EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
The expansion of this program brings in revenue to the government that is then reinvested into sport and recreation opportunities for our residents.
Mr. Chairman, we continue our work on the development of a regulatory framework for the Nunavut Building Code Act.
The department is undertaking research on best practices and regulations currently in place in other Canadian jurisdictions including the two other territories.
This research should be completed before the end of 2014 which will lead to the development of regulations early in 2015.
The department has established a building advisory committee as required under the act, which held its inaugural meeting in March 2014.
Chairman, Community and Government Services continues to work in providing core services such as water, wastewater and solid waste in each of Nunavut’s communities.
For example, the partnership with Dalhousie University is providing insight on factors that may impact the performance of treatment systems.
This will allow Nunavut to provide preliminary recommendations to federal regulators in the development of appropriate and current quality standards for Nunavut and the far north.
Our Property and Asset Management Division continues to pursue process improvements to ensure the GN’s preventative maintenance and lifecycle renewal initiatives will support higher performance and longer lasting buildings.
We are currently undertaking a program review to update our maintenance management standards and to examine gaps in existing delivery standards. Our energy management pilot project in Iqaluit has been completed and we are currently in the measurement and verification stage.
First year data does show energy-savings and we are now working with our federal partners to apply for additional funding for another energy management project in the Kivalliq region.
These initiatives include energy efficient lighting, products, occupancy sensors, building controls, and solar panels among other initiatives.
Mr. Chairman, Community and Government Services continues to invest in government operations by increasing funding to support our IT infrastructure. The number of people on the government network continues to expand due to decentralization and other factors. In addition, the number and types of devices that users need to work to communicate continues to increase.
Community and Government Services is committed and continues to strive to improve telecommunications for the government as a whole.
This commitment has allowed the government to build a telecommunication infrastructure capable of managing over three times the amount of bandwidth to improve program and service delivery.
With forward thinking and new technologies, Community and Government Services will be ready to deliver new network to provide even better government services to Nunavummiut.
Mr. Chairman, the department’s protective services division has been working hard to improve search and rescue response programs available to the public.
We continue to train community SAR organizations, hamlets and individuals in assisting the RCMP and military in responding to searches.
The number of search and rescue incidents is on the rise in Nunavut.
In 2013, there were 222 searches for over 450 individuals.
We continue to promote the use of SPOT devices and increase our awareness of safety preparedness measures for all individuals going out on the land or water.
The loss of funding from the federal government for a joint emergency preparedness program has impacted the cost of program delivery in 2013, and we are actively looking at other sources of revenue to replace this program.
The territorial emergency plan, along with the Department of Community and Government Services’ emergency plans, has been completed and will be tabled in the Legislative Assembly this year.
The department has also completed a guidance document to assist others in developing their emergency plans.
Iksivautaaq, I hope my comments give an appreciation of the progress that my department is making in addressing the goals of this government.
CGS is a service-based department and we will strive to improve our service to all our clients.
We will work collaboratively with all departments and our municipal government partners to meet the goals of Sivumut Abluqta as we step forward together in building Nunavut.
Mr. Chairman, I am now pleased to answer any questions you may have.
Chairman (interpretation): Thank you very much, Minister Sammurtok. (interpretation ends) Does the Chair of the Standing Committee on Community and [Economic Development] have opening comments?
Mr. Rumbolt, please proceed.
I am pleased to provide opening comments on behalf of the Standing Committee on Community and Economic Development on its review of the 2014-15 main estimates and 2014-17 business plan of the Department of Community and Government Services.
The standing committee notes that the department’s proposed 2014-15 operations and maintenance budget of $220,757,000 has increased by approximately 5.9 percent since the introduction of the department’s 2013-14 main estimates.
The number of positions in the department is 368.
This is an increase of eight positions from the 2013-14 main estimates.
The standing committee notes that one of the department’s priorities for the 2014-15 fiscal year is to introduce amendments to the Consumer Protection Act.
The issue of amending this legislation to provide for the regulation of cheque cashing fees, money transfer fees, and payday loans has been raised in the Legislative Assembly on a number of occasions, and the standing committee looks forward to the timely introduction of these amendments.
The Department of Community and Government Services has the lead responsibility for the Government of Nunavut’s procurement function and is responsible for preparing its annual reports on contracting, procurement and leasing activities.
The Minister of Community and Government Services is responsible for ensuring that these annual reports are tabled in the Legislative Assembly in a timely manner.
The standing committee notes with concern that the government’s 2012-13 annual reports have not yet been tabled in the Legislative Assembly.
