EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
Let me ask the minister if this method is being used at the present time or if it’s something that you’re going to be using in the next year or so.
We’re not just thinking about it.
We have started using it.
What we’re using is (interpretation ends) what we call repeat designs. (interpretation) For example, Joamie School in Iqaluit and the Arviat high school are very similar to each other, so the prices for them are pretty much the same.
That’s all, Mr. Chairman.
I would like to ask for my follow-up question to that: when you talk about repeat designs, are you talking perhaps that as a department or maybe with CGS, you are better able to forecast new costs versus actually saving?
I’m just trying to get how that saves money. If you can elaborate a little bit more on that.
Yes, most definitely, so that we could be aware of the known costs. Not only that, we would also know what kind of design it is, how big it is, what capacity it’s got, and that kind of thing in terms of future reference.
We know that communities aren’t all of the same size, so the sizes of the communities and the population would be considered.
We have high schools, middle schools, and elementary schools. There are various designs for buildings like these that have been taken into consideration.
Perhaps there could be savings in common designs.
Communities also need to have land lots reserved.
We know that pretty much everything needs to come by ship.
What is the most cost-effective way of bringing up the material?
The companies bid and they are trying to get contracts.
We have to take those into consideration because communities aren’t all the same.
We have to look at all the factors and put everything into consideration.
When we talk about land costs, when you build a new school, what kind of land costs do you incur in the communities?
A lot of times, the land where the schools will be constructed on are already on reserved lands for future development, schools, and things of this nature.
We also have to take into consideration what kind of water delivery or sewage pump-outs, and so on, the disposal systems that they’ve got, the sewage pump-outs, the kinds that need sucking vehicles.
Let me conclude on that, Mr. Chairman. I hope I understood you properly.
How many new schools does your department foresee over the next five to ten years?
We do [have] a database that we follow and that is what gives us more directions on that because we do have a very good database on… .
As I said earlier in my speaking notes, we’ve got databases such as enrolments, school capacity, technical assessments, and historical school information, so this is what we rely on heavily. (interpretation) Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
With enrolment changing, perhaps from year to year, depending on the population of a community or the interest of students and parents in sending their children to school, does that change the forecast for new schools and, if so, by how much?
I thank my colleague for her question.
Up to now, whenever we speak about new school needs in a community, we generally follow criteria such as the number of students enrolled in the school and look at future needs.
As an example, just to show the process and make comparisons, a school should not be at 100 percent usage… . Hold on. In wanting to make a proper response, I got a bit confused.
The figure listed is 85 percent capacity. Whenever a school reaches the level of capacity, the department uses that as the baseline figure that triggers the process to either construct a new school or to enlarge the school. This is our baseline that triggers this process.
Further, the other criterion used is the age of the school.
As an example, in Arctic Bay, the school is quite old and dilapidated.
In that situation, even before the school reaches the 85 percent capacity, due to the age of the current school, our department may speed the process up to replace the school with a newer building.
These are the two main criteria that are used by our department to trigger the process for a new school to replace the existing facility.
Furthermore, we work with the communities, as they are intimately aware of the community situations. We are in constant communications with the DEA committees and sometimes with the municipality. They are also cognizant of their local needs.
At this time, there are some communities in this (interpretation ends) preplanning (interpretation) stage and they are Coral Harbour, Resolute Bay’s gymnasium, and the (interpretation ends) French school (interpretation) here in Iqaluit.
In your opening comments, you also talked about the assessment that has been done on all schools to get a good idea on the “overall condition of the structures.”
Can you tell us which schools did the assessment identify as needing the most work?
I didn’t get into the details earlier. However, the school assessment process identified the various needs of each facility, such as which areas need maintenance or where they need renovations.
All the schools were assessed, as there are different designs, but I can’t say which facility would be next in line.
However, one of the issues I identified within this funding that we have set aside includes funds for larger costing considerations. Where is that?
I apologize. I am looking for the information.
These are the funds as an example. In trying to provide the right response, in my written reports, I believe I stated that there was a $700,000 fund related to larger renovation projects. As per my earlier response, it is primarily for equipment replacement of furnaces, boilers, and other equipment that require immediate replacement for these major repairs.
The entirety of the fund for all of Nunavut stands around this amount that I can identify, roughly around $5 million, for all of Nunavut for these (interpretation ends) ongoing lifecycle (interpretation) repairs for the 2014-15 fiscal year.
I hope I was clear and understandable.
Did the assessment find any matters that were identified as real urgent that needed immediate attention?
We are aware that boilers need to be replaced.
They are becoming quite dated. We became aware that we need to replace the heating systems in the schools.
Has the replacement of boilers been done or are any schools in the situation where one might need to worry about the safety of our students or have they all been replaced?
