of electronic health records for patients.
Can the minister update the Legislative Assembly today on the status of this initiative?
Mr. Speaker, the interoperable electronic health records project is going well.
There were some delays initially getting it off the ground.
I understand that in the hospital here in Iqaluit, it has reduced the wait times for diagnostic imaging already by up to three weeks. It’s being implemented and phased in.
I believe over 400 to 500 people have been trained how to use it.
The plan is to have full implementation by December of 2015.
Again, this is an initiative that our government, with assistance of the Government of Canada, hopes will provide more accurate information on our patients, help us with our billings, improve the delivery of health care services, and provide us with some savings.
It is a very good project. You have to keep in mind that we’re implementing an electronic health [records] system that will be in 25 communities, stretched across three time zones and two million square kilometres.
It is very challenging for the people doing the work.
I would like to complement them on the hard work that they’re putting into implementing the system, and of course, all the people who are taking the training so that they know how to use it.
Question 505 – 3(3): Nunavut Food Security Symposium (Elliott)
My questions are for the Minister of Economic Development and Transportation and regarding his Minister’s Statement today about the Nunavut Food Security Symposium.
Mr. Speaker, most of the work done under the Nunavut Food Security Symposium and the Poverty Reduction Strategy has been a collaborative approach involving different organizations, including NTI and a lot of volunteers and community members from across the territory.
In his Minister’s Statement, he had mentioned the 39 priorities that would be included in the Nunavut Food Security Strategy, of which one of them, I think, was the idea of a Donation of Food Act.
Technically, there are only 38 priorities left to cover under the strategy.
I’m just wondering: in terms of the strategy, since so much collaboration was done in the meetings and whatnot leading up to this point, who is actually writing the strategy?
Is it a combined, collaborative approach with NTI or is it from government officials in his Poverty Reduction Secretariat?
Mr. Speaker, the Food Security Coalition is an organization that is going to write the report with collaboration from the Anti-Poverty Secretariat and other partners involved, that being Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated and the committee that is out there involving private industry and the communities.
Again, I’m not totally clear on who’s actually going to be coming up and writing the strategy.
Is there a list of partners that would be able to be made available so that the public would know and a good way of publicizing all of the partners that are involved in the writing of this?
Mr. Speaker, the health department, through its nutritional foods division, is the lead on that, but I’ll make the list available to the member once I get that in writing.
Also in the Minister’s Statement, it spoke of the major retailers in the territory agreeing to participate in the ongoing work of the Nunavut Food Security Coalition, which is great.
In a sense, I know the community members sometimes feel that the stores are charging way too much and providing not enough service.
I was wondering: at the meeting, were the two major airlines or were all airlines in Nunavut participants to the food security meeting?
I will provide that information once I receive the report on the conference.
Again I’ll await the information from the minister.
When I look at the issue of high costs in the High Arctic, it always seems to be based around purchasing of food, which includes the retailers, which those individuals or those companies were at the meeting.
As well, it comes back onto the airlines which bring food to the communities and the costs of freight and shipping materials to the communities.
For my final question, I was wondering if the minister has the information on whether our sealift carriers or providers, Nunasi or NEAS, were at the meeting as well.
That would be the final link in my mind to how food and how goods and services that come to our communities get there.
It’s either airlines or sea.
So if he could provide that information as well.
It’s quite ironic when the member speaks about the companies, the airlines, and the shippers.
They do have to make a profit to assist the entities and themselves, but them participating within the conference gives us a little more leeway in finding solutions to help the ones who are desperately in need.
With all of these partners, we hope to come up with a strategy that will benefit communities, especially on freight rates and whatnot.
As the member is well aware, every time you go further up north, there’s a cost of fuel that is included by the shippers and hence, the costs continue to climb the further north you go.
With collaboration and good exchange of information with the private industry, other groups, Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated, including the RIAs, the options of finding a good solution for keeping the costs down for the ones who are most in need is our target.
It’s one of the things that we are desperately looking at to find a way to, again, help those who are most in need.
Question 506 – 3(3): Heated Shelter for School Bus (Ningark)
Earlier in today’s Orders of the Day, under Item 3, Members’ Statements, I talked about needing a heated school bus shelter.
Now I would like to follow up with a subsequent question to the Hon. Minister of Education.
(interpretation) Mr. Speaker, did the minister receive a letter from the DEA in Kugaaruk requesting a heated shelter for the school bus?
