EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
What I would like to understand is if one of our children is a student, what age does the student have to be before the parents can no longer receive this benefit?
I thank Mr. Mikkungwak for that question. I don’t have that information.
Chairman: Mr. Qirngnuq.
Yes, I thought he was going to answer the question and I was prepared to supplement it. Now, without a response to the first one, I believe he won’t be able to respond to this other question. I was going to ask it anyways, but if he can’t answer it now, I can wait for the appropriate time to ask my question.
I don’t think you asked a question. I believe you just let them know that you will raise it as a question perhaps during one of our sessions or at a later meeting.
Further, Minister Peterson, if you wish to provide the information, you have the discretion to either provide it when you have the answer or even to provide the information solely because members wish to know about that issue, obviously.
I have a question on page 31 of the business plan, Energy Subsidies.
It’s a little over $10 million.
Can you explain how that program works?
The Nunavut electrical subsidy program is available for people who own their own houses or people who are in houses that are paying the market rate. They will be eligible for the subsidy.
Is this a subsidy that we see on our invoice or is it a separate thing that we need to apply for?
Hon. Keith Peterson: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I thank Ms. Angnakak for her question.
That’s correct; it’s on your invoice.
Chairman (interpretation): Thank you. Ms. Angnakak.
Ms. Angnakak: It also talks about supporting the development of local businesses. When you have a home versus a business, what’s the breakdown of the subsidy?
I’m going to have you allow Mr. D’Arcy to answer this question.
Mr. D’Arcy: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The residential rate is easy. It’s subsidized territory-wide at half the Iqaluit rate.
I’m afraid that I don’t remember the rate for small businesses. However, I do now.
Businesses with annual revenues of $2 million or less may apply for a subsidy on a yearly basis and they receive the subsidy on the first 1,000 kilowatt hours that are used, but the amount of the subsidy is not in my briefing note.
Of course, for us, for consumers, it’s the first 700 kilowatt hours for April until September and the first 1,000 kilowatt hours from October to March.
That would be at half the current Iqaluit rate.
Chairman (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. D’Arcy. Ms. Angnakak.
I wonder if your department has ever spoken of or thought about subsidies. A long time ago when I worked for the Kakivak Association, instead of a full payment, they paid some of our rent. It didn’t go through us, so we didn’t get taxed on it.
Is this something the government could look at or is interested in looking into? In lieu of higher and higher pay that we get taxed on, is there any way or any mechanism, if somebody wanted to, because it would be non-taxable, that you would pay the oil bill or the electrical bill? I don’t know if that makes any sense to you.
That would all still be employee benefits and taxable income.
As we know, you can’t beat Canada Revenue Agency.
They will get it one way or another.
Even if it was paid directly? With no money going through the employee, if it was paid directly to, let’s say, the Uqsuq Corporation if it was going to be for an oil bill or QEC if it was going to be electrical, that’s how it was done before and that’s what we were told, that it was a break in taxes because it didn’t go to us directly.
As far as we know, it would still be taxable.
Is that something that you can look at, at least go and see if that is the case or not?
I am fairly confident that it’s not the case. I can have my taxation people prepare a little review, and then we can give you some information on it.
Chairman (interpretation): Thank you, Minister Peterson. (interpretation ends) We’re looking forward to that information.
Did you want to add, Minister Peterson?
Hon. Keith Peterson: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I didn’t want to add to the taxation thing, but I want to respond to Mr. Mikkungwak’s earlier question, if you will allow me.
We’ve got so much paper down here that we finally dug out what we were looking for.
Is it Mr. Mikkungwak or Mr. Joanasie?
This has to do with medical travel.
We processed 2,631 individual staff member and dependant medical travel claims from April 1, 2015 to January 31, 2016.
The average cost per claim processed was $4,310. Airfare, of course, is the bulk of it.
The average airfare was $2,976. The cost to date for medical travel is $14,701,484. It’s quite significant.
