EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
I would like to thank the minister for assisting Sanikiluarmiut in organizing a conference call on this issue very recently.
Sanikiluarmiut strongly believe that the population of polar bears have indeed increased.
I, myself recall back when I was in school around the 1960s, the polar bear population was not that great.
Mr. Speaker, according to the current Memorandum of Understanding for the management of the southern Hudson Bay polar bear population, the intention of the Department of Environment is to conduct population inventory studies every 15 years to determine the numbers, and rates of birth and death for the population.
The intended date to begin the next population inventory is 2005.
Mr. Speaker, I was pleased that the Minister was committed to keeping me and my community informed and involved in this issue.
Members’ statements, Mr. Tapardjuk.
Member's Statement 134 – 2(2): APTN Broadcast in English Only
I rise today after reading the Nunavut News North that was published on February 28, it stated that my constituency of Igloolik, especially the Isuma Productions, stated that APTN now has new regulations that Inuktitut programming, everything will have to be dubbed into English if they are going to be aired through APTN.
When we are dealing with the official languages in Nunavut and when we try and strengthen our Inuktitut language, in Igloolik we feel that this is very important.
APTN, with the new regulations that when all the programming is in Inuktitut because they will be dubbed into English.
This is making it very awkward to the Inuktitut unilingual speaking people.
So therefore, I am requesting all of your support to help change the minds of APTN.
Members’ statements, Mr. Kilabuk.
Member's Statement 135 – 2(2): Power Restored in Panniqtuuq
I would like to tell my constituents and for those that are watching that I wish them well.
Today in the news, we heard that the power is now restored.
They are able to use their telephones and watch television.
It was approximately two days they were out of power and I would like to thank the Minister of Energy’s staff for going up to Panniqtuuq to restore the power.
Mr. Speaker, I didn’t know if there were any serious problems due to the power outage.
I would like the people of Panniqtuuq to contact me if they did have any problems during that outage.
Members’ statements, Mr. Akesuk.
Member's Statement 136 – 2(2): Four Hunters in Cape Dorset Rescued
The men who were lost in the flow edge are now back in the community.
There were four hunters who got stranded out in the flow edge on Sunday.
I would like to thank the search and rescue operators.
Everyone is home and doing well.
I would like to congratulate the search and rescue parties in the community for saving these men.
Members’ statements, Mr. Tootoo.
Member's Statement 137 – 2(2): Funding for Illitiit Society
I rise today to draw your attention to an issue that is urgent.
It has long-term ramifications for the well-being of our communities.
For several years now, a dedicated group of local volunteers has worked extremely hard to provide a much-needed service in the community of Iqaluit, in fact, to many Nunavut residents who are not originally from Iqaluit.
The Illitiit Society has struggled long and hard to keep the Oqota Homeless Shelter open for those who desperately need it.
The society has juggled funding from sources while waiting for funding from other sources to be approved, signed off, or delivered in a continuous effort to meet payroll costs, maintenance costs, and operational costs and so on.
Mr. Speaker, I am aware that in the past the Illitiit Society has received block funding from the government.
This funding covers about a third of the actual costs of operating the homeless shelter.
Finding the other two-thirds is an ongoing and frequently frustrating task.
Mr. Speaker, the instability of funding and the tremendous effort that is needed to continue delivering much needed programs like the homeless shelter and the youth cottage are taking their toll on the Illitiit Society.
It is in danger of collapsing.
Mr. Speaker, homelessness is only one face of poverty.
Other programs such as the soup kitchen and counselling services are desperately needed.
To provide these services, it might cost somewhere in the region of $2 million but we have to ask ourselves what could be the cost if we do not ensure that these services are there.
Mr. Speaker, I sincerely hope that the government and the minister responsible will take these words to heart.
I, for one, feel very strongly that every effort must be made to ensure that the Illitiit Society survives and continues doing the work it does so well.
We can’t afford and this government can’t afford, to let Nunavummiut fall deeper into the pit of poverty.
Members’ statements, Mr. Netser.
Member's Statement 138 – 2(2): Robbie Qamaniq Letter
I would like to read a comment from Robbie Qamaniq’s letter to the editor dated February 25 of this year.
Inuit have a hard time in university (interpretation) the letter says, Mr. Speaker. (interpretation ends) I am glad that the Nunavut health department is trying to help Inuit pursue health professions.
Currently, I am in upper year university and I want to apply to medical school.
I will have the privilege to apply this summer.
I am not so sure if I will be accepted because of my low marks.
The Government of Nunavut especially the Department of Health and Social Services and the Department of Education, should review the education system of Nunavut.
Inuit students like me really have a hard time at university and I think if steps were taken, it would be easier.
Inuit students should really take advantage of this funding and stay in school.
