EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
(interpretation ends) Mr. Speaker, I am not very sure if I can give a good answer for the fire hall.
I believe that it is in the Capital Plans.
There might be some information that I don’t have in my briefing notes right now so I will just have to take that as notice, and the same with the other Capital Projects that the member is asking for.
I will give them in detail this week.
Question 114 – 1(6): Job Guarantee for Counsellor Trainees in Clyde River
Mr. Nutarak (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will direct my question to the Minister responsible for Health and Social Services.
In Clyde River, you stated that there was a Counsellors’ Workshop. Do they have positions that are guaranteed that they could fill after their training period?
Mr. Speaker, the training program that is going on in Clyde River Mr. Speaker, in conjunction with the Department of Health, as well as some of the core funding that we give to the family grouping centre in Clyde River, Mr. Speaker helps with operating of about fifty thousand dollars.
When the people who are receiving the training, in most cases they are already being sponsored by their Hamlets, and in actuality they are receiving training so that when they go back to their home communities, in their positions, they have more experience and are able to be able to provide better counselling services to their clientele.
Mr. Nutarak (interpretation): My question, Mr. Speaker, was in regards to the guarantee of filling a position once they finish their training.
Mr. Speaker, as I said, in this case with the training program that is going on, they are already employed.
They are receiving more training so they can do their job better.
So they actually have jobs in place.
So Mr. Speaker, if they had a job when they went to Clyde for training, now Mr. Speaker, when they return to their communities, they would have that same job in terms of receiving more on the job training through the good program that is being run through Clyde River, because they are more experienced in their counselling work.
Mr. Nutarak (interpretation): Do you know when they will be completing their training?
No Mr. Speaker, I don’t know when they will be finished the training that they’re involved in right now in Clyde River.
I do know that I heard Davidee Idlout earlier this week on the radio talking about the program and some of the participants.
But Mr. Speaker, I can get that information and provide that to the member.
Question 115 – 1(6): Grise Fiord Co-op Building Proposal – Update
My question is directed to the Minister of Sustainable Development. (interpretation ends) On February 20, 2002, I made a member’s statement urging the minister to carefully consider the proposal made by the Grise Fiord Inuit Coop to build a commercial building that combined office space and apartments.
Following the statement, I wrote a letter to the minister including a copy of the Co-op proposal.
Mr. Speaker, I would like the minister to tell me what action the department has taken to date with respect to the Grise Fiord proposal.
Good afternoon my fellow members.
The letter that I received from the member, I am responding to the people who made the proposal and I sent a copy to the member.
Perhaps it has not made it from the second floor to the first floor yet.
What we have done was to try to help the Grise Fiord Co-op according to their proposal and they wrote a letter stating what they would like to have us do to assist them.
So what we are doing is we are dealing with their request from the Business Development Fund.
We’re in the process of trying to assist them with their request so the Grise Fiord Co-op can get some assistance from our department.
I would like to further ask the minister about what his department is doing to encourage economic growth in that community.
What we do to try bring about economic self sufficiency in the community, is we try to help them out and the Premier said to me that being the Minister of Sustainable Development, that I have to look after the people to help them become more self-reliant economically in their communities and to provide some help for economies in the smaller communities.
I would like to say to the member that I will try our very best to try to help their Co-op in Grise Fiord so there would be jobs within the community, as much as possible.
We will be available for assistance to the Grise Fiord Co-op.
We’ve been talking about this for a very long time about economic development in the smaller communities.
When will the minister be able to provide us with their plans?
What we are doing is working with the community of Grise Fiord at this time with their Co-op.
My staff are working along with the Grise Fiord Co-op personnel and I will let the member know as soon as things are done.
When will he be able to provide us with the plans?
What we can do is to work with the community to bring this economic development plan up in November, and we are looking at more ways to assist the communities.
Question 116 – 1(6): Update on the Agreement for Counsellors’ Funding
Mr. Speaker, I heard from the residents of Igloolik that there’s an agreement for funding the wellness counsellors.
I think it’s through the Department of Health and Social Services.
This agreement, although it’s in place, the Hamlet of Igloolik has not received any funding through the agreement for upwards of a year.
I just want to know what the status of this agreement is.
Mr. Speaker, in Igloolik, there has been a community transfer in place before division where social services are delivered by the Hamlet of Igloolik.
Mr. Speaker, that is the same case with Cape Dorset.
Mr. Speaker, the budget, we haven’t passed the budget yet in here in the House for the Department of Health and Social Services.
I believe when I met with the mayor from Igloolik last week here in Iqaluit, one of the concerns he had mentioned was the community wellness and brighter future funding that the community had applied for.
Mr. Speaker, we’re hoping to be able to raise some of those monies in the coming days.
