EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
It’s in regard to dog control within the communities. Loose dogs are a danger to small children and there is a possibility of catching rabies and other diseases. Many smaller children are usually afraid of loose dogs and they also raid food caches that may also lead to health concerns.
Many Inuit ask: who is responsible for providing dog control within the municipal boundary?
These are pets that I am referring to or even sled dogs as they also get loose.
Is that the responsibility of the hamlet council or is it under our territorial government?
Hon. Lorne Kusugak (interpretation): Now I understand your question.
Dog control is something that’s a problem in each of the communities.
When I was the Mayor of Rankin Inlet, we used to get quite a few calls a day about stray dogs and the increasing number of stray dogs within our community.
Dog control is a problem in most Nunavut communities.
It seems like when a dog gets off their leash, they are shot right away and yet, the stray ones are around forever.
It’s not the responsibility of the territorial government.
Dog control in the municipality is operated by the hamlet in accordance with their local by-laws. These by-laws outline the process of dog control, including having by-law officers.
The by-law officers, who are employees of the hamlet, are the ones who provide dog control.
From experience, I can say that we also involve the RCMP and other service providers when there are cases of rabies or other health concerns.
With the issue of stray or loose dogs, that is the responsibility of the hamlet through their existing by-laws and local by-law officers.
Written Questions. (interpretation ends) Item 8.
Tabled Document 023 – 3(1): New Trades Brochure (Tapardjuk)
Tabled Document 024 – 3(1): Youth Committee Tool Kit (Tapardjuk)
I would like to table two documents that I referred to in my Minister’s Statements.
I wish to table the following documents: our new Trades Brochure and the other one from the Department of Culture, Language, Elders and Youth is the Youth Committee Tool Kit, Mr. Speaker.
Can we have the documents brought forward, please.
Tabled Document 025 – 3(1): Model Consent Form under section 48(5) of the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (Elliott)
I am pleased to follow up on my exchange yesterday with the Minister of Health and Social Services by tabling a model consent form under section 48(5) of the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act.
I encourage all members to review this with care.
Tabled Document 026 – 3(1): 2009-2011 Corporate Plan for Workers’ Safety and Compensation Commission (Curley)
Tabled Document 027 – 3(1): Workers’ Safety and Compensation Commission’s Annual Report for 2007 (Curley)
Hon. Tagak Curley: Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to table the following document, and I’ll have one right after that one as well:
2009-2011 Corporate Plan for Workers’ Safety and Compensation Commission.
I am also pleased to table the following document:
Workers’ Safety and Compensation Commission Annual Report for 2007.
Can I have the documents brought forward to the table, please.
Hon. Eva Aariak (interpretation): Mr. Speaker, I apologize first of all, I am not able to table the document that I was going to table today. It is the Annual Report on the State of Inuit Culture and Society, 2007-08. This report is delivered as part of the Inuit obligations under Article 32 of the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement, 1993.
I cannot table it at this time and I do apologize.
Bill 1 with Mr. Ningeongan in the Chair.
>>House recessed at 15:26 and Committee resumed at15:57
Chairman (Mr. Ningeongan)
(interpretation): Thank you. (interpretation ends) I would like to call the committee meeting to order. (interpretation) Yesterday, we began our consideration of the Department of Health and Social Services. (interpretation ends) In Committee of the Whole, we have the following items to deal with: Bill 1.
We wish to continue with our review of Bill 1 and the Department of Health and Social Services, followed by the Department of Environment, and if time permits, the Department of Executive and Intergovernmental Affairs, and if time also permits, we will deal with the Department of Culture, Language, Elders and Youth.
Are we in agreement to continue?
Chairman (interpretation): Thank you. (interpretation ends) Minister Curley, do you have witnesses you would like to bring to the table?
Hon. Tagak Curley: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. (interpretation) Yes, please, I would be very pleased to have my officials with me at the witness table. (interpretation ends) Thank you.
Chairman (interpretation): Thank you. (interpretation ends) Does the committee agree to bring in the witnesses?
Thank you. (interpretation ends) For the record, Minister Curley, please introduce your witnesses.
Hon. Tagak Curley (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Sitting with me on my right is the Deputy Minister for the department, Mr. Alex Campbell, and on my left is our capital plan analyst/director for the department.
Please state their names for the record.
Hon. Tagak Curley (interpretation): … Rosemary Brown has an office in Rankin Inlet and she is our Director of Capital Planning for health centres and so on throughout Nunavut.
Does a member of the Regular Members’ Caucus have opening comments?
Welcome, minister and your officials as well.
I am pleased to provide opening comments on behalf of the Regular Members’ Caucus as the Committee of the Whole begin its consideration of the Department of Health and Social Services’ proposed 2009-2010 capital estimates.
