EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
Mr. Speaker, the Member had an opportunity to read the Auditor General’s report when I tabled the concerns in the Power Corporation’s budget itself.
He has referred to it and so I do not know why he would want me just to reissue them or re-ask them or re-speak them here, but I can point out that there were several issues, including in the way capital assets were being counted for, the expenditure controls themselves, the way billings were being done, there were concerns with the accounting practises of the Corporation, there were issues around the way contracts had been put in place, the way supplies and materials have been accounted for.
But, Mr. Speaker, the most important thing to point out, I believe, was the Auditor General for Canada says, we do not make this stuff up, the Auditor General pointed out there were concerns with the expense issues of the Corporation, but the biggest issue for the losses that we have had over the last two years have been that the rates have not changed since 1998 and that there is a deficit in the revenue stream of the Corporation.
That is something that will be fixed with the General Rate Application, the GRA that has to come forward and, Mr. Speaker, we would hope to have that in place probably by April 1st that has to go to the URCC, and a presentation has to be done.
There will be public meetings at that time and it would be a transparent process.
Mr. Speaker, the Minister answered another question that I don’t have to ask and I thank him for that.
The Minister had indicated a number of areas and one of them was expenditure control and the way contracts are handled and the way materials and stuff were purchased.
Can the Minister indicate more explicitly what some of these concerns were in those areas and when he became aware of them?
Mr. Speaker, there are a couple of points, as the Minister responsible for the Power Corporation, similar to what we see with other corporations within governments and falling on the lines of the genesis of the Power Corporation comes from the Northwest Territories, the Minister has a board of directors.
Mr. Speaker, they oversee the monthly, day-to-day operations of the Power Corporation and I must say that in the last couple of months coming out of the second audit we have strength of the board again by putting two very credible and capable people on to the board, including one being a lawyer and the other being a very senior former civil servant of the government.
Mr. Speaker, some of the issues around expenditure controls may have been implemented and we’ve changed that so that the appointment of the Chief Operating Officer as well as the Chief Financial Officer have to be involved in the duel diligent process for these types of expenditures including the contracting and the accounts receivable.
One of the biggest issues on the management side was the accounts payable and that we had several accounts within the Power Corporation that were over 60 and 90 days haven’t been paid. That caused some concern for us.
Prior issues Mr. Speaker, around the way the corporation was doing its billings and have actually come up here in the House for in some cases we were 90 days behind the actual billing date.
What that means Mr. Speaker is that you would get your bill on October 1st but the bill would have been for the month of July.
Those things have been changed Mr. Speaker by bringing in the new accountants that we just talked about earlier by looking at the logistics as well as the administrative aspects of the corporation and by implementing the recommendations coming out of the Auditor General’s Report.
Mr. Tootoo: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Minister had indicated earlier and the preamble of, you know it’s been a long time, significant amount of those loses are the result of not adequate rates to cover off the cost of producing electricity.
He had indicated that they’re looking at it.
Can he indicate when we expect to see the power rate increase in Nunavut?
Mr. Speaker, I guess just a couple of facts of life, as any business here in the western world unless you’re under their control the communist monopoly you cannot continue to supple goods and services at the same price continually for the same year, every year.
In this case Mr. Speaker, by December, by January, a little over one month from now, Mr. Speaker, it’ll be the year 2004.
Our prices, our rates for electricity have not increased in six years while the cost of operations, decentralization, increases in wages and benefits, and including the cost of water have increased.
So, how can’t you, that’s a good point Mr. Tootoo, how can you expect the Power Corporation to create a profit when the rates haven’t changed.
So, I don’t know when the rates would go up Mr. Speaker, I don’t know if they will go up.
The Power Corporation has to apply for a GRA, a General Rate Application.
That General Rate Application has a public process.
It has to be scrutinized by the URCC, the Utility Rates Review Council, Mr. Speaker, and they have to hold a public hearings and so long and they have to demonstrate.
Mr. Speaker, there are two major points here that I want to get on the record and those points are number one: right now everyone rate here in Nunavut is based on a subsidy of Yellowknife.
We haven’t been part of Yellowknife for four years, is that acceptable?
Do we base a rate now on what the norm is in Nunavut?
Number two, should you continue the current rate structure and that each communities pays the actual cost of it’s generation of electricity.
Some communities for example here in Iqaluit, it’s cheaper than say for example in Grise Fiord, which is more expensive.
Those are the types of questions that the Power Corporation needs to ask.
In the meantime, those rates do not increase, then, Mr. Speaker, we would expect losses to continue.
Question 712 – 1(6): Update on AIDS Cases
Mr. Speaker, I am sure the Minister is aware that yesterday was the Aboriginal AIDS Awareness Day.