Mr. Chairman, on March 1, 2012, the Legislative Assembly was informed that the Government of Nunavut would be initiating a “comprehensive internal review of its public procurement practices.”
This process was to have been coordinated with the joint review of the NNI Policy that has been undertaken by the Department of Economic Development and Transportation and Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated.
Mr. Chairman, a number of concerns have been raised in the Legislative Assembly regarding issues related to the government’s contracting and procurement practices, including the question of whether the current Contracting Appeals Board should be replaced with a new body that has a broader mandate to hear appeals of government contract awards based on evaluative factors beyond simply the application of the NNI Policy.
The standing committee urges the minister to table the results of the government’s comprehensive internal review of its public procurement practices in a timely manner so that all Members of the Legislative Assembly have the opportunity to consider its observations and recommendations.
The Department of Community and Government Services is responsible for the government’s primary municipal funding programs, including the Municipal Funding Program, the Water and Sewage Funding Program, and the Mobile Equipment Block Funding Program.
The department’s proposed 2014-15 main estimates include projected expenditures of approximately $60 million on its five major municipal funding programs.
The standing committee notes that a number of the department’s policies in this area, including its Water and Sewage Services Subsidy Policy, appear to have expired.
The standing committee encourages the minister to ensure that these key policies are reviewed and updated on a periodic basis.
Mr. Chairman, the department’s proposed 2014-15 main estimates include $850,000 in funding for the Municipal Insurance Exchange to “offset incremental costs associated with municipal insurance coverage and to implement loss control program initiatives with a focus on such critical areas as fire training and fire prevention.”
The department’s 2009-2010 business plan indicated that its “cooperative work supporting the Department of Justice on simplifying land review and registry will contribute to objectives of more home ownership and community-based sustainable economies.”
The department’s draft 2014-17 business plan indicates that two of its priorities for the 2014-15 fiscal year are to “work with communities to address issues on land development and accessibility of land for residential and commercial buildings,” and to “prepare and develop a workplan for a land referendum which has been set to occur in 2015.” The standing committee emphasizes the importance of the department working closely with the Nunavut Housing Corporation in these areas.
The department’s draft 2014-17 business plan indicates that the department “has completed work on an accurate inventory of assets and condition ratings for all facilities.”
It also indicates that one of its priorities for the 2014-15 fiscal year is to “finalize the development of a strategic plan for addressing maintenance of community and government assets.”
The standing committee encourages the minister to table a copy of its new facilities inventory and condition ratings report in the Legislative Assembly at the earliest opportunity.
This information will be of benefit to all Members of the Legislative Assembly and will serve to complement and update information that has been previously published in the integrated community sustainability plans that have been produced for Nunavut’s municipalities.
On February 28, 2014, the department issued a Request for Information for Potential Planning for Solid Waste Management Methods for Nunavut Territory.
The RFI closed on March 28, 2014.
The department’s business plan indicates that “a Public-Private Partnership model was applied to the Iqaluit Airport project and a similar model is presently being investigated by the department to determine its feasibility as a means to address upgrades to solid waste infrastructure across Nunavut.
The applicability of P3 initiatives for other infrastructure projects will continue to be examined.”
Mr. Chairman, given the heightened public awareness of the need to address Nunavut’s aging solid waste management infrastructure and to explore new technologies, such as incineration, the standing committee encourages the minister to report to the House at the earliest opportunity on the results of his department’s recent Request for Information for Potential Planning for Solid Waste Management Methods for Nunavut Territory.
Mr. Chairman, a related issue concerns water quality in Nunavut.
Members will recall that testimony provided to the House earlier this year indicated that a number of communities in Nunavut are not in compliance with the terms and conditions of their water licences.
The department’s draft 2014-17 business plan indicates that two of its priorities for the 2014-15 fiscal year are to “deliver technical training to communities on water monitoring methods” and to “work with Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada and the Nunavut Water Board to develop a compliance plan for water licensing in the territory.”
The standing committee also notes that two of the department’s goals for the 2014-15 and 2015-16 fiscal years are to “develop an environmental workplan for the Municipal Wastewater Effluent Strategy, as per agreement by the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment,” and to “propose appropriate effluent quality standards for Nunavut to the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment.”
Mr. Chairman, MLAs have spoken on a number of occasions in the Legislative Assembly about the importance of drinking water safety and quality in Nunavut.
The standing committee recommends that the department prepare and table in the Legislative Assembly a comprehensive annual report on water quality in all of Nunavut’s communities.
The standing committee also notes that there are a number of water testing requirements currently provided for in the Public Water Supply Regulations made under the Public Health Act.