Members note the department’s proposed capital budget for 2009-2010 is $4.7 million.
This is the smallest capital budget brought forward by this department since 2001-02.
In 2007-08, the department’s capital budget was $9.4 million and it was $14.4 million in 2008-09.
The department’s proposed capital budget for 2009-2010 is mainly allocated to the completion of four projects; the two continuing care centres in Gjoa Haven and Igloolik, the replacement health centre in Pangnirtung and the Kivalliq Health Centre in Rankin Inlet, as well as to provide funding for furniture and equipment at the Qikiqtani General Hospital.
Members note that while a similar amount of funding was already approved for furniture and equipment at the Qikiqtani General Hospital in the 2008-09 capital estimates, those funds were reallocated to the design of three health centre replacement projects for the communities of Repulse Bay, Taloyoak, and Arctic Bay.
These three projects had been identified as priorities in the Government of Nunavut’s Budget Speech of February 2008.
Members note, however, that no funds are allocated in the 2009-2010 capital estimates for continuing work on these three replacement health centre projects and there are no timelines within the 2010-14 Five-Year Capital Plan to indicate when they may continue.
Members strongly encourage the government to get these projects back on track and to update the communities on a regular basis as to their progress.
Members note that the Pangnirtung Health Centre project is nearing completion and although significantly delayed, it will be open in the near future.
Members note that in past budgets, a number of community health centres from across Nunavut had been identified as potential candidates for major renovation or replacement due to their age or condition.
It is not clear how often technical assessments are conducted on such facilities and how the results of any such assessments are taken into account in prioritizing capital infrastructure needs.
Members note further that the minister had made a commitment to provide an updated listing of all health facilities across Nunavut, including information on the year of construction, any major renovations, and when the facility was last evaluated.
Members are disappointed not to have received that information to date.
As in past budgets, the 2009-2010 capital estimates include two blocks of non-specific funding, one for building repairs and emergency situations and one for equipment and vehicles.
Members note that many community health centres are unable to provide adequate transportation to clients.
This situation becomes critical when ambulance services are required or when there is limited or no private sector transportation available.
In some communities, the airport is a considerable distance from the municipality and clients required to travel to receive medical services elsewhere have problems getting to and from the airport.
Members encourage the minister to address community level transportation needs either through the purchase of vehicles or by other means, such as the provision of taxi chits.
Mr. Chairman, members note with approval that the two continuing care facilities in Gjoa Haven and Igloolik are in the final stages of completion.
Members look forward to the opening of these facilities which will allow many Nunavut residents who require 24-hour care to be repatriated to Nunavut and to receive their care closer to home and their families.
The proposed 2009-2010 capital estimates include funding for furniture and equipment for the Qikiqtani General Hospital.
Members encourage the minister to explore all potential avenues for investing in equipment and technology that will enable more diagnostic testing and monitoring here in Nunavut instead of requiring medical clients to travel, at great expense, to other jurisdictions to receive such services.
Mr. Chairman, over the past few years, the Government of Nunavut has made significant capital investments in the building of our three regional health facilities.
Although the department’s proposed capital estimates include funding for ongoing work at the Kivalliq  Health Facility in Rankin Inlet, all three facilities have been operational for some time.
However, Mr. Chairman, members note that none of these expensive state-of-the-art facilities are functioning to their full capacity.
Members strongly encourage the minister to work hard to fully staff these facilities with health care professionals and to continue to implement local training plans that encourage more Nunavummiut to enter the health care fields.
Our capital investments should not go to waste.
Mr. Chairman, that concludes my opening comments on the proposed 2009-2010 Capital Estimates of the Department of Health and Social Services.
Many of our clients have to travel to other jurisdictions for medical services. With the increasing number of diabetics, they have to be sent out of our jurisdiction since there no dialysis machines in Nunavut.
When Nunavut was created, we were told that health services would be provided closer to home. We also heard from all sides that people with diabetes are increasing and there are no dialysis machines in any of the regions.
As the minister indicated earlier, there is a change that is happening in Nunavut because we have to meet the requests made by the people of Nunavut.
The communities, Mr. Chairman, know exactly what is needed at the community level, much more so than the government.
There are some clients who have to travel at least once a month for medical treatment.
We would like to see Health and Social Services provide services closer to home. I think it would help greatly if health boards were set up in Nunavut.
I want to keep my comments short, so that’s it for now, Mr. Chairman.
I also have a short comment.
I would like to add to what Mr. Aupaluktuq stated in his opening comments on the second paragraph. That’s not the only issue that we are talking about.