Can the Minister update this House on where we stand in Nunavut with respect to the incidents of HIV and AIDS cases in Nunavut?
Mr. Speaker, first of all, AIDS Day has been very successful after coming into being several years ago.
Mr. Speaker, as a Government, throughout many communities of Nunavut, we participated in HIV and AIDS awareness.
I wanted to take this opportunity, Mr. Speaker, very quickly, to say that the deaths recently of Mr. Todd Armstrong of Pauktuutit, who did yeoman service, many Members here remember Todd on behalf and for AIDS awareness across Nunavut and indeed the circumpolar north is much recognized and to pass on the very best to his surviving family.
Mr. Speaker, the situation is still very low with actual confirmed cases of HIV in Nunavut.
However, Mr. Speaker, we believe one of the reasons probably for that is many people are not being tested.
We do not have a force test situation or policy in place.
When people present themselves at a health center or at the hospital, for example, and they have been contacted for STD, a Sexually Transmitted Disease, they are offered the opportunity for HIV testing.
In many cases, people do not take us up on that.
So although our rate is low, we know that the rates of sexually transmitted diseases are high.
So, I would suggest, Mr. Speaker, that the, there can be some congruence or some similarity in those numbers and I think that people in Nunavut should be aware of that.
We have a very high sexually transmitted rate and there is a very strong possibility of the concurrent HIV or AIDS.
Thank you, Mr. Minister. (interpretation ends) I would like to ask another question then by saying, okay, you mentioned first that the reason being low that not too many people are being tested; what is the Department doing to encourage the public to be tested, through ads or pamphlets?
What is the Department doing to encourage testing?
Mr. Speaker, any person who presents themselves to the hospital or to the health center for STI, Sexually Transmitted Infections or Sexually Transmitted Diseases are automatically asked do they want an HIV test.
I would suggest to you, Mr. Speaker, because of the stigma that is still associated with HIV many people do not feel they should be tested.
What as I said earlier, Mr. Speaker is if we look at the rates for STDs, which are very high, for example, right now in Nunavut, the highest number of cases of STDs include Chlamydia and we know that when the medical professionals will tell you when you have that very high rate, then there is a good possibility that some of these other STDs, for example, in this case, maybe HIV because it is also spread by infected blood products or indeed injecting needles, not just through sex.
So, Mr. Speaker, we would suggest that because of those instances, there may be a higher number of HIV infection that has gone undetected.
We do not force people to take an HIV test; it is voluntary, and that is the reason why we feel that maybe the number may not be an accurate picture of what could be out there.
Maybe I’ll try it another way.
I wanted some examples for more awareness to the general public, especially to the high schools in Nunavut.
What are the type of activities you are doing to this thing in the increased awareness of the risk of HIV and AIDS in Nunavut?
Mr. Speaker, preliminary rates from Health Canada for 2001 show Nunavut to have the highest rate of gonorrhoea, and Chlamydia in Canada.
For example, Mr. Speaker, 12 to 14 times the national rate.
We see this as a very serious public health issue, Mr. Speaker, and the Member has been pointing out, I think we have been very proactive not only through public health, through our CHRs in the communities, but also through education.
I know for example, Mr. Speaker, my kids in school, my daughter yesterday was doing a project on herpes and on STDs and she is only 13 years old.
So I know that that type of education is going on.
In the Department of Health and Social Services, Mr. Speaker, we have introduced trilingual posters and pamphlets explaining the situation with STIs and STDs, and those were distributed to every health centre, and hospital and public health office in Nunavut.
Mr. Speaker, the Members will remember, for example, and I said this earlier when we partnered with Pauktuutit, we introduced flavoured condoms.
Those flavoured condoms, at that time, Mr. Speaker, were seal and muktaaq flavoured, and walrus flavoured.
The Members may remember I dressed up as a condom man and passed out condoms, and indeed there were some concerns from the Arctic Winter Games people; there was a complaint made about that.
Mr. Speaker, although that may seem a little funny, it is a very serious aspect because we know through Public Health that most children, most young people who are at risk from the most recent sexually transmitted diseases, respond more to these types of advertisements, these types of messages, than the scare factor stuff.
So, Mr. Speaker, there is a lot of work going on, but the best way to make this point very clear, is through questions like the Member is doing in the House, to continue to reinforce these situations.
When you have 12 to 14 times the sexual rates of Chlamydia and Gonorrhoea then, Mr. Speaker, that is a very serious issue.
I just want to again to make sure that the general public, residents of Kugluktuk, for example, I know that some people are not taking this very serious. Sickness is going around in the world and I do not want to see it increase in Nunavut, but it always makes its way, it comes up North and stays here.
