EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
I’m sorry, but I vividly recall the time the minister stated that he would make a decision to decrease or increase the quota after the study is completed.
Is it possible for the minister to go down to Sanikiluaq to talk to the local Hunters and Trappers Organization?
If I can’t go there, I will be writing them a letter to make sure they get the information. We want to work closely with the community of Sanikiluaq and we’ll make sure we do give the community an update.
Question 415 – 2(4): Update on Nakasuk School Closure (Tootoo)
I would like to ask the question to the Premier, but I guess I’ll direct my question to the Minister responsible for Education.
I know, and the minister is well aware too, that during the last little while the Nakasuk School has been closed.
I’m just wondering if he could give me and the listening public here an update as to where things are at with Nakasuk School here in Iqaluit.
Mr. Speaker, I just want to take this opportunity, first of all, to thank the staff and students, and indeed, parents for understanding and working with us through this difficult time.
I can say that next week, the school should be complete by next Friday and the school should open the following Monday.
I, too, as the minister indicated, would like to commend the DEA and all of the staff, and the parents, for the patience that they’ve had and being able to continue classes in various locations throughout the city here.
I know when the school was initially closed, Mr. Speaker, it was because of an odour, and I’m just wondering if the minister could update us.
I understand it was because of some water damage but could he give us a full update, other than the water damage or mould that was found there, if there were any other concerns that arose during the clean-up.
There was not just one problem at the school; there were several that came about in the course of several weeks.
What occurred basically was there was some water leakage and backup of sewage lines.
This resulted in odour in the school. The Workers’ Compensation Board was called in to test the air quality and they closed the school under the Workers’ Compensation Board rules, and then we had to go in and remediate the situation.
On top of that, I believe it was during Christmas, there was a tap left on in the school and the water ran throughout the school and down underneath the building in the crawlspace.
Mould formed and then that also had to be rectified and remedied. Over 20,000 square feet of carpet, as an example, Mr. Speaker, also had to be replaced.
Hopefully that clarified some of the issues that have occurred at the school.
Again, the good news is that all of the work should be finished by next Friday and the school should open the following Monday.
I’m just wondering if the minister could inform me and the public who have heard that there were issues with asbestos at the school, if he could indicate that there are any issues dealing with asbestos during the closure.
Asbestos used to be used in many houses, public buildings, and commercial buildings right up until the early 70s, until it was learned that it was a carcinogenic material, meaning it could cause cancer. In older buildings, at times you can find asbestos.
In this case, Mr. Speaker, I haven’t been aware where asbestos was an issue with the school closing and so on. Anytime that asbestos is found and it would be a concern, for example, for human health, then under regulations and so on, it would have to be removed.
This is not what caused the situation at Nakasuk School; the situation at Nakasuk School was an issue with mould and some odours from backed up sewage lines and so on.
I want to clarify for the minister; I never said that asbestos was the cause for the closure.
I’m just wondering if any issues arose as a result of asbestos, or if asbestos was found in there during the clean-up of the school, and if it was found, hopefully, the minister can assure everybody that it was dealt with appropriately.
What I want to say, and again, I thank the member for giving me the opportunity, I want to make sure that the parents, teachers, and staff at the Nakasuk School can be assured that at the end of this remediation process, that the school has, number one, complied with Workers’ Compensation Board rules, of providing that check and balance in the school to make sure and ensure that all of the remediation for the school has been taken care of.
If that is not the case, Mr. Speaker, then the school will not open.
Question 416 – 2(4): Reimbursement of Medical Expenses (Peterson)
Mr. Speaker, last week, I raised the issue of medical patients seeking reimbursement of expenses.
I have a constituent who incurred expenses last year to attend a medical appointment in Yellowknife. When she arrived, she learned that she didn’t have a medical appointment because it hadn’t been made. It’s been nine months since she applied for reimbursement from the Non-Insured Health Benefits and she’s still waiting for payment.
My question for the minister: how long should my constituent normally have to wait for the paperwork to go through before receiving reimbursement for her medical expenses?
If we made the medical travel arrangements and so on, reimbursements for travel and so on would be covered by our department.
If a person went on their own and went down to Yellowknife, sought medical treatment and kept their receipts and so on, then that would be processed through the review process. A couple factors would have to be determined; firstly, is it covered under Non-Insured Health Benefits, or is it elective; then that process would have to be followed.
If the person is a current employee of the government, there’s also the insurance program that the constituent can file their claims to.
Not knowing about the exact file the member referred to, I just explained the process that can be followed by any person that is seeking to be reimbursed for medical costs or medication that they may have purchased that may be covered under that insurance program.