Hon. Eva Aariak (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. First of all, I am pleased to have been able to visit Kugaaruk because it is always productive to see the communities with our own eyes.
Mr. Speaker, I personally didn’t see the letter, but I will be expecting to hear from the DEA in Kugaaruk requesting a heated shelter.
Question 507 – 3(3): Status of New Baseball Field for Pond Inlet (Enook)
Mr. Speaker, I know for a fact that in our community, it is about -35 degrees Celsius, but I really want to direct questions to the Minister of Community and Government Services, Minister Kusugak, with respect to a proposed ball diamond in our community.
We will eventually reach springtime, although spring seems so far off at this time.
As the minister may recall, I asked him questions on June 7 of last year concerning the issue of funding for a new baseball field in Pond Inlet.
In his responses to my questions, the minister stated that his department “will continue to work with the Hamlet of Pond Inlet to ensure that a ballpark is built in the community.”
Mr. Speaker, the first question I want to direct to the minister is: can the minister update the House today on what progress has been made since he made this commitment to me?
After our previous discussions on this matter, if my recollection is anywhere near correct, we were informed that Pond Inlet would proceed with building the baseball diamond with the assistance of private businesses in Pond Inlet. I was told that there would be an initiative, but from the departmental view, we were to be involved in the building of the diamond last summer.
I haven’t been provided any updates as to whether it was successful or not.
Mr. Enook (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Mr. Minister, for your response.
When I raised this issue with the minister last year, he indicated that one of the issues facing the hamlet and the department was the amount of gravel that would be required for a new field.
The minister felt that in order to properly build the ball field, it would require a huge amount of gravel to cover the field.
The minister stated that the department and the hamlet would be considering their options in this regard. I assumed that the discussions would centre on the various issues that they faced.
Can the minister indicate what options have been considered or if changes have been made about this issue since his responses last summer?
I also thank Mr. Enook for raising this issue.
The baseball field, including the placement of the field, has taken up quite a bit of time in the discussions between my department staff and the hamlet council.
My department had set aside some funds within a contribution agreement outlining how our department could provide assistance. However, the hamlet wasn’t satisfied and felt the funds weren’t sufficient. Further, based on a MOU, the parties were going to look for a better location that wouldn’t require as much work to bring it up to standards, perhaps.
Now, whether or not we can come to an agreement prior to this summer will be determined as there were meetings scheduled in the short term.
I can provide further direction to the recreational division to work with the hamlet out of the Pond Inlet office.
Since this involves recreation and sports beneficial to our body’s health, it should be easier to accomplish.
I will direct my staff to work closely with the recreation department in the hamlet or the council to try and complete this baseball diamond in Pond Inlet.
The minister just stated that his department would work with the community.
I just want to ask the minister if he could possibly provide a response on this issue prior to our spring session.
In Pond Inlet, if members weren’t aware of this fact, starting in May, we will again have no darkness until we reach September.
During that time, even after midnight, people will still be playing baseball since it is still light out and that is why we want a baseball field.
Therefore, if the minister could provide a response prior to our spring session as to their plans for this project, I would appreciate it.
Now knowing that fact, I will ensure that I provide a response to Pond Inlet prior to the advent of the dark season.
Furthermore, another aspect I would like to understand is whether or not his department has identified the minimum costs to build a baseball field. If we were to take the median amount required to build a baseball park, can the minister provide a figure of the approximate costs of building a baseball field?
This is hard to identify simply because the cost to source gravel is different in every community. Whenever a community builds a baseball field, we see different amounts of funds used to create the field.
In some communities, gravel is right there, whereas it costs money when they have to crush gravel, but it costs less when a hamlet uses their own equipment to move gravel. Other communities ask that the gravel be paid for by the Nunavut government. It varies from community to community.
Just to cite this example, in Rankin Inlet, the hamlet used their own funds to build a baseball field by appointing a committee to fundraise and direct the project. Sometimes they get assistance from other communities, such as Baker Lake.
So with all of these possibilities, it is impossible to come up with an average cost for building a baseball field.
However, I commit to working with the Hamlet of Pond Inlet to work towards realizing the completion of the baseball field.
Question 508 – 3(3): Request for Additional Funding from Ottawa (Schell)
My question is for Madam Premier.
I’ll go back to yesterday’s question that I had asked her in regard to infrastructure money.