We have to find a way to control that.
I want to ask the Minister again as a residence, or a home, how a person can find more information on the statistics of not the other sexual diseases that are spread out, but especially in AIDS and HIV area.
I would like to know how that is being increased awareness at home.
Mr. Speaker, again I want to sincerely thank the Member for raising the issue.
I do not think in the last four years, as the Minister of Health, that we actually had the chance to discuss this more than maybe twice, or three times.
Mr. Speaker, any member of the public can get information on AIDS, HIV, or any sexually transmitted disease from the public health office, from the health centres.
Mr. Speaker, I believe that the Department of Education is doing excellent work in bringing more awareness around and Mr. Speaker, to stop the spread of sexually transmitted diseases.
There are condoms Mr. Speaker, out there that help stop the contact.
So, Mr. Speaker I would not recommend the practice of unsafe sex by not using condoms and so should be looked down on indeed Mr. Speaker, that’s why in many public health offices and health centres condoms are readily available.
We need to be able to stop the spread of diseases.
It’s important to point out Mr. Speaker, that almost 50% of Chlamydia almost half of the cases of Chlamydia do not show, which means Mr. Speaker; you would not have typical signs of it.
That’s why Mr. Speaker, when for example, when a woman’s pregnant, that tests for STIs are regularly done because a lot of the cases the disease does not show itself and you would not know you’re ill.
Mr. Speaker, very quickly, without intervention those infections can include a toxic pregnancies which means Mr. Speaker, miscarriages.
Mr. Speaker, infertility, meaning being not allowed to have any more babies again if it’s not treated, pelvic inflammatory diseases, pre-term delivery and transmission of these sexually transmitted diseases during birth.
This is very serious stuff.
So, Mr. Speaker, I think the people of Nunavut, all members of the public should be aware of these issues and like the Member had stated earlier through education and school as well as at public health and so on that method should continue and with World AIDS Day here I think it’s very important to point that out.
Question 713 – 1(6): Public Housing Rent Scale
I would like to direct my question to the Minister responsible for the Housing Corporation in regards to the public housing rents.
Of course, in public housing we have to pay the rent and also the price of groceries and cost of living is very high.
Those are some of the examples.
If an individual entered the work force in Nunavut, they have to pay a percentage of their earnings for rent and the cost of living keeps increasing.
In view of the cost of living increasing and also families have dependents that they have to feed, when their rent is increased there are times they cannot even afford to pay their groceries and to buy their clothing or to cover their basic needs.
In view of the cost of living increasing, how are you going to consider coming up with solutions to these?
Mr. Speaker, as I indicated earlier the response to the same question from Mr. Nutarak, the new public housing rent scale was put in place after extensive consultations and recommendations from local housing authorities including managers and boards for representatives.
So, this wasn’t done just a matter of something done on paper without some thought put behind it.
We recognize that there are some individuals who have been impacted at first because of the fact that there is income being captured now that wasn’t captured before because we actually use the criteria of income reported on the income tax forms.
So, having said that, we also said that if there are problems with the new rent scale that the government, through the housing corporation would revisit that.
We did have a major workshop six months after the implementation of the new rent scale last time when we were here in October that took place.
There haven’t been any significant issues raised from the local housing authorities who are implementing the new rent scale to date, but having said that, as I said earlier, if there are problems we’ll continue to make adjustments as required.
The new rent scale is a lot more fair and a lot more transparent than the past rent scale; a lot more understandable and that I think is by enlarge being improved for what was there.
I understand the response from the Minister clearly.
My question is when are you going to renew the rent scale in the future?
Mr. Speaker, it is hard to say, like I said, it would be up to the next Government, the next Minister responsible to review all programs and policies that we have.
I can tell the Member that the rent scale that was replaced, the old rent scale has been around for over a decade.
If Members really remember, I mean there are some things and this is the first time that the major revision about the public housing rents was put in place by this Government and this Housing Corporation in consultation with our stakeholder partners, the Local Housing Authorities.
As the Minister had stated that since the old rent scale has been used for ten years and since this is a new rent scale, my question is how long do you plan to keep this new rent scale?
Mr. Speaker, for as long as it works.
Question 714 – 1(6): Compensation for Bad Gas for Hall Beach Residents
My question is directed to the Minister responsible for petroleum products.
I already notified the Minister at the last session and I asked him the question prior to that and he did not respond to me before the end of that last Session.
But we have our Session here for three or four days.
My question was at that time, we had experienced some bad gas in our community and we used that bad gas for about approximately three weeks.
I just wanted to find out, after their study or a review that has been done, what is the Department going to do about compensating my community?