I am assured by my constituent that she was supposed to attend the medical appointment in Yellowknife that was made by the health centre in Cambridge Bay, she was referred there and there was no appointment, so she’s incurred expenses.
She’s followed all of the practices and policies to put her paperwork in and is still waiting. She’s actually been in communication with the people in Rankin Inlet but nothing’s happening.
My question for the minister: whom can my constituent appeal to if she doesn’t receive a reply or reimbursement for medical expenses after eight or nine months of waiting?
If the member would provide the name to me, I will follow-up with my staff and find out where the hold-up is. Again, any person that incurs expenses for Non-Insured Health Benefits, when they’re travelling on their own, can keep their receipts and file their application process that way.
We administer out of Rankin Inlet but we also deal with the federal government, which is the non-insured part of the process. There’s also the extended piece, the Extended Health Care Benefit Policy that we also administer on behalf of the federal government, then there’s also the GN insurance program.
It falls into different categories, so the best way to resolve this issue is to have the member provide the name to me and I will follow-up with my staff in Rankin Inlet as to the status of that file.
I thank the minister and I will follow-up with it.
Mr. Speaker, my constituent’s situation raised an interesting dilemma. She actually incurred significant expenses for two trips; one for the trip that she made the initial time and found out that the appointment wasn’t made, and then she went on the second trip a month later and incurred expenses for a second trip. So she’s shouldering the costs for two trips that she is seeking reimbursement for.
She will eventually be reimbursed, I’m sure, but in my mind, there’s an unnecessary expense of public funds for one trip that shouldn’t have occurred because there was no appointment.
My question for the minister: what is the exact process for arranging appointments for Nunavummiut at the Stanton Hospital in Yellowknife and for making arrangements for the corresponding travel and accommodations?
The Non-Insured Health Benefits Program that we administer means that a person normally is not covered by any other insurance program.
The person at the community level would be referred by a nurse to a specialist, say in Yellowknife; the travel office would organize the travel; the person would be picked-up at the airport by the boarding home staff; they would stay at the boarding home and be provided meals and per diems.
When you go into your health appointment, just through your healthcare card, there’s a number there that also tells you that the billings will go directly to non-insured health programs. This one seems to be outside of that process.
Any medical travel we organize under the Non-Insured Health Benefits, we incur all of the costs. So if a person is a government employee, for instance, we would still make the appointment in Yellowknife and so on. If they’re beneficiaries and they fall under the non-insured health programs, then that would also be covered under that.
This seems to be outside those two insurance programs for incurring travel and hotel, and so on, which we normally cover, so the best way to resolve the situation is for the member to give me the name of the person, dates, and receipts of the travel, and I will follow-up with my staff as to why this person is not reimbursed and provide an explanation back to the member.
I thank the minister again. I will follow-up with her.
I’m sure there’s a perfectly rational and logical explanation for what happened, but it could be happening in many other cases across Nunavut.
My question for the minister: what system does Health and Social Services have in place to ensure that a patient doesn’t travel to Yellowknife or Edmonton without an appointment being arranged beforehand, so that when they arrive, there is an appointment if they travel and they can see the doctor or the specialist?
Hon. Leona Aglukkaq: The system that we have in place in booking appointments is that, first of all, the individual would be seen at the health centre at the community level.
If the person requires specialist treatment, or is being medivaced, or requires a specialist, that appointment is made through the health centre with the appropriate service provider in the centres of Yellowknife or Edmonton.
Once those appointments are confirmed within the department, the Travel Officer within the Department of Health organizes the travel, advises the boarding homes, and those arrangements are made.
Once they’re at the boarding home, the boarding home staff takes the patient to the appointment and back, and when they’re all done, they get back to the airport and travel back home.
That is normally the process that we follow in organizing travel. So the visiting specialist will also then provide the reports to the community that they have seen the patients and so on. So those are the systems we have in place within the department to organize travel for our patients.
Tabled Document 182 – 2(4): Towards A Representative Public Service Stats as of June 30, 2007 (Tapardjuk)
Tabled Document 183 – 2(4): Towards A Representative Public Service Stats as of September 30, 2007 (Tapardjuk)
I would like to table the Inuit Employment Statistics for the period ending June 30, 2007, and the other one ending September 30, 2007.
Motion 026 – 2(4): Extension of Review Period for Bills 6 & 7 – Notice (Mapsalak)
Mr. Mapsalak (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. (interpretation ends) I give that on Thursday, February 28, 2008, I will move the following motion:
Now therefore I move, seconded by the Honourable Member for Uqqummiut, that the period of time for the standing committee to report Bill 6 and Bill 7 back to the House be extended by a further 120 days.