Question 175 – 2(2): Steps for More Efficient Energy
Every night when I go back to my office, I go through my emails and every night there is one that I always look forward to receiving and that is the daily e-mail that’s sent out by the government on the ministers’ statements for the day.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday’s e-mail contained a statement from the Minister of Energy on the Qulliq Energy Corporation.
In there, it talks about ways to control our energy future and to develop ways to produce more efficient use of our energy, as well, to move towards a cleaner way of producing energy.
My question for the minister is: what steps are being taken by the Qulliq Energy Corporation and the government to produce more efficient uses of energy?
Hon. Ed Picco: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Qulliq Energy Corporation is involved in a couple of very exciting projects right now.
I hope I would be in a position later this week to do a statement in greater detail on those projects.
First of all, we are involved in two exciting projects; one in Rankin Inlet and one here in Iqaluit which the member would be familiar with, and that one is on re-heat.
We were happy and successful last year with Minister Bob Nault of the federal government, to access and leverage funding from them to begin a process of re-heat at the new Iqaluit hospital.
That would come on board in 2007, and that program alone will eliminate thousands of tons of greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere, which we actually had talked about on one of the earlier questions over the last few days here in the House.
Mr. Speaker, another project that the corporation is involved in is in the Minister of Finance’s budget and that is the energy centre that we are putting into place. That will be dealing with an across-Nunavut program to deal with efficiencies, which are energy efficiencies.
For example, using low wattage light bulbs, looking at timers for block heaters and so on.
So, quite a few projects are underway with the corporation on energy reduction and energy efficiencies.
It is good to hear that. The minister indicated in his response that they are looking at ways of becoming more efficient users of energy, not only in the government.
I know recently, the Minister of Community Government and Services announced a program that is going through their department to become more efficient.
Can the minister indicate if they can look at any programs like low energy bulbs and things that homeowners and people in staff housing can access, at ways to try and help reduce the consumption of energy in the territory.
The Government of Nunavut has been moving very proactively on looking at energy consumption and reduction.
Yesterday, I announced the opening of the new Joamie school.
That school has won awards for efficiency not only in the reduction of energy consumption and cost, but in the actual design processes for that.
That is part of the government’s on-going with all new capital expenditures; we are looking at energy efficiencies and so on.
On the residential side as the member is talking about, we are looking at efficiency through the energy resource centre that will be opened.
There is $100,000 in the budget to begin that process.
That will be an awareness program.
Again, a lot of the issues around energy that the member has pointed out are around energy awareness and I appreciate the member raising the issue around energy awareness.
Lots of times throughout Nunavut, we pass by houses with open windows for example, when it’s thirty below zero.
It’s either an issue with their thermostat in the house the way the heating system is in place, whether the air exchange is working.
These types of efficiencies will be monitored by the energy resource centre and in combination with that, the Minister of Department of Community and Government Services has talked about moving that forward as well as through the housing corporation.
So a combination of these, along with the energy corporation itself, is moving aggressively towards the reduction of the consumption of electrical energy across Nunavut.
In light of Monday’s announcement of the certainty of the 15 percent increase and the uncertainty of the rider amounts, the consumers will be expected to pay more for their energy, an indication that the minister has said that they put aside money for the government to become efficient.
What specific plans do they have in place to put in resources available to homeowners and people that are going to be impacted by these increases so that they can make their homes more energy efficient?
This is a government-wide initiative.
Again, when cabinet looked at the recommendations from the Utility Rates Review Council, we saw that there would be impact across government.
Again, 80 percent of the electrical revenue generated by the power corporation and indeed 80 percent of the usage is directly or indirectly from government or agencies that are funded directly by government.
Therefore and thus, it behooves us to be able to look at those energy efficiencies.
So, it’s a government-wide process; the minister for housing, community and government services, that department is looking at moving forward on different things through the Qulliq Energy Corporation.
There are initiatives underway to actually cut down on the emissions and cut down on the consumption of certain products, for example diesel fuel, to become more energy efficient.
We have also announced in the Department of Finance, monies for the new energy resource centre and there is an opportunity there when we have that centre set up, to see if we can leverage funds, again from our federal partner.
I would hope and we don’t want to get too far ahead of ourselves, but we have some exciting work that’s happening right now with our federal partner that we would hope is in excess of $1 million and that would be forthcoming to the government, if that is signed in the next couple of weeks. And I hope to be, again, to be able to announce something on that.
So, there is a lot of good news initiatives coming forward as the genesis of the General Rate Application program went forward.
So, I think the good news for Nunavummiut is that there are awareness programs and reductions occurring.