A new Building Code Act was passed by the legislative Assembly in 2012.
The department’s draft 2014-17 business plan indicates that one of its goals for the 2014-15 fiscal year is to “develop new regulations for the Building Code Act.”
Sections 23 and 24 of the Building Code Act came into force in September of 2013.
These sections provide for the establishment of a Nunavut Building Advisory Committee.
A number of members were appointed to this committee in March of this year.
The standing committee recommends that the minister begin the practice of tabling an annual report in the Legislative Assembly on the activities of this committee.
Mr. Chairman, earlier this year, Members of the Legislative Assembly held hearings on the Report of the Auditor General of Canada on Safety of Schools and Childcare Facilities in Nunavut.
The standing committee notes that the department’s draft 2014-17 business plan indicates that one of its goals for the 2014-15 fiscal year is to “review existing regulations under the Fire Prevention Act and the Technical Standards and Safety Act to ensure alignment with the Building Code Act.”
The department also indicates that it will “work with the Department of Education to finalize and implement the Fire Safety Planning Guidelines for School Facilities” and “begin to develop an implementation plan to broaden the Fire Safety Planning Guidelines to include other facilities in other departments.”
The standing committee notes with concern that the department’s 2013 Annual Report of the Office of the Fire Marshall under the Fire Prevention Act has not yet been tabled in the Legislative Assembly.
The Department of Community and Government Services is responsible for the Emergency Measures Act and the operations of the territorial Emergency Management Organization.
The department’s 2011-12 annual report under the Emergency Measures Act was tabled in the Legislative Assembly on November 1 of 2012.
However, its 2012-13 and 2013-14 annual reports have not yet been tabled.
The standing committee strongly supports initiatives on the part of the department to work closely with community-based search and rescue organizations to address such issues as training and equipment needs.
Mr. Chairman, that concludes my opening comments on the proposed 2014-15 main estimates and 2014-17 business plan of the Department of Community and Government Services.
You read very well. (interpretation) Before we proceed to the page-by-page review, if there any general comments on the opening comments, I would like to give you the opportunity now.
I guess my first question is: in your opening statement, it said that you have a net increase of $12 million. Can you tell us what this is due to?
This increase of $12 million is for various cost increases related to buildings in the communities, office buildings and whatnot, in terms of the cost of maintaining them, and $12 million plus is for cost of shipping, which is about a $300,000 increase in the transportation cost through ships, and use of information technology and this is a $4 million increase. The office leases on the buildings in communities have been increased by almost $2 million. Other increases are attributed to salary increases, which is at least an increase of $580,000.
For recreation and for contracts, we had two more staff, $306,000. For search and rescue, $250,000 has been set aside. We’re able to employ a manager of municipal works.
We made that increase to that amount. For the use of property, $794,000. For fuel, it was increased to $621,000.
The total is $12,360,000. That is how that figure was arrived at.
The leased property, is that for staff housing?
Chairman (interpretation): I apologize. Thank you. Minister Sammurtok.
These are for office leases for the government.
We talk about the cost of purchase fuel that has increased over the last two years.
What strategies do you have you implemented to keep our fuel at as low cost as possible when we are purchasing it?
Chairman (interpretation): Thank you, Ms. Angnakak. Minister Sammurtok.
I will hand this over to my deputy minister to elaborate since he worked with it, if that is permissible.
The petroleum products division has an early purchase program that they try to take advantage of to purchase fuel early in the year if there is some indication that the retail price in world markets were to increase.
It reviews the early purchase in the past to pre-purchase diesel and gasoline, but it’s something that we monitor very closely particular when it comes to diesel fuels because the demand for diesel in the winter months are much higher; that tends to affect the price in the world market.
Whereas in the summer months, the demand of diesel lessens so it is typically lower during the summer months. There are no political or economic activities.
Basically, we work with the fuel supply contractor to determine some of the optimal times to purchase those products.
Ms. Angnakak (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Chairman. (interpretation ends) Did we purchase fuel at a low price this year?
I will have my deputy respond.
Chairman (interpretation ends): Thank you, Minister Sammurtok.
For this fiscal year, the only product that we purchase on the early purchase was about 22,000 litres of gasoline. Typically, there are two reasons why we do that.
The first reason is that typically there is our demand for gasoline during the summer months as opposed to the winter months.
The other issue is that we had to buy a winter-grade gasoline product for Nunavut, and the only time we can buy that through the refineries during the late winter or early spring.
Chairman: Thank you, Mr. Greene.
How do you ensure that the gasoline we are buying is the right kind?