We’re working to better identify and isolate the drivers behind the increasing costs of the GN medical travel.
Chairman (interpretation): Thank you for responding to that question, Minister Peterson. We’re on Finance.
Branch Summary. Centrally Administered Funds. Total Operations and Maintenance, to be Voted.
I forgot one thing.
When I look under the Summary of Grants and Contributions on C-9 under Centrally Administered Funds, you don’t have anything now for the upcoming year for the Homeowners’ Fuel Rebate. Can you talk about that with us for a bit and why there is nothing there? I always feel that homeowners need all the help they can get.
Things are very expensive, yet I see there is a cut there.
Hon. Keith Peterson: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I thank Ms. Angnakak for that question. That isn’t the program per se.
It’s a rebate.
We have to be careful of the word. It’s a rebate that’s offered occasionally when we feel that homeowners need a break from fuel costs. This year, the fuel prices actually went down.
It has been a fairly mild winter around here. Well, I see Mr. Mikkungwak shaking his head.
He gets the blizzards that come through Cambridge Bay.
We weaken them and then they get to Baker Lake.
It’s a rebate that is offered infrequently, but if we feel the combination of cold weather and high fuel prices, we may offer rebates.
This year, we’re not offering it.
Chairman (interpretation): Thank you, Minister. (interpretation ends) Ms. Angnakak, are we done?
Ms. Angnakak: Thank you very much.
I think we have a difference of opinion. It was very cold.
I know a lot of people have freeze-ups and all that and every little bit helps. The 10 cents didn’t make that much of a dent in the bill, so I think the need is still there.
I think, in the coming years, we’ve got to really think about how we can help homeowners be homeowners for a long period of time and every little penny counts. Not everybody makes a lot of money, even though they are homeowners.
I know that a lot of homeowners really do struggle with the bills that they have, but they want to be independent, they want to stay in their own homes, and they don’t want to rely on other people for their housing.
Even though the budget was…I don’t have my glasses on…$680,000, I’m hoping that for the next fiscal year when we do this type of planning again, you would keep that in mind and keep that amount there.
Chairman: Ms. Angnakak, that was just a comment and an advisement to the minister for his serious consideration.
We’re on Finance. Branch Summary. Centrally Administered Funds.
Total Operations and Maintenance, to be Voted. $54,294,000.
Go back to page C-3. It reads, Department Summary. Finance.
Detail of Expenditures. Total Operations and Maintenance, to be Voted. $94,294,000.
My colleagues, do you agree that the Department of Finance is concluded?
Minister Peterson, we have concluded your department. If you have any closing remarks, I now give you the floor.
I thank you and the committee for your very good questions and I hope we’re able to answer any clarifications and information that we committed to providing. We will follow up with that over the coming days.
I would like to thank all of my officials across Nunavut and in all our departments for all their work helping us prepare this budget.
Of course, I would like to thank my officials who were here with me today.
Alma Power didn’t get a chance to come here at the witness chair and Peter Tumilty.
They’re doing a lot of good day-to-day work for the department and supervising all our employees.
I would especially like to thank the Deputy Minister of Finance for being here at the witness table to help me out and also Christine Bens for being here.
She has done a lot of work here digging through the binders to find us information. I was hoping I would be able to turn a question over to her to give her some experience, but she has done a great job.
I thank everybody who has helped us to this point.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I also thank my ministerial colleagues for being here today as well. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Chairman: Thank you, Minister Peterson. (interpretation) Sergeant-at-Arms, please escort the minister’s officials out.
Using my discretion as the Chair, (interpretation ends) we’re going to take a five-minute break while we get paperwork ready for the next department, which is ED&T. Please join me in doing jumping jacks for the next five minutes.
>>Committee recessed at 17:35 and resumed at 17:45
Chairman (interpretation): I would now like to call the committee meeting back to order.