Having mentioned that the safety of the students is our priority, the replacement of boilers is one that takes safety into consideration.
We cooperate well with the municipalities and with the school boards, whether they are generators or boilers.
In the next three years, we figure $500,000 will be needed. In terms of replacing boilers, we think that $350,000 would need to be spent, the first one being generators.
Maybe perhaps identifying communities in the Kitikmeot, in Kugluktuk, the generator needed to be replaced and was replaced.
In the Kivalliq region, boiler replacement took place in Rankin Inlet, Arviat needed a new generator, and Coral Harbour needed a new generator.
In the Baffin region, the Ulaajuk School needed a generator.
Quluaq School needed a generator replacement. I’m sure there is a name for generators in Inuktitut.
Nasivvik School is said that on Baffin Island, the generators are the weakest design.
Qaqqalik School needs a generator. Umingmak School needed a generator replaced.
Inuujaq uses and needs to have two boilers installed. There are other boilers that need to be replaced.
Umingmak School’s boilers have become quite dated.
The Sam Pudlat School boiler will have to be replaced.
Those are the ones that I can elaborate on, Mr. Chairman.
Part of the assessments that you have just completed on schools also made reference to special needs.
I’m wondering: can you tell us if all schools meet the needs of those with physical or mobility challenges?
Not all schools, well, just some of the schools, although we have been working on some schools on building some ramps to make sure that the special needs people can access buildings. We’re working on the ramps for the schools to be used by people with special needs.
When we were doing an assessment with the school railings, we found out that the school railings are not up to code and the washrooms should not have too many things around it.
I also spoke of school ramps and these ramps have to be situated away from the snow build-up.
Those are the items that we are working on.
In your opening comments, you also talk about gathering information from hamlets and other people in the community to develop, plan, and manage your capital priorities.
How does this kind of information gathering take place?
Can you explain what the process is?
Minister Quassa, can you elaborate, please.
We work very closely with the Department of Community and Government Services and we work with them to do our assessments and visit the communities.
We meet with them and either the municipality or the DEA at the community.
We work with both of these entities.
Also, the community DEA is involved from the beginning for the actual work.
They are involved and the community DEA makes their motion. Through the motion, they have to elaborate where the site should be. I can even tell you that the DEA chooses what colour they want their school to be.
I’m just mentioning a few of them. That’s what we go through.
I would like to go on to ask a question about buses.
In your opening comments, you say that you review requests for school buses. This year, the department has bought new buses for Taloyoak, Hall Beach, and Clyde River.
Here in Iqaluit, we have a private business that provides a busing service. Is Iqaluit the only community that has this kind of set-up when it comes to providing a busing service?
It varies in all the communities for providing bus services. Iqaluit is contracted by the DEA.
In some communities, they do provide the busing services. It varies. Iqaluit isn’t the only community with contracted services.
Rankin Inlet also has contracted busing services. I only know of Rankin Inlet.
For example, in the community of Igloolik, the hamlet has the contract to provide busing services. In Pangnirtung, it’s Qijuk Construction Ltd. that is providing the busing service. In Pond Inlet, the Tununiq Sauniq Co-operative is providing the busing services.
It varies in communities and not just in Iqaluit.
In regard to these new buses that were bought for Taloyoak, Hall Beach, and Clyde River, who do they belong to?
These buses are owned by the Nunavut government.
Can the minister tell us, when a private business runs the busing service for schools, do they have to provide their own buses or is it something that the department provides on their behalf?
Yes, they have to provide their own buses for those private contractors. (interpretation) Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Can the minister explain, then, these new buses that were bought for Taloyoak, Hall Beach, and Clyde River, is that because there is no private business running the busing service? Are these communities where the government has had to provide that service on their own?
Hon. Paul Quassa (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The community DEAs make the request themselves. They need proper storage and a proper driver.
They need to maintain the bus. Not all communities can get a bus automatically. We can only provide busing services, providing that they have proper storage and a driver.
In regard to your question, when some DEAs order a bus, if they cannot provide the services, they can contract the services because it varies from community to community.
I’m not too sure if I responded to your question or not.
For example, in Clyde River, the hamlet council provides the busing services. They have contracted it out, likewise in Hall Beach.
We’re just waiting for the entity in Hall Beach to tell us who is going to be providing the busing services.
Let us be aware that all of these buses are GN assets.
As we all know, buying buses costs big bucks, it costs a lot of money, and it’s a lot of investment for a small business provider to carry.
If a business that offers such a service required another bus to meet the needs, could they get their DEA to ask and say, “Our community needs another bus,” so that the private business can use it to offer that additional service that’s required?
Hon. Paul Quassa (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I would also like to thank you for a very good question.
As I stated earlier, the DEA can make applications or make their request any time.
