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Mr. Speaker, I know from experience that it takes a great deal of courage to leave one small hometown for weeks at a time and to do so in the spirit of volunteerism.
It requires commitment and resolve.
Mr. Speaker, I would like ask my colleagues to join me in celebrating and recognizing these participants.
Member’s Statement 271 – 4(3): Happy Birthday to Grandchild (Qirngnuq)
I would first like to say “good day” to the people of Kugaaruk and Taloyoak, my colleagues, and the ministers.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate with you, even if it’s just one youth or more, to help them enjoy their lives.
I would like to mention, even though it’s one day later, my grandchild whom I have adopted celebrated her 30th birthday yesterday.
My wife wanted to adopt her, even though I initially didn’t agree.
As it turned out, my feelings changed and I have come to love her deeply.
Today, I am very thankful that I relented in the end and that our eldest child was able to say yes to give us that child.
I would like to share with you that there is good news from young people and that never fails to lift our spirits.
Member’s Statement 272 – 4(3): Fundraising Event over the Weekend (Okalik)
On Saturday in Iqaluit, there was a gathering called Ulluriaq Soiree to raise funds and to hold auctions.
I am very thankful to you, Mr. Speaker, and Minister Hickes, as well as to my colleagues, Mr. Mapsalak and Mr. Joanasie, for taking part in that fundraising event.
The fundraising event was to assist with women’s shelters. We know that we need to support the shelters and we need to provide assistance to do so. We have to look at better ways of going forward in the future.
I would like this event to take place again next year. If the organizers will do that again, I wish to thank them and offer my assistance in any way possible.
It’s not too often that I stand up to recognize visitors to the gallery, but I want to recognize Senator Dennis Patterson, Senator of Nunavut.
I apologize for that. Item 6.
Question 350 – 4(3): Operations of the Qulliq Energy Corporation (Akoak)
I continue to receive concerns from homeowners in Gjoa Haven concerning errors in their power bills.
As the minister will be aware, section 12.1 of QEC’s Terms and Conditions of Service provides that, and I quote, “Should the meter reading be disputed, the Customer shall pay the amount described as owing in the invoice.
Upon certification of the meter reading, the Corporation will make all necessary adjustments.”
Can the minister clearly describe the process by which a customer can formally request that a meter reading or estimate be double-checked?
Hon. George Hickes: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank the member for bringing that question forward.
I answered a similar question last week and the first initial step to be able to contact customer service at the Qulliq Energy Corporation.
I gave the phone number on record last week, but also the email address of customer service at qec.nu.ca. The customer service team will take a look at the individual circumstances and provide a next step of recourse to address any concerns that any client may have with their power bill.
We had some homeowners that did go that route last week. That is why I am bringing it up today.
Mr. Speaker, smart electricity meters were installed in Iqaluit over the past two years by the Qulliq Energy Corporation.
QEC has indicated that smart meters will, and I quote, provide “QEC with timely, accurate and automatic collection of metering information,” as well as “eliminating the potential of human error.”
Can the minister indicate if and when smart meters will be installed in Nunavut’s other 24 communities?
Hon. George Hickes: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank the member for bringing forward that issue as well.
The smart meter project that was initiated and piloted here in Iqaluit has been very useful in collecting data and it has been very instrumental in moving forward our generation efficiencies to make sure that we are addressing any clients’ needs versus peak loads within the community itself.
This was a project that was partially funded by NRCan to initiate the pilot. It is something that we will continue to examine the opportunities to further that technology into other communities throughout the territory.
It is a fairly capital-intensive investment that is needed to update an entire community.
Going forward, we will continue to examine opportunities to further that technology across the territory.
Mr. Akoak Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you for the answer to the minister.
According to the government’s most recent quarterly employment report, QEC has a total of two positions in Gjoa Haven, one of which is currently vacant.
Can the minister indicate what the status is of filling this position?
I don’t have every job description and employment opportunity within the Qulliq Energy Corporation at my fingertips, but I will commit to the member that I will look into the matter personally and I will discuss it with him in the next day or two.
Question 351 – 4(3): Increased Funding for Martha Taliruq Centre (Mikkungwak)
Mr. Speaker, the Baker Lake Hospice Society provides a very important community service by running the Martha Taliruq Centre, a residential long-term elders’ home.
Following a recent assessment, the hospice society is seeking to improve the level of care and services provided.
However, in order to do so, their level of funding needs to be increased.
Can the minister indicate what consideration is given to the need for improving service and service delivery when the department is reviewing funding proposals for operating such facilities as elders’ homes?
Hon. George Kuksuk (interpretation): Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I say “good day” to my fellow Nunavummiut. I also thank my colleague for his question.