Committee Motion 002 – 4(3): Motion to Continue to Complete Opening Comments of the Department of Economic Development and Transportation (Mikkungwak)
Pursuant to Rule 6(2), I move that the Committee of the Whole stay in session in order to complete the opening comments of the Department of ED&T.
The motion is in order and the motion is not debatable.
The motion is carried and we will now proceed with the opening comments for the Department of Economic Development and Transportation.
I would now like to ask the Minister of Economic Development and Transportation, Ms. Ell-Kanayuk, if she has any opening comments, she now has the floor.
Ms. Kanayuk.
Bill 13 – Appropriation (Operations & Maintenance) Act, 2016-2017 – Economic Development and Transportation – Consideration in Committee
Yes, I can begin with my opening comments.
I am pleased to appear before the Committee of the Whole to present the 2016-17 operations and maintenance budget for the Department of Economic Development and Transportation, which includes the amounts allocated to grants and contributions, compensation and benefits, and other expenses.
The total proposed budget for the fiscal year 2016-17 is $69,037,000. This represents a modest increase of $936,000, or 1.4 percent, over the budget for 2015-16 and will help us manage Nunavut’s transportation system and support the continuing development of our economy.
These budget increases include:
$100,000 for the Nunavut Business Credit Corporation;
$587,000 for the operations and maintenance of Nunavut Airports; and
$249,000 for the operations and maintenance of the Iqaluit International Airport.
(interpretation ends) Mr. Chairman, in addition to these increases, the department is re-profiling funding in the amount of $292,000 from the Country Food Distribution Program contribution budget to create and support a position which will coordinate projects under that program.
While this does represent a reduction in the contribution budget for the Country Food Distribution Program, it does not represent any decrease in our commitment and support for this program and its objectives. On the contrary, this re-profiling, along with policy changes that enhance its flexibility in supporting communities, should increase program uptake and ensure the Country Food Distribution Program will be much more effective in achieving its objectives.
The increased support for the Nunavut Business Credit Corporation will enable the corporation to provide more effective community outreach and further encourage and support business development in the communities.
This matter was discussed with Members of the Standing Committee on Oversight of Government Operations and Public Accounts this past September.
The government has now provided its response to the standing committee’s report.
The proposed increases for Nunavut Airports will help address the significant cost pressures faced in meeting the essential ongoing operations and maintenance activities necessary to support airport infrastructure at community airports across the territory, with the exception of Iqaluit.
Finally, for the Iqaluit International Airport, the proposed increase stems directly from the scheduled increase in the annual service payment.
It is important to emphasize that the O&M annual service payment is separate from the capital payment.
While core airport operations are now carried out by the private partner, the department still needs to retain enough internal capacity to manage those responsibilities which have not been transferred to the private partner.
This includes management of activities such as commercial development and leases on airport lands, collection of aeronautical fees, and oversight on the project agreement provisions with respect to Inuit participation in employment and contracting opportunities.
As members are aware, the safe and reliable operation of this airport and, indeed, all our airports are of central importance to Nunavut’s transportation system and to our economy.
As well as these proposed budget changes, there are some changes to the way certain items are accounted for in the proposed budget.
The Socio-economic Monitoring Committees program is being presented as a separate line item in the department’s budget for the first time in 2016-17.
These regional committees include government agencies, regional Inuit associations, representatives from each community, and industry proponents.
Their mandate, which stems directly from the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement, is to implement project certificate socio-economic monitoring requirements for major development projects.
One of the priorities articulated in Sivumut Abluqta, “economic growth through responsible development across all sectors,” is most relevant to the Department of Economic Development and Transportation.
The department is committed to delivering on this priority by pursuing the following actions. We are:
Promoting entrepreneurship and business development by simplifying rules and making it easier for small business to comply; and finally,
The department’s budget, including the changes proposed, will help the Government of Nunavut fulfill these commitments.