They can make additional requests to our department if they want an additional bus. They can make the application.
As we alluded to earlier, bus sizes and costs vary. Some have 42 seats while others have 72 seats.
Baker Lake, for example, requested an additional bus and that’s under review now. We are considering it.
Let us be aware that they look for ways that they can get additional buses. (interpretation ends) There are various factors as to how one community gets a bus or can also request for another bus.
There are certain criteria that have to be met.
It is transparent across Nunavut. There are different various factors.
As I said earlier, the number of students, maintenance requirements, storage, seasonal temperatures, safety, these are some of the factors that we consider when a bus is being requested.
If a private company is the contractor, such as what we see here in Iqaluit, and if another bus is required, it would be up to the private company to buy the bus.
If a community DEA requests for another bus, we can increase the contribution agreement for that.
I don’t know if you got the answer that you wanted. (interpretation) Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
It may feel a bit confusing because for one, some communities that have private businesses are buying a bus because the DEA has requested it.
Does the DEA give the bus to the private business to use, and could they do that here?
The local DEA committee makes the request, and upon their request, as per my earlier statement, we can reconsider their request and possibly increase the amount of funding allocated towards that local DEA needs.
However, in situations where private businesses such as here in Iqaluit hold the contract, our department wouldn’t make the purchase of the equipment.
The business would have to purchase the new vehicle upon the request of the DEA. This would only apply where private businesses hold the contract, as they would purchase the new bus if they are (interpretation ends) private contractors. (interpretation) Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Hopefully I’ll get more time later on to ask a few more questions in that area, but I’m just looking at the clock here.
I want to ask a question about staff housing.
I think it’s an issue that we have heard of over the last year about staff across the GN in some communities having to share accommodations because of the lack of housing.
I think that teachers have had to have that as well happen to them because of the lack of housing.
Can you describe how the lack of staff housing affects your department’s ability to hire and retain staff?
I thank the member for raising that issue again.
Yes, indeed, staff housing is an important issue to many communities and our department.
Yes, I can make some comparisons perhaps in one circumstance here.
In Whale Cove and Repulse Bay, these two communities in particular are ones where we have noted this in this school year. Even though the school year was about to start and we had already hired teachers for the positions, due to the lack of housing, it became quite problematic, especially where it impacted the students.
We have also realized in other situations where teachers have to share accommodations in a single unit.
In facing this matter, we are not involved in identifying staff housing for the communities, as that is the purview of the Nunavut Housing Corporation.
At this time, we have initiated discussions with them to see how we can resolve this challenge. It is due to the fact that our student body should be adversely affected by operational issues or difficulties faced by the community.
As well, past issues that have cropped up revolve around housing shortages where two new teachers who are strangers are forced to share accommodations and this has created immense difficulties.
It can lead to one or the other resigning due to their inability to share accommodations.
This is a situation that we are now familiar with and thusly why we have started to work with the (interpretation ends) Nunavut Housing Corporation (interpretation) in order to deal with it. As per my previous comment, we are working with the Nunavut Housing Corporation to resolve this.
Perhaps I will use another example here. Just to provide the information, such as a case where a teacher may be forced to share accommodations with their supervisor, the principal due to severe housing shortages, (interpretation ends) the principal and teacher… .
(interpretation) It is unfortunate, but due to our many challenges, we face that. In another scenario, two teachers with one being a female and the other a male, who are strangers to one another, are forced to share accommodations and we have had to face that before.
Due to a myriad of issues we face in this area, we are trying to collaborate with the Nunavut Housing Corporation to rectify the housing shortages we face today.
I have great expectations that we will resolve this down the road.
Chairman (interpretation): Thank you, Minister Quassa. Pursuant to Rule 6(1), I now recognize the clock and I will report progress to the Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Sergeant-at-Arms, please escort the witnesses out.
When we resume our meeting tomorrow, Ms. Angnakak will be the first one on the list.
A reminder that there’s a meeting of the Regular Caucus tomorrow morning at 10:30 in the Tuktu Boardroom.
Bill 4  Bill 6
Speaker (interpretation): Thank you. (interpretation ends) This House stands adjourned until Tuesday, October 28, at 1:30 p.m.
>>House adjourned at 18:00 Appendix – October 27, 2014
Reports of Standing and Special Committees on Bills and Other Matters  Standing Committee on
Oversight of Government Operations  And Public Accounts
Report of the Auditor General of Canada
to the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut on the  2014 Follow-up Report on Child and Family Services in Nunavut
George Hickes, MLA
Alexander Sammurtok, MLA
Tony Akoak, MLA
Pat Angnakak, MLA
David Joanasie, MLA
Steve Mapsalak, MLA
Simeon Mikkungwak, MLA
Joe Savikataaq, MLA
Isaac Shooyook, MLA
Fall Sitting
2nd Session of the 4th Legislative Assembly
Mr. Speaker, I have the honour of presenting the report of the Standing Committee on Oversight of Government Operations and Public Accounts on its review of the Auditor General of Canada’s 2014 Follow-Up Report on Child and Family Services in Nunavut.