So, again Mr. Speaker, some of those budgeted monies are within the budget of the department which will be approved in this House hopefully in the coming days.
At the same time Mr. Speaker, the issue around the brighter futures and community wellness monies which every community in Nunavut receives which also applies for their wellness counsellors, that money should be issued in the next 3-5 days if that’s specifically what the member is asking.
Mr. Speaker, they told us that they have not had any funding for a year now and they have had to pay for this position out of their own budget.
The funding that was supposed to be given to the hamlet, will that funding be given to the hamlet this year?
As I indicated there, there are two pots of money.
One is the community wellness and brighter futures money that each hamlet receives after they submit a report on how the money was spent and so on.
The second pot of money where Igloolik is a bit different than the communities, other than Cape Dorset, they receive funding to run social services programs under a block transfer.
Mr. Speaker, my understanding is that the community wellness money is a bit late coming out and they will be receiving that, like I said, most communities over the next three to five working days.
At the same time Mr. Speaker, I am not aware from the community or the mayor and council of Igloolik that they have not received money for over a year.
I have not received any correspondence or any communication from the mayor and council, so if the member has copies of those letters that have been sent to him from the community, or information Mr. Speaker, I would be very pleased to receive that and look into why there hasn’t been money sent to the hamlet.
Mr. Speaker, the agreement that is in place, they were supposed to be given funding every year.
Apparently they have the understanding that they don’t have to apply for that funding as they automatically get it every year.
But, the Igloolik Hamlet does not really know why they haven’t received that funding yet.
He replied to this part of the question.
They are paying more than one staff member and I just wondered whether there is a plan in place or something in place for them for the government to give them funding or a reimbursement of their costs of funding this position.
Mr. Speaker, I would just like to appreciate the member making that a bit clearer.
Now we’ve narrowed it down to the social services transfer I believe he’s asking about.
Mr. Speaker, I don’t know why Igloolik has not received it, if that is the case that they have not received that money.
Like I said, this is the first time I’ve heard this Mr. Speaker, so we’ll have to look into this and get back to the member and to the committee to find out what the hold-up is.
It would cause a severe strain on the hamlet if they’re paying several employees and don’t have the money coming in because in Igloolik for example, they have several people working in their social services unit.
So Mr. Speaker, that’s something we’ll have to follow up.
Question 117 – 1(6): Elders as Counsellors
My question is directed to the Minister responsible for Health and Social Services in regards to counsellors.
The counsellors that have taken training, it’s good to see that they’re taking ongoing training in the communities, but there are also some middle aged people that could provide counselling to the people in the communities even though they have no formal education, they’re older and middle aged people who have a lot of life experiences.
Would that be done by the department to utilize those people that are elders to do counselling?
Mr. Speaker, one of the successes I think we’ve had in the past year and it’s been through the leadership of the family resource centre in Clyde River, where we’ve actually been training people who may be unilingual and older to be counsellors, and Mr. Speaker, using reality therapy based training and certifying those councillors, it has worked out very well.
Mr. Speaker, so for the member’s question, I say yes.
Even though a person may be older or maybe unilingual there is the opportunity Mr. Speaker, to be able to deliver a program to provide counselling services as well as deliver the training for counsellors solely in Inuktitut.
And we’re quite pleased to be able to do that in co-operation with the program in Clyde River.
Right now for example, Mr. Speaker, there are people from across Nunavut taking that program. So the member’s answer is yes.
I understand the response but when I talk about elders that can counsel in the communities, these elders would be able to help couples that are having problems in their marriage.
These elders haven’t gone to school or received a certificate or a degree, but will they be recognizing the elders’ life experiences in communities to allow them to counsel couples?
Mr. Speaker, under the Community Wellness Program, the hamlet, each individual hamlet receives that funding and they recommend or put forward people to be trained, in this case, in reality therapy, for their hamlet.
So Mr. Speaker, if the community that the member’s talking about would like to put a name forward who would want to receive this training, they recommend them as a wellness counsellor, then Mr. Speaker, we can deliver the program and help them with that training.
Question 118 – 1(6): Qikiqtarjuaq Tank Farm Update
Mr. Speaker I’d like to direct my question to the Minister responsible for Public Works and Services.
In Qikiqtarjuaq they were going to put more tanks in the tank farm, but they did not complete it last summer.
I’m wondering if this is going to proceed this year.
The tank farm project that was going to be done in Qikiqtarjuaq was deferred to this year.
It will be done within this coming year.
If they’re going to proceed this year because it was deferred, will I be notified?
I was not happy with it being deferred but will the minister keep me informed.
I will keep the member updated on the project.
Question 119 – 1(6): Operation of Correctional Centres
I’d like to direct my question to the Minister responsible for Justice.