(interpretation) Mr. Chairman, besides the areas I have mentioned, the Department of Economic Development and Transportation is also continuing to make progress on a number of important files, including:
Renewal of the NNI Policy in collaboration with Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated, and I am very hopeful that we will be able to bring forward a new NNI Policy by the end of our spring sitting;
(interpretation ends) Mr. Chairman, we are also encouraging the responsible development of our territory’s mineral and petroleum resources; and
Improving driver’s licence and vehicle registration services to Nunavummiut while also increasing motor vehicle safety through vehicle inspections and public awareness.
With respect to driver’s licence and vehicle registration services, I would like to highlight that we are creating two indeterminate motor vehicle clerk positions, one in Rankin Inlet and one in Cambridge Bay, and I am confident that this will improve services in these two communities and the Kitikmeot and Kivalliq regions generally.
Mr. Chairman, the main estimates and business plan of the Department of Economic Development and Transportation for 2016-17 reflect the department’s mandate to develop Nunavut’s economy and maintain and improve Nunavut’s transportation system.
I would be pleased to respond to any of the committee’s questions on the department’s 2016-17 main estimates and business plan. (interpretation) Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Chairman (interpretation): Thank you, Minister Ell-Kanayuk.
I am pleased to provide opening comments on behalf of the Standing Committee on Community and Economic Development on its review of the proposed 2016-17 Main Estimates and 2016-19 Business Plan of the Department of Economic Development and Transportation.
The standing committee notes that the department’s proposed 2016-17 operations and maintenance budget of $69,037,000 has increased by approximately 1.3 percent since the introduction of the department’s 2015-16 main estimates.
The number of positions in the department is 137. This is a decrease of four positions from the 2015-16 main estimates.
The Department of Economic Development and Transportation’s proposed 2016-17 main estimates include a total of $25,751,000 in grants and contributions expenditures.
This amount constitutes approximately 37 percent of the department’s total operations and maintenance budget.
For example, the government’s most recent annual reports on grants and contributions spending have indicated that a significant number of financial contributions have been made by the Department of Economic Development and Transportation to for-profit businesses.
I would also note that a detailed written question concerning the Strategic Investments Program was asked in the Legislative Assembly on June 2 of 2015.
The department’s response to the written question indicated, in part, that it “lacks an automated real time system to allow program management staff to collect meaningful monitoring and evaluation data.”
The Department of Economic Development and Transportation’s proposed 2016-17 main estimates include $3.9 million for its Strategic Investments Program.
The Strategic Investments Program Policy was revised on December 3, 2015 and will expire on March 31, 2021.
The Strategic Investments Program Policy provides that “The Minister is accountable for the overall program funding and results, and will table annually in the Legislative Assembly, or otherwise make available to the public, a summary of contributions detailing the name of each successful applicant, the amount of each contribution, the type of investment being supported, and the community.”
However, no such annual report has ever been tabled in the Legislative Assembly.
I would also note that a number of other policies administered by the Department of Economic Development and Transportation contain similar annual reporting provisions regarding expenditures incurred under the Community Transportation Initiatives Program and the Country Food Distribution Program.
The standing committee recommends that the next annual report on administration of the Strategic Investments Program account in detail for efforts made by the department to evaluate the extent to which its expenditures under the program, especially contributions to for-profit businesses, have actually achieved measurable benefits for the territory in such areas as employment generation for residents or infrastructure development in communities.
In September of 2013, two reports concerning the NNI Policy were tabled in the Legislative Assembly.
On December 4 of 2014, a memorandum of understanding was signed between the Government of Nunavut and NTI “on the process for amending the NNI Policy.”
The department’s draft 2016-19 business plan indicates that “A final draft of the NNI Policy has been completed and is being reviewed. An implementation strategy will be developed in conjunction with key stakeholders.”
The first Nunavut Economic Development Strategy was released in June of 2003 and reached the end of its ten-year life in the spring of 2013.
The department’s draft 2016-19 business plan indicates that “The Nunavut Economic Development Strategy group met in December 2015 and participated in the development of a Nunavut Economic Development Strategy II for Nunavut.