Like I said yesterday, one of the MPs in the House of Commons had quoted her as saying, and the quote is, “Earlier this month, the Premier of Nunavut was here in Ottawa lobbying for $500 million over five years for only two projects.”
Can she explain which these two projects are that she was requesting $500 million for?
Sometimes when I mention our needs to those in Ottawa, they respond that the figures are too high and now we are told that it isn’t enough.
Our needs in this territory are huge, especially since the territory is the newest region.
Further, our infrastructure needs are numerous and many infrastructures aren’t even built currently.
I want to reiterate my comments from yesterday. Nunavut has a severe housing shortage and we need to resolve this issue over a period of many years. I brought the need for more housing funding and additionally, our need for better energy generators and wiring.
It is a well-known fact that some community power plants are quite antiquated, with some older than 50 years.
Also, if we were to visualize some scenarios, if we look at Cambridge Bay, they will be constructing new buildings as part of the Arctic Research Station project.
Once completed, will their current equipment meet these additional needs? The equipment is already pushed to its limits in many communities and additional power requirements of new construction may exacerbate these challenges.
To analogize, power generation is the heart and soul of our communities. That is how critical the infrastructure needs are that we face today.
Can we try to purchase them?
(interpretation ends) Is it the heart or the kidney?
(interpretation) That is what we must choose since our infrastructure needs are quite varied.
Is it fair to say, then, according to the Premier, that this Member of Parliament and the House of Commons misquoted her and that it shouldn’t have been $500 million over five years for only two projects, but for numerous projects?
No, (interpretation ends) I did not say that anyone misquoted me and I did not say that my request was numerous.
Question 509 – 3(3): Restructuring of Social Services Program Delivery (Curley)
The government claims that its decision to split the Department of Health and Social Services into a new Department of Health and a new Department of Family Services is being done to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of social services delivery to Nunavutmiut.
What proof does the minister have that splitting this department in half will achieve these goals?
I thank Mr. Curley, the former Minister of Health and Social Services.
I would have thought he would know what the answer to that was.
Mr. Speaker, Health and Social Services is a huge department.
There are over 1,000 employees working, as I mentioned earlier, in 25 communities in Nunavut.
You have the health functions and then you have the social services functions.
The social services functions often get overshadowed by the health issues.
We feel we split the department’s focus on health, create the new Department of Family Services with social services in there, putting income support in there, career development, take poverty out of Economic Development and Transportation, take homelessness out of the housing department, and then we could have all of these departments focus on what their areas would be.
I don’t have any evidence, but the people who understand these things, efficiency is doing things right; effectiveness is doing the right things.
We’re going to monitor that, but we believe that this is the right thing to do.
The government’s new Department of Family Services is scheduled to come into existence in less than 35 days.
What assurances can the minister provide this House that the new department will be able to take on its critical responsibilities starting on day one of its existence?
Mr. Speaker, I think it’s important to remember that we’re not just creating a new department with a number of positions that are unfilled.
We’re actually taking entire divisions and sections out of other departments that already have budgets and have PYs attached, and most of the positions are filled. There are some vacant positions coming over, but the new department will set out to staff those positions on April 1 and that’s the intention.
The new department will be able to focus on all the social issues that we discuss in this House every sitting. We often hear about it in the media. On April 1, I’m not guaranteeing overnight results.
It’s going to take time. A new department, a new minister, all the new directorates will set about working together to review the programs they take on and streamline processes. I’m sure they will come back to this House for capital estimates and main estimates next year, looking for additional funds for capital items or O&M.
We have to keep a positive outlook on this. I recall the Office of the Auditor General of Canada’s report from 2011. She was quite critical of the child, youth, and family services and programs and the way the government had oftentimes failed to deliver those programs and services over the years.
We can focus exclusively on those areas. I think we’re going to have a very positive change in the way this government delivers supports to communities and families in the coming years.
Nunavutmiut were shocked at a recent incident that took place in the Kivalliq involving a young woman.
The decision of the Nunavut Court of Justice in this matter has gained national attention. The judgment of the court raised a number of concerns regarding our territory’s social services system.
Can the minister indicate if he has directed his officials to review the judgment closely and to implement any needed changes to the delivery of social services in Nunavut?
I thank Mr. Curley again for the question.
Mr. Speaker, I can’t speak specifically to that case, but I can assure Mr. Curley and, indeed, all Nunavummiut and this House that we are reviewing the judge’s decision.
We respect the views of the Nunavut Court of Justice.