I raised a question to the minister regarding correctional centres and he said he was looking into this in regards to the operations of the correctional centres.
He was going to review it, has he just about completed his review?
This is something we’re planning this year and there are meetings happening in regards to the correctional centres.
I can’t really give an update on what’s been happening as it is still ongoing but we will give a report on the review once it’s completed.
Mr. Nutarak (interpretation): How long does the minister think this review will take?
Will it take another year?
I would like it to be completed this year before we start dealing with the capital budget.
I’m expecting that it should be done within this year and I’d like to work with the members during the planning stages.
Are they planning for a Nunavut Correctional Centre or just the operations of correctional centres?
The planning is not just for a correctional centre, it includes operational planning and it is a facility which will include healing resources so that individuals that are incarcerated can get mental and emotional support.
Question 120 – 1(6): Qikiqtarjuaq Beach
Mr. Speaker, I would like to direct my question, which is similar to a previous question posed to the Minister responsible for Community Government and Transportation.
My question is, has there been some work on the beach, both in terms of design and planning in Qikiqtarjuaq?
When it was first raised to me by Mr. Iqaqrialu, I instructed my officials to deal with this matter.
They are going to have to look at it and review it first, but they are in the initial stages of planning for that beach area.
This is something that is being planned and my officials will probably be in the community this summer to look at the plan.
As Members of the Legislative Assembly, we are often not kept up to date with what is happening with projects in our communities.
Will I be informed or kept up to date on what is happening with this project?
The Hamlet of Qikiqtarjuaq is working with us and we will keep them informed as to our activities.
If our officials are travelling to that community we will keep the member informed of any travel plans.
Are there any Oral Questions?
Question 121 – 1(6): Update on Community Access Road Program
Mr. Speaker, my question today is to the Minister of Community Government and Transportation.
In the previous GNWT there was a very successful program that was implemented in various communities around what is now Nunavut.
It was called the Community Access Road Program.
I know in the last budget there was some money supposed to be coming from the federal government to re-implement this program.
Could the minister update me or the House as to whether this program is going to be reinstated, for community access roads in the communities?
The finding of the actual money has not happened yet, but there is a commitment made already that there will be some money coming forward for that.
So we are committed as the Nunavut Government, as a department, to come up with an Access Roads Program and we also have quite a few proposals already from communities across Nunavut who are interested in accessing this program.
So we will certainly move on it and see what we can do this summer.
Question 122 – 1(6): Status of the New Hospital for Iqaluit
I figure I had better ask him a question so he doesn’t feel left out.
Mr. Speaker, it is an issue that I know that I have raised in this House a number of times over the years and I am still waiting to see something happen with it as far as some work being done.
I would like to ask the minister if he could update the House as to the status of the new hospital that was slated for here in Iqaluit.
Mr. Speaker, very quickly to the member’s question, we are continuing the work on the new facility for the Baffin region here in Iqaluit.
Mr. Speaker, the Qikiqtaaluk Corporation and ourselves had several different meetings.
Mr. Speaker, we expect to see construction begin this fall.
I am pleased to say that as many members know, we have already begun construction in Rankin. The piles are going in as we speak.
We would hope to see construction begin in earnest on the lot here in Iqaluit this fall.
One of the concerns was the transference of the ownership of land from the Municipality as well as from the Federal Government.
Part of the location where the new hospital would be built is on federal owned land.
That needs to be transferred, and so on.
We also had to finish a hydrological study, and that study had to prove that if the dam broke above the proposed site for the new hospital facility, that it would not interfere or impede in the facility.
Mr. Speaker, all that work had been done and we are now progressing with the early construction.
We should begin this year 2002 with lot development work, with construction in 2003 and have the facility open on time, on schedule, late 2004, early 2005.
I am delighted to finally hear the news from the Minister of Health and Social Services instead of we are waiting for this study or that study or everything else.
One of the other things that I know has been a factor in these projects is the Department of Finance having to review them.
I would like to ask the Minister of Health if as he has indicated where the construction is going to go ahead this fall that they have gotten basically a clean bill of health from the Department of Finance to move forward with the project.
Mr. Speaker, there have been two phases to these three facilities.
One phase, Mr. Speaker, is the responsibility of the Department of Health and Social Services.
That is to bring the three facilities forward to the point where we could begin construction.
The second part of the program is the Department of Finance’s responsibility.
That is the negotiation of the service contracts as well as the negotiations of the leases.
Mr. Speaker, in this House, the Premier has said on several occasions that at the end of the day, the Government of Nunavut wants to own these facilities and that we would have a lease to buy program in place with the three development corporations.
Mr. Speaker, those negotiations are in place with the development corporations.