Motion 027 – 2(4): Acceptance of the Report of the Integrity Commissioner Regarding David Simailak – Notice (Tootoo)
I give notice, like my colleague, that on Thursday, February 28, 2008, I will move the following motion:
Now therefore I move, seconded by the Honourable Member for Nattilik, that the report and recommendations of the Integrity Commissioner be accepted.
Bill 27 – An Act to Amend the Land Titles Act – Notice
Hon. Paul Okalik (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. (interpretation ends) I give notice that on Thursday, February 28, 2008, that Bill 27, An Act to Amend the Land Titles Act, be read for the first time. (interpretation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Before we proceed to Committee of the Whole with Mr. Arreak as Chairman, we will take a 20-minute break.
>>House recessed at 15:36 and Committee resumed at 16:03
Mr. Kattuk: Mr. Chairman, we would like to commence with the review of Bill 23 and the Main Estimates for the Department of Health and Social Services, and if time permits, Executive and Governmental Affairs.
Are we in agreement we continue with the Main Estimates for the Department of Health and Social Services?
Chairman: Thank you, Minister. (interpretation) Welcome to the Gallery. (interpretation ends) We’re on page H-5.
Branch Summary of Health and Social Services.
On page H-5, it’s obvious now since the minister and I had to deal with a matter that the minister is trying to assist our social worker in Resolute Bay.
This has been an ongoing issue for the children that are apprehended by social services and sent out of the community.
The elders and the grandparents of the children were not even informed or asked if the children could be taken out of the community.
In your business plan on page H-11, it states that “approximately 298 children are in care both within and outside of Nunavut as of September 2007.”
My question is: how do you deal with children who have been apprehended by social services in the communities in your department? Are you using Inuit culture and traditional ways as a foundation in dealing with these issues?
I’m just going back to the business plan in terms of where he referenced the numbers. If the member is speaking to the children that are apprehended under the child welfare legislation, the child welfare legislation is administered by our social workers in the communities.
Based on the assessments of each scenario and situation, sometimes children are apprehended and placed in foster care in the communities or outside the communities, but again, that’s based on each case and each assessment of the social worker under the child welfare legislation.
Just recently, perhaps within two weeks, there was a news release that the federal government was concerned that there were two Innu foster parents that the children are taken from who had originally been apprehended.
Apparently, in that community, most of the children are just walking on the streets.
I forgot the name of the community but it’s a community that had to be moved to another location.
Is the Nunavut Government following the policies and regulations of the federal government through social services?
I’m not clear on what the federal government legislation that the member is referring to.
Could he clarify?
In Davis Inlet, it was in the newspaper regarding children. The federal government is not sure how to deal with the fact that there are too many foster children walking the streets. It was also on the CBC National News.
How do you deal with these concerns in respect to the traditional ways and social values of the Inuit?
Are you following policies and regulations of the federal government or do you follow the Inuit societal values when you have to apprehend children from their parents?
I’m not familiar with the First Nations responsibilities or the federal government’s responsibilities to First Nations as it relates to David Inlet.
I can speak to the legislation that we have in Nunavut, which is the child welfare legislation that’s currently in place in Nunavut that we administer and work under Social Services.
In the cases where we apprehend children, one of the policies is that we try and place the children that are apprehended with immediate and extended families before we place them in other families or outside the community in keeping with the Inuit family values.
In the smaller communities that I represent, just recently there was a concern and the issue was facing us in which the social worker in one of the communities had to apprehend a child from the parents.
How do you deal with that? What are the procedures to be followed? You have to protect the social worker when they’re apprehending the child in the smaller communities, so how do you assist them when they have to undertake such a procedure?
The social workers in every community work alongside with the RCMP, alongside with the health centre staff and visiting specialists as required by the work that they perform. At the same time, they have a regional supervisor who is also there. So there are people that social workers work with in each community, along with the Health Committees in each community.
In terms of support, the staff member would seek their support depending on the cases that they’re also working on.
This is in regard to the same subject. Before we go onto another subject, I just want to add a comment to some of the issues Mr. Barnabas referred to.
Did I understand that you said that the child welfare legislation is the old legislation of the NWT and we have been using that since Nunavut adopted the existing legislation in 1999, or have we made our own legislation in Nunavut? I do not know.
Hon. Leona Aglukkaq: Mr. Chairman, in 1999 we inherited all legislation that was in place from the Northwest Territories to the Government of Nunavut and one of those was the child welfare legislation.
In the business plan, H-11 Social Services, H-5 in the budget, it states that “approximately 298 children are in care both within and outside of Nunavut as of September 2007.”