It’s great news to hear that the government and the corporation are looking after the 80 percent consumption that they put out, but can the minister give an indication of when we can expect to see some funding resources and dollars made available for the other 20 percent of the consumers, the homeowners who are in most cases, the ones that can afford the least to pay those additional costs.
Again, there are initiatives in the budget.
Once our budget is through the House and actually comes back, and then the rollout of different programs and services, like the energy resource centre, we’ll begin to look at those equations.
Maybe there is an opportunity for example, to look at providing low light and low energy use bulbs for example in staff housing first, because the Government of Nunavut controls and owns those staff housing units.
So, those are types of things that we would hope to be in a position to bring forward in the coming weeks.
Question 176 – 2(2): Status of Sewage and Sanitation Plans
As I mentioned during my member’s statement, my line of questioning is to the Minister of Community and Government Services.
Can the minister tell me what the current status of the Arctic Bay sewage and sanitation project is?
As my colleague mentioned that in the funding in the capital plan up to date… . After we solve the problems that we are encountering as I stated to the House the other day, for all the Nunavut communities in regard to sewage and sanitation projects along with the Nunavut Association of Municipalities, we will be putting up a plan in the spring.
I can assure my colleague that once they visit the community then they will be able to specify and find out as to exactly what will happen on how that funding will be utilized after consultation.
Speaker (interpretation): Mr. Barnabas, this is your first supplementary.
I would like to thank the minister for clarifying this for me.
Can the minister tell me why there is no funding in the five-year capital plan for the necessary technical evaluation?
I can state in the House that for the water and sewage projects, there has been a big financial shortage on those programs and we only make them available on an emergency basis because the funding was not set aside for that.
I’ll speak English.
Is the minister currently working to secure federal funding for this project under the Strategic Infrastructure Fund?
Hon. Peter Kilabuk (interpretation): Some programs were to start last year and some this year and as of today I believe, the last one will be in 2008.
The funding that was there was already allocated to those programs.
There was no funding made available for that particular project.
That’s why I said to the member that after the spring consultation, Arctic Bay residents will be considered too under this.
So, that is how it was.
I would like to ask the minister why that $90,000 was put aside for centralized communities, from non-centralized to centralized communities.
As he was making his statement earlier, they were able to work on this in a cheaper way.
I can tell my colleague that what was to be allocated to them was subsequently removed because it was cheaper.
Member for Rankin Inlet  North, Mr. Curley.
Question 177 – 2(2): URRC Funding from Qulliq Energy
My question is for the Minister of Energy and I would like to thank the Utility Rates Review Council especially Ray Mercer, with the way they were able to consult.
It was not a very pleasant consultation because a lot of anger was expressed and they still had to deliver that message and they were able to make decisions and they have to give the amount.
I would like to ask the minister: the $22 million that will be used by Qulliq Energy by government, was this information given to you by the URRC?
I didn’t hear the response.
Could the minister respond, I had a fuzzy answer.
The answer was, yes.
Mr. Curley (interpretation): So, this information was given to them and they will have another $22 million subsidy for the winter.
It states that they will require only $8 million but if you add that it comes to a total of $35 million for the year.
Consumers will pay the $8 million and to my understanding, the $27 million will come from the government.
In the URRC’s final report to the minister that I tabled in House and is part of the public record, you will note in the first few pages of the URRC report which is again, before the public and all the members, there is a letter dated February 8, by me to Mr. Ray Mercer, explaining to him that there is a proposal to bring forward the $22 million supplementary appropriation which outlines the impact of that $22 million.
And my question to Mr. Mercer was, and I think the member has made a good point on it… .
My letter to Mr. Mercer asked, with the extra $22 million contribution, would that change his recommendations, either up or down, and how would he account for that?
The member and the members of the public and members of the House will see the response from Mr. Mercer as tabled in the URRC document.
I’d like to ask the minister again in regard to the increase of prices of fuel within a $1 million range, within 90 days… .
But, the Minister of Finance stated yesterday that the $22 million, and I quote, (interpretation ends) “covers the fuel and capital in lieu of a rider”. (interpretation) If that will be the case, then why will they have to put in that fuel rider?
Again, there is no mystery or secrecy here. I think it is pretty transparent.
Again, in the URRC document that I tabled in the House… .
My letter for all the public to see, to Mr. Mercer outlined what the $22 million request was for.
I will read it out for the record: $8 million, again it’s all part of the public record, was a contribution to the Qulliq Energy Corporation in lieu of the fuel rider and that was for 2004-05.
Again, the new fiscal year with the rates starts April 1, 2005.
The $10 million as a contribution to the Qulliq Energy Corporation, corresponds to the impact of capital funding of 2004-05, and that is why URRC talked about doing the capital rider for the next fiscal year starting on April 1, 2005.