The response that I had given to the Member at that time is the response that I have today.
The experience with bad gas that the community of Hall Beach had when they were moving the gas from the pipes to the tank, apparently there was water contamination.
That is the reason they had experienced the bad gas or gas with water.
There have been no complaints from any individuals from Hall Beach.
To this day, we have not had any complaints by the people of Hall Beach.
So, we are not really sure exactly what we could do for the people of Hall Beach as there were no complaints from any individuals.
If we were to be given a prior notice or a notice after the fact, then we would have been able to do something about it, but to date, we do not have any responses at this time.
The Minister stated that the people of Hall Beach have not made any complaints.
I am the representative for the people of Hall Beach and I have received numerous complaints because I listen to them.
Even if the Minister’s department did not get a complaint from the residents of Hall Beach, the Department should be able to do something about it and the Department knew that there was new gas put into the old tank, and it was contaminated with water.
And we already notified the Department of that.
Although there have not been complaints from the hunters, they encountered problems because of the water contamination of the gas.
The question that I have, and have had is on the gas that was used, that was contaminated with water, and used by the hunters, are there any plans in place to compensate, or to discount the gas that the hunters used?
I have no response other than the fact that at that time when we first found out about the contaminated gas, the very first bad gas situation was very well documented with complaints from the public.
To date my staff have notified me that there has not been any individuals complaining about the contaminated gasoline from Hall Beach, so I have no response to what the Member wants me to do, because I have no knowledge of what kind of damage was done to the engines of the hunter’s machinery. So I do not have any new responses to the Member’s question.
As the representative of the people of Hall Beach and as a Member, as the Minister is aware, that he has stated to us that there has to be an artificial ice provided to the people of Sanikiluaq.
So as a representative for Hall Beach, I am representing them by saying although there have not been any individual complaints, that there should be something done about the contaminated gasoline that they used.
If that gasoline that is contaminated with water is still there, what is the Department going to do about it?
My question, Mr. Speaker, is they had to pay the same price as before, and the people who purchased gasoline that was contaminated with water, can they get a discount for the gas that they purchased at that time?
Because the Member does not represent the people of Sanikiluaq he will not hear about complaints coming from Sanikiluaq. We hear complaints from the communities through you as their representative. For the people of Hall Beach, we hear about those communities and the people of Hall Beach did not make a complaint to my Department or Petroleum Products.
We have not seen any written complaints and people wanting discounts on the gasoline that they purchased and if there were any damages to those engines of those hunters, they have not stated to us that there have been any un-repairable damages caused to their engines.
I do not have any response to that up to today, but when we found out about the contamination of the gasoline in Hall Beach what we did was we brought more gasoline from one community to Hall Beach to replace the contaminated gasoline.
As I said that there has not been any individual or collective complaint from that community.
The Petroleum Division knows that this gasoline was contaminated with water and the people did not like it so what they had to do was get some gasoline by plane two times to Hall Beach. For that reason, the Petroleum Products Division knew that there was a contamination of that gasoline.
As far as I am concerned the people of Hall Beach used that contaminated gasoline so they provided a discount.
That community should be given a discount from the previous gas that they bought.
Only when it affected all of Nunavut, then something was done about it.
Is it because just one community experienced contaminated gasoline, are we not going to be able to get any discounts whatsoever?
We have always stated when communities, wherever it might be in Nunavut, are experiencing gasoline problems or petroleum product problems or they run out of a certain petroleum product then would help them out that is why we provided them with gasoline from Resolute Bay.
We did some testing on that gasoline from Hall Beach and could not reach any conclusive results other than the fact that it was contaminated with water.
I have no response to the damage; I have no response for that right now because there was no real damage to the engines of their machines.
Can I ask for unanimous consent to extend question period for one other Member?
Speaker: The Member is seeking unanimous consent to extend question period for a Member.
Question 715 – 1(6): Rental Scale
I now have the question period to myself. Thank you for your consent.
First of all, I would like to make a comment before I ask a question so that my question will be more understandable.
This is a question to the Minister of Housing Corporation.
There was a motion in the House that the Special Committee on Housing Report brought into the house but that was never dealt with properly in the House.
Mr. Speaker, my question is, in my communities of Clyde River and Broughton Island we don’t have a very big population.
In regards to the rental scale, the recommendation was that we wanted more home ownership rather than to stay in public housing.
We are lacking in housing, and I just want to know why they have no choice but to occupy public housing.
Only three individuals have had their rents go down.
I would like to ask the Minister responsible for the Housing Corporation that we are provided $20 million dollars for housing; would the new Assembly be able to provide better rental scales in the future?