Mr. Speaker, the question he raised relates to the (interpretation ends) Baker Lake Hospice Society (interpretation) that operates this service. They operate via (interpretation ends) a contribution agreement (interpretation) that is under the Department of Family Services and the society that provides this service for the elders.
The Baker Lake agreement was just renewed in 2015-16 and the funding agreement was set up for a one-year operational funding, which we are still working on.
To date, we will have to review the agreement, as it will have to be renewed for another year.
Across government, service-providing entities, and the private sector, it is generally accepted that costs increase as improvements are made to the level of service provided.
The entities that are delivering the services know what enhancements are required to ensure good quality service and what it will cost to deliver them.
Can the minister clearly explain why the Department of Family Services will not consider funding proposals which have been increased from previous years in order to meet the increase in costs for services?
Speaker (interpretation): Thank you. (interpretation ends) The Hon. Minister responsible for Family Services, Mr. Kuksuk.
Hon. George Kuksuk (interpretation): Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I again thank my colleague for his question.
Mr. Speaker, I mentioned earlier that this is under the auspices of a (interpretation ends) contribution agreement, (interpretation) which is signed by both parties to the contract. Both the contractor and the department signs off on this facility for our elders, including other facilities.
This will be dealt with through the contribution agreement process to fund the facility and upon agreement by both the contractor and the Department of Family Services.
What I can tell the member is that when the contract needs to be renewed, we will enter into negotiations at that point.
I appreciate that the government and the Department of Family Services face many heavy demands on the resources and funding supports that they can provide.
However, it is important to recognize that the cost of providing quality services is rising in all sectors of our economy.
Will the minister commit to reconsidering the revised funding proposal submitted by the Baker Hospice Society to operate the Martha Taliruq Centre?
Mr. Speaker, I believe I was quite clear when I responded earlier about the contribution agreement process.
When we are about to enter into negotiations to renew the contract, irrespective of the location of the community, the contractor has to prove they can provide the services we want. In going through the process of finalizing an agreement, we will identify the needs or services we want included, as the costs will have to be included.
That is the only manner in which I can respond to the member.
Question 352 – 4(3): Property Taxes (Enook)
Mr. Speaker, information published by the Department of Finance indicates that “There are approximately 10,000 taxable properties in Nunavut.”
The Minister of Finance is responsible for setting property tax rates in communities other than Iqaluit, and he is responsible for collecting property taxes owing in communities other than Iqaluit.
Mr. Speaker, my first question is: for the benefit of the public record, can the minister confirm whether or not property tax rates in the general taxation area are increasing, decreasing, or remaining unchanged for the 2016 calendar year?
Speaker (interpretation): Thank you. (interpretation ends) The Hon. Minister of Finance, Mr. Keith Peterson,
Mr. Speaker, we will keep the rates the same for 2016. It’s called the Mill Rate Establishment Order.
It’s based on the value of the properties, so the rate is the same, but if the value of the property went up, the amount collected will be higher.
The rate itself is the same for 2016.
I have received concerns from fellow Nunavut residents and my constituents in Pond Inlet that there need to be more payment options available when it comes time to pay their property taxes.
This is not the first time that I have raised this issue in the House and asked questions about it.
My fellow residents of Pond Inlet and Nunavummiut have told me that they would like to see more entities be designated as payment agents for the purpose of paying property taxes, and I have suggested that it would make perfect sense to designate the municipal office as being a payment agent.
Will the minister commit to expanding the ways in which residents can pay their property taxes, including designating municipalities as payment agents?
Minister of Finance, Mr. Petersen.
Hon. Keith Petersen: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, we have a number of payment options already. You can pay through online banking. We have payroll deductions for GN employees, instalment plans, and you can also go right to the Department of Finance if there’s an office in your community.
I’m not sure on the hamlet offices, but that could present some possible issues. For example, not all the hamlets may wish to do that and may wish to charge 15 to 20 percent processing fees, just tracking the payments through the different channels to make sure we got it, confirm that payment was made, and where the payment went.
It’s certainly something we can continue to explore.
The payment options he referred to that can be used by residents are not available to every resident.
Some residents have no Visa or credit card and some residents don’t have personal cheques to use for payments.
In thinking about the hamlet option, it seems the most logical and least difficult option and I urge the minister to continue exploring that option, particularly for land taxes and payments.
If the department wants more residents to pay their bills, it may make the payment process much simpler, never mind the excuses about the difficulties or logistical issues as your primary focus, so I urge you to do so.
In June of last year, the Department of Finance released its most recent annual list of property tax arrears owing outside of Iqaluit.
At that time, the total was approximately $3.3 million.
Mr. Speaker, let me state that this is funding that the government needs to deliver programs and services.
Can the minister indicate whether this amount has decreased, increased, or remained unchanged?