The next step particularly on the Qikiqtani facility, Mr. Speaker, would be to have a service contract in place allowing for the developmental work on the lot as well as the next step which is the actual construction.
Mr. Speaker that is the work that is being done right now in co-operation with, and in conjunction with, the Department of Health and Social Services as well as the Department of Finance.
Mr. Speaker, given as the minister had indicated that the work is going to start this fall and that negotiations are underway, I guess they are ironing out a service contract.
Does he have any more specific idea as to when this agreement will be in place so that we can for sure know that site work will go ahead and start as soon as possible?
I am just wondering if he could give us a more accurate idea as to when that will happen.
Mr. Speaker, as an example, on the Kivalliq facility for the Keewatin Region, being built right now in Rankin Inlet, Mr. Speaker, we went into eleventh hour meetings where we sent a team to Rankin Inlet as well as to Ottawa and met with the officials of Sakku, and Mr. Speaker, we had the contract in place, the service agreement contract.
Mr. Speaker, I would hope that in this case, we have learned from our experience in the Kivalliq, use that type of service contract as a template to be able to do the Qikiqtani one as well as the Kitikmeot one and that should expedite or speed up the contracting matters.
So we would hope, Mr. Speaker, that in the next couple of weeks that that new extended service contract would be in place which will facilitate and allow for the lot and the site development work to begin on the Qikiqtani facility.
Mr. Speaker, this is more of an aesthetic question.
I don’t know if the member knew, last year I believe when I talked about a sign that was put up there a number of years back, and I’m surprised it hasn’t blown away already, it’s all faded.
But does the Minister of Health and Social Services plan on putting up some new signage saying this is going to be the site of a new project similar to the ground breaking ceremony and things that were held in Rankin Inlet for that facility.
Mr. Speaker, today was a very sad day for many of us with the passing of Mr. Goo Arlooktoo.
Mr. Speaker, Goo Arlooktoo along with myself, are the only members in this House today that were there when that sign was put up in 1996 and the leadership at the Baffin Regional leadership meetings at that time have changed considerably as well as NTI, QIA and so on.
Mr. Speaker, I would suggest to you that that new sign that will be put in place hopefully this fall, will be a permanent sign and will indicate for all to see that the facility will be going forward.
Mr. Speaker, this facility has been planned here in this region since 1988 and Mr. Speaker, because of a huge range of logistic, administrative, financial reasons, it hasn’t come forward.
It is not for a lack of trying of many people including Denis Patterson, Mr. Goo Arlooktoo, Mr. Ng, Mr. Okalik, myself, I can name off different people Mr. Speaker.
I would suggest to you Mr. Speaker, that we are very close right now to seeing the actual construction.
We will have lot development this week and I would say to you, see what happened in Rankin Inlet, where actually the piles are going into the ground; people couldn’t believe that we would probably do it.
Well it’s being done.
And Minister Ng said in his budget address Mr. Speaker, that the Government of Nunavut would build these facilities. He said that in his budget address.
I believe what Mr. Ng said in the budget address.
And Mr. Tootoo can be on site with the rest of the members to see another sign going up confirming this.
Question 123 – 1(6): Rectifying the High GN Staff Turnover Rates
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the minister responsible for Human Resources.
It ties into the member’s statement that my colleague from Baker Lake made today to deal with the staff turnover rates.
It was reported in the media today, I think the numbers were anywhere from 29 percent down from 31 percent.
This is still Mr. Speaker, extremely high.
I understand looking to the past that even in the years leading up to division and the cuts that were made in the collective agreement from 1996 on, that the numbers, I think the highest number was around 21 percent and ranged anywhere from 17-21 percent for a turnover rate for the government.
I’d like to ask the Minister of Human Resources, given they have this information, what steps are they doing to try and rectify that problem of a very high turnover rate in the government?
One of the initiatives that our Department of Human Resources in the coming year will be doing is to undertake a more in-depth analysis of recruitment and retention and work towards developing the recruitment and retention strategies.
As has been mentioned in the House a couple of times to date, the levels of retention are high in Nunavut or rather turn-over rates are high in Nunavut and we are working towards developing retention strategies which will hopefully see less numbers of our turnover for several departments.
Mr. Speaker, I look forward to hearing what those strategies are but I’d like to ask the minister, in the development of these strategies if the department would commit to consulting with the employees, the people that are leaving.
Maybe ask them what kinds of things we can do, as a government, as an employer, to keep you working with the Government of Nunavut.
As a part of developing the strategies and finding out why, it could be a great opportunity to ask the people out there that are leaving; the people that we have right now, 30 percent of them are going to be leaving by next year, if the numbers stay the same.
So ask them what kinds of things we can do to make this a workplace in which you want to stay for an extended period of time.