It is anticipated that the Nunavut Economic Development Strategy II will be finalized by January 2016.” The standing committee looks forward to the timely tabling of the new strategy.
The Department of Economic Development and Transportation administers no fewer than a dozen formal policies concerning its funding programs.
During last year’s Committee of the Whole consideration of the department’s 2015-16 main estimates, concerns were raised regarding the expiration of a significant number of these policies.
The standing committee is pleased to note that progress has been made by the department in renewing a number of its formal policies.
The Department of Economic Development and Transportation’s proposed 2016-17 main estimates include $700,000 in core funding for the Nunavut Business Credit Corporation, $3,358,000 in core funding for the Nunavut Development Corporation, and $3,085,000 in core funding for Nunavut Tourism.
The 2015-16 Ministerial Letters of Expectation to the chairs of the boards of directors of the Nunavut Business Credit Corporation and the Nunavut Development Corporation were not tabled in the Legislative Assembly until October 30 of 2015, almost seven months into the fiscal year.
The standing committee looks forward to the minister’s 2016-17 letters of expectation to these entities being tabled in the House in a more timely manner.
Responsibility for the Government of Nunavut’s Energy Secretariat was transferred from the Department of Executive and Intergovernmental Affairs to the Department of Economic Development and Transportation on July 1 of 2012.
The department’s draft 2016-19 business plan indicates that one of its priorities for the 2016-17 fiscal year is to “Support the Qulliq Energy Corporation and private industry in developing alternative energy options for Nunavut.”
It also indicates that it is “working with the Nunavut Housing Corporation to determine the feasibility of solar hot water systems on new and existing multiplex units.”
On November 5 of 2015, a formal motion was passed in the Legislative Assembly calling for a comprehensive report on the activities and expenditures of the Government of Nunavut’s Energy Secretariat to be tabled in the Legislative Assembly on the first sitting day of the spring 2016 sitting.
Members look forward to reviewing this report with care.
In January of 2015, the Nunavut Mining Symposium Society hosted an “Oil and Gas Summit” in Iqaluit. The focus of the summit was to provide “a consensual path forward for all with an interest in Nunavut’s petroleum industry and possible future exploration and development.” The department’s draft 2016-19 business plan indicates that one of its priorities for the 2016-17 fiscal year is to “Work with partners and stakeholders to carry out a Strategic Environmental Assessment to address petroleum exploration and development in Baffin Bay and Davis Strait.”
Given the concern expressed by impacted communities regarding such matters as seismic testing, the standing committee urges the minister to provide regular updates to the House concerning the status of the planned strategic environmental assessment in Baffin Bay and Davis Strait.
The Department of Economic Development and Transportation is responsible for administering the Development Partnership Agreement Policy, which expires on March 31, 2016.
Mining companies that enter into DPAs with the Government of Nunavut may be eligible for fuel tax rebates. The department’s 2015-18 business plan indicated that it “continues to work with Agnico Eagle Mines, Baffinland and TMAC Resources on Development Partnership Agreement negotiations, which remain at a preliminary stage.”
However, the department’s 2016-19 business plan makes no mention of development partnership agreements.
The standing committee urges the minister to clarify the future of this program.
On March 31 of 2015, the Government of Nunavut relinquished its Community Aerodrome Radio Station services contract with NAV CANADA.
A private company, ATS Services, now delivers CARS services to Nunavut communities on behalf of NAV CANADA.
The standing committee urges the minister to table a comprehensive report in the Legislative Assembly on the impact that this transition has had on airport operations, employment, and CARS training in the territory.
The department’s 2014-17 business plan indicated that one of its priorities during the fiscal year was to “Update 20-year capital needs assessment for Nunavut airports.”
The department’s 2015-18 business plan indicated that the capital needs assessment had been completed and would “be tabled in the Legislative Assembly.”