Speaker (interpretation): Thank you. (interpretation ends) The Hon. Minister of Finance, Mr. Petersen.
My information is that there is $4.8 million in property tax and arrears. Shear Minerals owes about $1.6 million of that.
Just recently, I believe in April, we sent letters out to over 1,300 property owners to advise them that they’re in arrears and that they should make arrangements to clean up their property taxes.
If that doesn’t happen, then we will be likely posting a list in the newspaper for everybody to see. I’m sure that a lot of people out there, if they don’t get their notices, may want to check to make sure they paid their property tax if they really don’t want to see their name in the newspaper.
Question 353 – 4(3): Governance of the Qulliq Energy Corporation (Angnakak)
Ms. Angnakak (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Please feel welcome, my constituents. I see Kathy Hanson and Dennis.
The chairperson of the Qulliq Energy Corporation’s board of directors signed off on the corporation’s 2014-15 annual report on August 28, 2015.
The Office of the Auditor General signed off on QEC’s financial statements on July 10, 2015.
However, the minister did not table the annual report in the Legislative Assembly until March 16, that’s this one, of this year, approximately eight months after the report was ready to be released to the public.
Why did it take eight months to make the report public is the question to the minister.
Minister responsible for the Qulliq Energy Corporation, Mr. George Hickes.
I thank the member for that question. Whenever we have a document as large as an annual report, just through the due diligence of my cabinet colleagues, it does have to get approved for tabling. Until it gets to that point, it also has to be translated into all official languages, which, due to the demands of different sectors across the territory, it does take quite a period of time.
I can assure the member that I do table those reports as quickly and efficiently as possible and I will continue to do so.
Maybe the next time around, it will be a lot quicker.
QEC’s most recent annual report also indicates that the Public Housing Power Support Program, and I’m quoting here, “subsidizes qualifying residential customers living in public housing by supplementing to the customer the difference between the approved residential rate and 6.0 cents per kWh.
The Corporation invoices the Nunavut Housing Corporation on a monthly basis for the power subsidies and applies the amounts to the individual customer invoices.”
Mr. Speaker, as the minister will be aware, the report on phase 1 of the “operational audit,” which I have right here, that was tabled by the Premier earlier this year raised concerns about this program and pointed out that there appears to be a lack of clarity regarding the “mechanism through which related administrative fees are authorized,” if you’re following the minister.
Can the minister indicate what specific actions QEC is taking to address these concerns?
I thank the member for that question; I think I got the gist of it.
Whenever something is interdepartmental, we work at trying to streamline the processes themselves. I can’t say any specific steps we’re taking a look at right now, but it is important to us to make sure that for one, customers are billed appropriately and receiving the subsidies that they’re entitled to.
For two, wearing my other hat as the housing corporation minister, it’s also important for us for our billing cycles to make sure that we’re adhering to the needs of the Qulliq Energy Corporation and the Nunavut Housing Corporation.
It’s a work in progress at the moment. We’re looking at different ideas of how we can streamline and make sure that all the documentation is accurate and the billing and payments are done as fast as appropriate.
Obviously, all expenditures need authority to be able to go through.
The 2014-15 Annual Report of the Qulliq Energy Corporation indicates that it spent $2.3 million on the “Iqaluit Administration and Board” expenses during the fiscal year.
As we know from the experience of the QEC strike, it is the Department of Finance that actually makes the real decisions concerning collective bargaining with QEC’s workforce, not the corporation’s board of directors.
We also know that it is the Senior Personnel Secretariat of the Department of Executive and Intergovernmental Affairs that actually manages the recruitment process for the president, not the corporation’s board of directors.
The NWT recently decided to save over a million dollars per year in travel and honoraria for board members by replacing the current members with senior public servants.
Can the minister clearly explain what value we get from the roughly two million dollars per year that is currently spent on travel and honoraria for QEC’s board of directors?
The role that the board at Qulliq Energy plays is a very diverse and very involved part of the functionality of the corporation itself.
We’ve got some very good skill sets of directors on the board itself.
They’re currently meeting right now in Baker Lake with regard to the expenditures.
It doesn’t cost that much.
How it’s laid out in the annual report is the entire administration of Qulliq Energy in addition to the board. The board’s budget is a little over $300,000 per year and it doesn’t always expend that full amount, depending upon how many face-to-face meetings do occur and the number of board members that are sitting as directors.
The valuation, I think, is very strong, especially with the previous few years.
We’ve had a fair bit of turnover at the corporation, so the corporate knowledge that the board brings to the table has been a very key component of my transition as minister over the portfolio of having Qulliq Energy under my direction.
I work very closely with the chair of the board and I’m in very frequent contact with the president.