The $4 million was an extraordinary contribution to the Qulliq Energy Corporation for the declining equity ratios, and that is what the members reviewed this past spring when the Auditor General of Canada said that the equity amount of the corporation has fallen and the equity amount of the corporation has fallen and that we should replace the equity, equity being money that the owner, being the Government of Nunavut, would put back into the corporation.
So Mr. Speaker, the 8 and 10 is 18 and plus 4 is 22, and that’s where the money comes from.
Again, it’s all part of the public record tabled in the URRC report.
I appreciate the minister’s attempt to clarify but I’m not talking about the previous year.
Well you know, we understand exactly what happened last year with respect to $14 million, I believe in total, from last fall through the winter and summer.
The Minister of Finance, yesterday, indicated that this $22 million is in lieu of a fuel rider.
I would think that is probably what the minister meant.
If that is the case, why then would the public be asked to pay for additional fuel, additional power increases that you are anticipating and which you have approved through the documents released a couple of days ago.
Again, there has been so much happening on the file that it gets confusing.
I’m confused at times.
I’m sure the members are and the public, as I’ve heard on the radio the last couple of days.
It’s because of the timeframes involved.
I tabled in the House last week the annual report for the power corporation, as of March 31, 2004, ten months after the fiscal date.
That’s the issue with the power corporation, as the Auditor General and the member knows, has said. They are too late in making their findings.
So when you find out the actual information ten months later, it’s pretty hard to react to it.
And that’s what we’ve been doing.
In the February 8 letter to Mr. Mercer, there was $8 million and that’s the amount that was there, $8 million which was in lieu of the fuel rider for 2004-05.
Because in 2003, when I froze the rates after consultations with the municipalities, with the mayors, with the Association of Municipalities, and Mr. Peterson was the chair, and the Chamber of Commerce, we only had one financial statement and we didn’t know what the revenue return of the corporation was.
We said we would freeze the rates for one year, which is what we did.
And we came forward with the GRA this past fall, in November 2004.
The new rates are scheduled for April 1, 2005.
We said in this House, the members have talked about it, the Minister of Finance, the Premier said we wouldn’t ask the public to pay for any of the expenses or costs before the new rates were in place.
So, everything we’re talking about is before April 1, 2005.
So, that’s where that debt comes from.
That amount of money, the $22 million that will be put onto the books for this fiscal year as of March 31, 2005, because that’s the next fiscal year. And April 1, 2005, the new rates kick in and then we will be able to ascertain what the revenue requirement will be for what we call the test year.
So, I hope that helps explain to the member what the contribution is for and as outlined again, it’s in the public, it’s in the documents, anyone can read it and it’s there.
I hope that helps clarify.
Question 178 – 2(2): Items Deleted in the KPMG Report
It concerns the KPMG report.
Mr. Speaker, as everybody in the House knows, I’ve been trying to get a copy of this report since last May.
It’s entitled the KPMG Medical Travel Review Profile Report.
The minister kindly tabled it the other day.
However when I started reading through it, I noticed that huge sections of the report have been deleted.
The report makes very little sense now without those sections.
I’m wondering if the minister can tell us if she is aware of the information that was deleted.
Yes, I am aware of that report.
Some parts of it are deleted in relation to the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act.
(interpretation) I’ll respond to you in Inuktitut.
Yes, I am aware of your question.
Some of the portions of the report were deleted because we had to take the individuals names’ out; wherever there were third parties mentioned, we had to delete them and we can’t publicize them due to privacy issues.
I appreciate the minister’s concern in that regard, for the Information and Privacy Act.
Mr. Speaker, entire sections were deleted.
The report makes no sense at all.
We requested that report so it would help the members on this side of the House concerning the department’s health budget, in particular the travel part of it.
So, I am going to ask the minister again if she will assist the members on this side of the House and table the deleted sections of the report this week.
I do appreciate the member’s questions on that report. We received it in 2002.
Some portions of the report had to be deleted because of privacy issues.
I agree with the minister that the report is old; it’s June 10, 2002. I am not sure what the purpose of the report was then but I know that since then, in two and a half years, the department has consistently overspent its annual budget and most of the spending has occurred in increased medical travel costs.
I found an interesting comment in the report.
It makes reference to a separate final report of the project on page 46.
I will read it. It says, “This profile document reflects the observations of the review team based on its work through early 2002.
It has been used in forming and development of strategies and recommendations regarding medical travel, which were captured in the separate final report of this project.”
Mr. Speaker, that implies that there’s another report out there separate from this; this must have been a profile report.
So, my question for the minister is, can the minister tell the House if a separate final report exists from this project, yes or no?
Hon. Levinia Brown (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will look into that to see if there’s another addition to the report. I will check into that and let you know.
I will take that as a commitment that she can look into that, and if it’s available, she will table it.