In the past we have had some problems with gas; we had skidoo problems, car problems…it was blamed on the gas.
I am wondering what kinds of methods do you have in place that when you purchase that it’s the right type and it is good.
Hon. Tom Sammurtok (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Chairman. (interpretation ends) My deputy minister and I have a gentlemen’s agreement that any items related to fuel, he will respond because he’s the expert. So if I may defer it to Mr. Green again.
Since the issue that we had in 2001-02 with the gasoline, at that time, the Government of Nunavut worked with the Alberta Research Council to develop more stringent specifications for the gasoline in Nunavut communities.
Basically, there is an inspection process that we follow to sample the fuel from the time that we purchase it by the time it is in temporary storage and by the time it is on the vessel and by the time it gets discharged in the community and into the tank.
So there is a very rigorous process that we follow to make sure that this fuel remains at the government’s specifications.
I guess I was trying to find the right wording and it’s quality control.
Since you have implemented those kinds of investigations at different times, have you found that at any time when you were doing the testing that you had to not carry through with the purchase because it was not to the quality that we were looking for?
Hon. Tom Sammurtok (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Chairman. (interpretation ends) If I may defer to my deputy minister.
Chairman (interpretation): Thank you. (interpretation ends) I will defer to Mr. Green.
To the best of my knowledge, I’m not aware of any issues with the gasoline products that we purchase that had to be sent back to the supplier since we brought in those new quality control procedures.
Just moving on, well, not really moving on, but to my next line of questions, you say that we remain comparable or lower than other Canadian jurisdictions.
How long do you expect this to last in Nunavut?
Hon. Tom Sammurtok (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Chairman. (interpretation ends) Again if I may.
We won’t know until the end of this year’s resupply whether the changes in costs from the resupply year will have any impact on the existing product and transportation.
We know that the transportation cost is a bit stable, but until we start buying the fuel in the world markets, if there are any changes in the political situation…(inaudible)…it could impact the supply cost.
Based on our estimates at this point in time, we are not forecasting any changes in the retail price for us, but that could change by the time we get to the end of the resupply when we do our analysis.
Chairman (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Green. (interpretation ends) General comments.
That’s good news to hear. Hopefully it will remain low.
Just going on, I would like to move on to water licensing and compliance.
As we know, a lot of our communities are not in compliance with their water licences and I wonder what the department is doing to support these municipalities.
Chairman (interpretation): Thank you, Ms. Angnakak. (interpretation ends) If I’m correct, I think Ms. Angnakak is referring to page 4 of your opening comments.
Yes, in regard to her question.
We’re working with all the communities of Nunavut, not all are in compliance with the conditions but not all are in compliance with of these licenses.
So therefore, we’re working with those communities at this time to make sure that they comply with the federal conditions.
Chairman (interpretation): Thank you, hon. minister.
I see here on page six of your opening comments you talk about working on improving core municipal services, such waste water and solid waste.
I see that you also talk about working with Dalhousie University on waste treatment systems.
What other kinds of improvements are you speaking of here?
Chairman (interpretation): Thank you, Ms. Angnakak. Hon. Minister.
Waste water and solid waste it’s hard to get a terminology in Inuktitut in regard to waste water.
We are working in partnership with Dalhousie University and we did research that may impact performance of the treatment systems in the community with their waste water so that it will not have a negative impact on our environment. They did a study on that.
At this time we’re now reviewing the results of the study with the recommendations.
We’ll start working with the communities to make sure that the waste water system is working.
Ms. Angnakak: On the same question, can you talk about improving municipal services with water, because I know for example, in Grise Fiord I have heard that the water is at a very low level.
Can you give me some examples of how the department is working with municipalities in dealing with water?
If I can have my deputy minister respond.
With respect to the primary water sources for municipalities, CGS has undertaken a study of all environmental, both primary and secondary water sources.
The primary focus of this study was to ensure that if we had issues or low water levels for the primary source of water, that we would have a secondary source that we can use, in terms of if there is a situation where the primary source was running low.
This study is near completion.
What it basically does is gives us a list of the quantity and the depth of the water in each community, plus where a secondary source of water would be available if we needed to address water in communities.
Just going on, you talk about an energy management pilot project. Can you elaborate on what this means?
The energy management initiatives were started in 2007. We did a study on buildings that are being used by the government in Iqaluit.
The study was for water and power use in the community.
You collected that first year data. How did it turn into cost savings?
There were various studies done. The future studies will move on to communities outside of Iqaluit.
In regard to the member’s question, I personally, cannot respond to her question in detail at this time. If I can ask my deputy minister to answer the question.