They have different committees that are set up within the board; exploring alternative energy; there is the finance and audit committee and numerous other committees that they are engaged very much with providing the direction, along with me, to the Qulliq Energy Corporation.
Right now, it’s not on my radar to look at dismantling the board and doing similar to the example that the member brought forward with NWT.
We don’t spend that much money as they previously did on their board, of having senior management from within the government to be providing direction to Qulliq Energy at this time.
My apologies. Oral Questions.
Question 354 – 4(3): Continuing Community Learning Centre (Qirngnuq)
A few days ago on June 3, I congratulated our NTEP students who have completed their first year of studies.
We also had grade 12 graduates. There was a celebration of these graduates.
I am very pleased that the students were able to work hard and graduate from these programs.
I’m sure that the Minister of Education shares the joy of seeing these students graduate.
We heard from my fellow colleagues express similar feelings on this topic today.
I would like to ask the minister regarding Arctic College.
We’ve had graduates and I am sure they will be furthering their education.
Are we going to be getting a new community learning centre in Kugaaruk so that the graduates can continue their education?
In Nunavut, we have adult or community learning centres and there is a constant review of where they stand. We know that the community learning centres are aging.
I am very pleased to be able to inform my colleague that Nunavut Arctic College’s learning centre in Kugaaruk is currently under review and we have identified the funds to build a new community learning centre in 2017 in Kugaaruk.
The minister has already answered my supplementary question.
I’ll just thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Question 355 – 4(3): Physician-Assisted Dying in Nunavut (Joanasie)
Mr. Speaker, the Supreme Court of Canada established a deadline of June 6, 2016 for new legislation to be passed concerning physician-assisted dying in this country, which is Bill C-14.
I have it in front of me.
That is today’s date.
Mr. Speaker, everyone recognizes that this is a very emotional, very complex, and very difficult issue.
However, Nunavummiut are entitled to know how their government is going to approach the issue given that physician-assisted dying is becoming legal in Canada.
Can the Minister of Health please provide a clear explanation today as to what the Department of Health’s next steps are?
Hon. Monica Ell-Kanayuk (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I also thank the member for bringing up an issue that many people are obviously thinking about.
Up to today, this issue would be tasked to us by the federal government, as it would obviously be a federal bill called C-14.
My officials and I are collaborating with departmental officials as to the possible impacts on Nunavut.
At this time, we are negotiating with the GN Department of Justice.
The lawyers will identify what impacts may accrue to the Department of Health if this legislation will be implemented and how the physician-assisted death legislation would apply to patients with terminal illness.
We have stated that Nunavummiut need to be considered, but as of yet, we have not held discussions on this.
I have no doubt that once the legislation is in effect, we would inform our colleagues here in the House about the impacts.
Mr. Speaker, can the minister provide a clear explanation today as to what new rules or regulations will need to be introduced by her department concerning the provision of physician-assisted dying in Nunavut?
Hon. Monica Ell-Kanayuk (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I also thank the member for his question about this issue.
The negotiations will have to be commenced, especially with the chief medical officer in Iqaluit, who works with the other doctors who will have to negotiate as to how the legislation will apply here in Nunavut.
Some of the considerations needed are quite lengthy and will need to be included in the legislation. Although the legislation is being drafted up, the bill is currently being reviewed by the Senate.
Even though that is happening, the Supreme Court of Canada has established caveats prior to the legislation being enacted that if doctors are needed to assist in the patient’s death even prior to the legislation being enacted, no charges will be applied.
There are different issues that we will need to deliberate on. An equivalent (interpretation ends) college of physicians (interpretation) does not exist to represent our doctors, so they are hired regionally.
Further, the regional guidelines have already been drafted, but as a government, we have not set up guidelines.
Our doctors and physicians would have to comply, and part of the work involved would be separate.
With that being the case, we still have to set up the guidelines.
However, it requires a lot of deliberation on the many issues related to the physician-assisted dying of patients, such as “Would we send the patient down to the south for this if a patient wanted to do that?
Will we do that here in Nunavut or will we have to assist the patient as a government?”
If we had to provide assistance, it would have to adhere to the court rulings if any resident wanted to have the physician assist in their death. We would request the court system to apply that directive.
Mr. Joanasie (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to thank the minister.
My last question is: can the minister provide a clear indication as to when these new rules or regulations will be in place?
Hon. Monica Ell-Kanayuk (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I also thank the member for that very important question.
The work was started quite a while back. Due to its complexity, we want to ensure we have regulations that are properly crafted in Nunavut and so we are not rushing the work in this area. We have not identified an end date as to when the drafting has to be completed.
With that being the case, our officials are still working on it, but as per my earlier statement, we anticipate tabling the information to the House when the regulations or policy will be introduced.