Earlier today, I was talking about government plans not only for health centres but for other capital projects that have been delayed or removed.
I would like to remind the government again that in 2008, when Pond Inlet residents were really trying to get an arena, we realized that the three replacement health centres in Repulse Bay, Taloyoak, and Arctic Bay had been delayed repeatedly.
When we started discussing them, the government stated that the health centres needed to be replaced because they were getting too old and that they would be priorities in the capital projects of the government.
However, as Mr. Aupaluktuq stated in his opening comments, they are not even on the list anymore even though the government stated that they would be priorities in 2008.
In 2009-2010, $4.7 million is being proposed by HSS for their capital projects.
We will be closely scrutinizing the new government that recently came into power to ensure that the old health centres and the health centres that are being ordered to shut down by the fire marshal and the health department are looked into.
If there were forced closures, then the government will be scrambling to find funds to upgrade or to put health centre replacements in the communities. It’s impossible not to have a health centre in a community.
Inspections will need to be made to the health centres in the three communities that have been identified for replacements to see whether they need to be replaced in an urgent manner.
I think we will have to have a closer working relationship with the federal government.
During the period of 1967-70, the federal government used to provide adequate monies for capital projects.
But for the last several years, there has been no money provided by the federal government to replace these health centres and the new infrastructure programs that are provided by the government don’t mention anything about replacing aged health centres.
We will closely scrutinize the new government.
When certain projects are brought forth in this House, communities hear about them and then they’re suddenly removed from the list after the fact.
With those repeated activities by the government, it’s very disgraceful and it’s especially hard to convince the communities that these projects will go ahead.
The government should follow through with the projects that they have planned and that our communities have already been informed about so that they can be trustworthy.
Projects can only proceed after we have approved them.
So I urge the government to make sure that these projects go ahead because they are supported by us and the communities.
It’s regrettable that the three communities identified for replacement health centres are no longer in the capital estimates.
I am certain that there will be questions on that. I’ll leave it at that for now.
Pardon me, Mr. Elliott.
I’m just going to make one comment and that is that past capital estimates have included ongoing plans for a replacement health centre for Arctic Bay.
Some work has been completed, but the community is expecting to see the rest of the plans follow through.
I was very disappointed to note that this project does not appear in the 2009-2010 capital plan. It was anticipated that construction should have begun in 2009-2010.
As I stated that I don’t have any more names on my list, we will…
Mr. Ningark (interpretation): Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.
I’ll keep my comment short.
I would like to thank the hon. minister for stating that there will be some changes and I believe in what he said.
As communities go through changes, we need to ensure that the community’s voice is heard.
Using my riding as an example, it doesn’t make sense for me to go to Cambridge Bay and voice Kugaaruk’s concerns.
As well, if I go to Rankin Inlet to voice the concerns of Repulse Bay, it just doesn’t make sense.
That’s just a comment that I wanted to make because I believe that each representative should be voicing concerns of the people they represent.
Hopefully for our final time, we will now proceed to the page-by-page review of the departmental estimates, starting on page H-3.
Although there aren’t any updated substantiation sheets for the health centre replacement projects in Arctic Bay, Repulse Bay, and Taloyoak, the substantiation sheets for the Qikiqtani General Hospital project indicates that current fiscal year funds were reallocated from the Qikiqtani General Hospital to those health centre projects.
What is the current status of the design contract for those three health centre replacement projects?
I would first of all like to thank the member for posing that question and there are two responses to that.
The first one is, and we do hear your concerns about those health centres, when we’re looking at the fiscal forecast and preparing the O&M.
For instance, when we were dealing with education with my colleague yesterday, we heard that if we had enough money, we would go ahead with all capital projects.
A couple of days ago, I stated during a standing committee meeting that the designs of the three health centres for Arctic Bay, Repulse Bay, and Taloyoak will be completed by the end of March.
We can see today that the design phase is near completion and an architectural firm in Iqaluit is drawing it up.
The design phase is probably over 90 percent complete.
But once this phase is completed, we will still have to do cost estimates.
After the design phase is done, we will have to go back and forth to the communities and consult with the hamlets before work can start on the projects.
There’s quite a bit of detail on some of the replacement funds that were spent on the Qikiqtani General Hospital, so I would like to have Rosemary Brown respond to that part of your question.
As Minister Curley said, the architect, CGS Technical Services, and Health and Social Services have been moving full speed ahead. Since the announcement was made in February, we had to come up with a new functional program, in other words, it was like “start over” because we were also directed to put apartments above the new health centres.
Usually, doing a functional program takes a year plus a design takes a year.
As we said, just in 12 months, we have accomplished mostly both.