Maybe I’ll ask you a question first. It states that they were in and outside of Nunavut, so how many children out of the 298 were placed outside of Nunavut?
H-11 in the business plan speaks to Health Information and Critical Issues. I’m not sure which section the member is referring to because mine doesn’t seem to match what he is describing.
Chairman (interpretation): Thank you, Minister. I don’t think you have the same copy as the one we have here, minister, so you will be provided with a copy.
In your 2008-09 business plan, volume 1, H-11, in the middle of (interpretation ends) Social Services, second paragraph.
I apologize to the member; it was on H-10 in my book. The question is related, again just to clarify, of the 298, how many are in Nunavut and how many are out.
Is that correct, Mr. Arvaluk?
If you direct a question through me as the Chair, then it will be okay.
Mr. Arvaluk, the question’s directed to you.
Yes, how many are outside of Nunavut and how many are inside Nunavut but not in their home community?
Some Nunavummiut children are sent to other communities, like some people are sent from Pond Inlet to Pangnirtung, etcetera. Can she give me a breakdown of where these children are in proportion?
I don’t have that breakdown with me in terms of where those individuals are placed by territory, by community, or outside the territory, but I will provide the information, and if my staff are listening upstairs, to try and get that during today.
Following up Mr. Barnabas’ question then, the federal legislation allows the federal government in the Innu community to do what they did with these children.
Now, under what we inherited from the Northwest Territories, after April 1, 1999, we allow children to be shipped not only outside of their community but she also mentioned, outside of Nunavut.
My question is: when will she be introducing a Nunavut-made legislation so that the consideration for Nunavummiut children, who, in most cases, are unilingual Inuktitut speaking people, can be or would be kept in Nunavut under new legislation made by Nunavummiut?
The legislation that we work under for social services is the child welfare legislation and that’s in place effective April 1, 1999. We have been working under that since that was introduced prior to division and since division.
I have also spoken in this legislature, I believe last June, stating that it is an area that we want to update in Nunavut, to review the child welfare legislation in Nunavut and to start the preliminary reviews of the current legislation to Nunavutize it, and so on.
The challenge is to try to get that legislation through before our next general election.
I don’t believe it will happen in the term of this government.
We are internally trying to prepare ourselves for that task of the consultation that will be required to update the legislation leading up to the new government that will be in place to deal with Nunavutizing that legislation as discussed in the previous sitting.
Under the same paragraph just slightly below that, I tried to read it in Inuktitut.
In the real last sentence on that middle paragraph about 298 children, it says, “As a result, the department must be strategic in leveraging technology and employing new models of service delivery whenever possible in order to ensure program sustainability.”
Before I ask the next question, can she explain to me what that means in English?
The way I understand that is putting procedures into the delivery of the programs under Social Services and where appropriate to also establish systems to allow us to better case manage the number of patients that we have under child welfare legislation and tracking and wherever possible, to improve efficiency of reporting and to improve the efficiency of case management and so on.
I’m going to ask similarly but slightly differently so that I could go back to this particular paragraph, quickly though.
How many social workers in proportion are Arctic College trained, locally hired, working in those communities who are sending children to other communities when they have their own extended families in their own community who can look after them?
Hon. Leona Aglukkaq: Mr. Chairman, the social workers in every community determine whether a child will be apprehended or not based on the client, the child.
Based on that, the social worker will then do the home visits required under legislation to determine who the child can be fostered with.
There’s a process that’s followed in identifying who the child will be fostered by in that procedure.
The practice is to try and encourage the families to take in the child, immediate families, to take in the child. Those procedures are in place.
In proportion, you’re saying to me and asking me: how many of those social workers do that? I would have to go to each community and to find out the breakdown of the 298 as questioned earlier. How many of those children that are in foster care are with extended families or in the community and out-of-territory is information that I don’t have right now before me.
Yes, I would like to have that information because I think it’s critically important that those social workers come from that same community who knows all of these extended families whom the person can make a reference to.
When you don’t know, then you have a tendency to seek another family elsewhere outside of their community who are usually taking in the custody of these children.
When the child is in danger of not only having his or her mother tongue language but also that he is in an alien community, as far as the child is concerned, and it could have a detrimental effect that is already happening with his own parents, I think very strong consideration should be given to ensure that these children are given to the extended family whenever possible, especially the small ones.
My next question, Mr. Chairman, is: do you have a plan in place to start training quite aggressively for training social service workers from Nunavut like you are doing with teachers and nursing training programs, that kind of thing?
Can you update me on how far you have gone with that?