Mr. Speaker, as you will recall, the Auditor General’s report was tabled in the House on March 18, 2014 and was subsequently considered by the Standing Committee on Oversight of Government Operations and Public Accounts.
The Standing Committee held its hearings on the Auditor General’s reports on September 16 and 17, 2014.
Mr. Speaker, the Committee was very pleased to welcome Mr. Ronnie Campbell, Assistant Auditor General, and Ms. Michelle Salvail, Principal, from the Office of the Auditor General to our hearings.
Mr. MacDonald, the Acting Deputy Minister of Family Services, Mr. Mark Arnold, the Deputy Director of the Child and Family Services Division and Mr. Ambrose Ojah, the department’s Child Protection Specialist, appeared on behalf of the Department of Family Services.
The Standing Committee was extremely disappointed that the Director of Child and Family Services did not attend the hearings as his experience and direct involvement in exercising the specific authorities and duties required to implement the government’s Child and Family Services Act could have afforded the Committee greater insight to and perspective on the challenges facing the Department of Family Services in meeting its obligations to the children and youth of Nunavut.
The absence of the Director of Child and Family Services from the hearings raised some concerns.
The objective of the 2011 audit was to evaluate the GN’s performance in carrying out its own procedures and following its own laws in a number of areas relating to child, youth and family programs and services in Nunavut.
The 2011 Auditor General’s report included twenty recommendations with fourteen recommendations addressing services relating to children and youth, three recommendations addressing adoption, two relating to public health and one regarding program coordination between departments.
The 2011 Auditor General’s report was tabled and reviewed during Nunavut’s Third Assembly.
In June of 2011, the Minister of Health and Social Services tabled an Action Plan in response to the Auditor General’s report (Tabled Document 59 – 3 (3)) with short-term, medium-term and long-term plans to address each of the Auditor General’s recommendations.
The Standing Committee also presented its report on the review of the Auditor General’s report which including a number of recommendations echoing those in the Auditor General’s report, as well as encouraging the department to invest in “appropriate information management and reporting systems”.
The Standing Committee also requested that regular updates on the status of the implementation of the Action Plan be tabled in the House.
In September of 2011 and September of 2013, the Minister of Health and Social Services tabled the government’s responses to the Standing Committee report including details on progress made towards addressing some of the recommendations which had been brought forward.
I would note, however, that no further updates on the implementation of the 2011 Action Plan have been provided to the Legislative Assembly.
Mr. Speaker, it is important to note that there have been a number of initiatives in recent years to address issues relating to child welfare and the safety and protection of children and youth across Nunavut.
In 2010, the Knowledge Sharing Forum brought together community residents from across Nunavut to discuss child welfare practices.
The Forum’s final report included a number of recommendations with respect to the state of child protection in Nunavut with a focus on the need to incorporate Inuit societal values and have greater involvement from communities and families.
In 2011, a review of Nunavut’s child welfare practices was conducted by the Child Welfare League of Canada and their report, Nunavut Social Services review, made a number of recommendations which focused on including culture, communities, families and the involvement of elders and youth in developing strategies and solutions.
Between 2011 and 2013 the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut approved a number of amendments to Nunavut’s Child and Family Services Act such as; providing for a judicial hearing within a limited time in all cases where a child is apprehended; revising references to aboriginal children and organizations to more clearly reflect the population of Nunavut; ensuring that the Act be interpreted in accordance with Inuit societal values; providing protection for children in cases of child pornography and family violence; providing for support agreements for youth up to age 26 and prohibiting malicious and false reports.
The Act was also amended to mandate that the director of child and family services must respond to certain recommendations if a child in his or her care dies or is critically injured and provides that the director’s annual report be tabled in the Legislative Assembly.
Mr. Speaker, in 2012, legislation was introduced in the Legislative Assembly to establish the Office of Nunavut’s Child and Youth Representative which, guided by Inuit culture and Inuit societal values, would advocate for the rights and interests of children and youth and assist the Legislative Assembly and the Government of Nunavut in ensuring that the needs of children and youth are met.
Nunavut’s first Children and Youth Representative, Ms. Sherrie McNeil-Mulak, was appointed on June 2, 2014 and the Standing Committee was pleased to note her attendance in the gallery to observe our recent hearings on the Auditor General of Canada’s 2014 Follow-Up Report on Child and Family Services in Nunavut.