Now, the design is nearly done, but there are still things that have to be reviewed by the mechanical and technical people at CGS, the electrical, and so on, to make sure that absolutely is done.
We have not had the next level cost estimates back from the typical quantity surveyors that architects use across the country to verify what the costs should be.
It is in our plan to have the architects make a presentation in each community to show the community that their previous requests for certain activities have been included in the design.
Perhaps it is better that we have a little breathing space and that we’re not constructing this year to be able to refine the drawings and to verify the estimates.
The window of bringing sealift into some communities, particularly Taloyoak, which has barges, and even Arctic Bay and some of the High Arctic communities, the sealift season for marshalling is very restrictive.
The way I look at it is that there’s nothing in 2009-2010, but the government will still be issuing directives soon to start planning for 2010-11, by which time the designs would be completely finalized and we would have better cost estimates to be confident in.
So that’s basically where we’re at. It may be a little bit more long-winded, but that’s where we’re at with the design.
Mr. Elliott. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I would say no, please, be long-winded. The more information I have to take back to my community, the better it is. Like I said, I think a lot of members in my community are going to be upset that nothing… well, it will potentially be seen as nothing is being done in our community as to the work that’s been done in the past.
I spoke with the nursing station and they are actually very happy with the plans and the planning process that has been going on.
My understanding from what I was told by the nurses is that the nurse in charge from each of the health centres was brought to Iqaluit and actually included in the design process and talked to and asked for their opinion as to what was happening, so I know the nurses were happy about that.
But I know that there was an impression from, and I have a copy of the 2008-09 Budget Address, which maybe should be called for the ‘Vote for Me’ address, but it seems like it was promising nursing stations in lots of communities and now, we’re paying for, in terms of MLAs being told, “What’s happening? Why is this not happening?”
I guess our response would be that luckily, the Government of Nunavut is being fiscally responsible with their money, but at the same time, I don’t want to continue to lead on my community and have them think that something is coming that’s not coming because in the minister’s statements, he’s talking about stuff happening in 2010-11.
So just for clarification, as of March 31, 2009, which is coming up in the next couple of days, will these be Class “A” estimates coming to the communities?
Before I start, I would like to make a short comment.
We have Peter Ittinuar and Norman Ford here, who are both from my constituency. They are members of the HTO board. I would like to welcome them to the House as they are paying us a brief visit. (interpretation ends) Thank you.
I understand exactly where the member is coming from; I probably would argue the same way for my local facilities.
But the construction and the architectural design planning process is really quite complicated. It’s not just a functional program that you can take to the people who are going to be occupying the facilities. The architectural design requires electrical engineers, mechanical, and all the technical stuff that are needed are really quite complex.
And normally, if we were operating in correct development mode, the planning system should have been ahead of us.
That means they should have been done in previous years mainly because these cost estimates will drive the exact cost so that they don’t get into any major problems through the construction phase and experience major cost overruns, and so on.
So that’s probably the whole thing.
No, the Class “A” estimates will not come out of the first cost estimate process.
So I think Rosemary Brown was quite clear that they have yet to be provided to the quantitative surveyors, that means who normally do the cost estimating on the first crack basis until the others start to finalize it.
Once the contracts are issued, they will eventually be tendered first and then bids will be coming in.
That forms part of the final costing, so it’s a complicated procedure.
I think the Minister of Finance has made it clear that we have to present these cost estimating plans and handle them carefully if we’re going to have a budget that is credible in this government.
And I believe that’s what we’re trying to do as we will certainly take these architectural designs that will be completed shortly.
I think that the information that will be provided to the hamlets and the councils will form part of that process.
We look forward to presenting them to the communities’ hamlets once they come out from the architectural firms.
Rosemary did you want to... that’s it for now?
Before I ask Ms. Brown, I would like to welcome Peter Ittinuar and Norman Ford. (interpretation) Welcome.
Ms. Brown: I don’t have any further comments right now.
Going back to that then, my question would be: what class of an estimate are we going to get?
What I’m trying to get at is what Ms. Brown mentioned in terms of, I think her quote was, “We have to start all over again.”
We just spent $1.2 million of money that was shifted from the general hospital fund to start the process over again.
I don’t want to see that happen again, so what class design is that?
Madam Brown will respond to that detailed question.
A clarification, what I meant by starting over is that we previously had started on a design for the Repulse Bay Health Centre which did not have apartments upstairs.
The design we had for Taloyoak was not going to work due to the land and the renovations. Arctic Bay, in February of 2008, was not in the five-year plan of the government.
In order to be able to move forward with all three, a decision was made to go with a common design that would be appropriate to each health centre.
So what I meant by we had to start over is we could not proceed with Repulse Bay and fix it, there was too much.