EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
While I was on the local radio, it was plainly clear that access houses require major repairs compared with HAP houses. In addition, access houses have been found to be far more expensive to operate.
Mr. Speaker, I again reiterate this question to the minister: can his officials look into this?
Many people contemplating the program are now being put off by all of the problems and expenses associated with access units. Is there any kind of orientation program that potential homeowners can take?
They are giving up even considering the program since they have seen nothing but problems. When you want to own your own house and all you hear about is problems associated with access units, you would obviously have reservations with that kind of scenario told to you. Will there be a review of this concern?
My question to the minister is: can there be some kind of orientation or assistance program that can be offered to potential homeowners that may have trepidation about owning a problem unit?
I again thank the member for his diligent work on this issue on behalf of his constituents.
Mr. Speaker, I want to assure the member that he can inform his constituents that the Housing Corporation will do what it can to try and help them determine exactly what the issues are with their particular units.
Like I said, once an analysis of the blower door tests are done, if it is determined that more steps need to be taken, I’ll commit that, as the Minister responsible for the Housing Corporation, I would consult with the Minister of Community and Government Services, that has the equipment and the trained personnel to do infrared scans of buildings, to determine exactly where the heat loss is coming from.
Mr. Speaker, again, depending on the cause of the problem and whether or not those problems can be addressed within any of the existing homeownership programs that the corporation has... there’s the Emergency Repair Program, the Homeownership Energy Efficiency Rebate Program, there’s a number of different programs that are already there offered by the corporation for homeowners.
Like I said, once we determine exactly what the issue is, we will take a look at it and see if it’s good that we take a look and see if they fit within any of our existing programs and then hopefully that would resolve the matter. And if not, then we would have to take a look at if that’s something else that we may have to address, depending on the seriousness of the issue.
Question 067 – 3(1): Increase Funding for Sports (Ningark)
My question is for Minister Louis Tapardjuk and I believe he’s the Minister responsible for Sports Nunavut.
I wish to pose a question to the minister. As we and the minister knows, in order to live a healthy lifestyle, one must play sports and travelling to other communities is very beneficial for young participants, especially once they have met other athletes with whom they renew their acquaintances and also make new friends at these events.
Therefore, I would like to ask this question to the minister: will funding for sports be increased in this Third Assembly at some time?
The reason why I ask is because our young population is increasing and young people enjoy attending these events. When young people are happy so are their parents and that’s the way life is.
Yes, our department does indeed allocate funding for sporting events, especially for sports associations.
There are different funds allocated to certain areas, such as providing operational funding and also funding for attending sporting events in different communities, including subsidized travel and other travel related costs that we provide to the athletes, teams, and different agencies involved in various sports.
Recently, during one of the hamlet’s sports-related AGMs in Kugaaruk, I heard that a youth representative from their youth council asked them several questions.
He asked why it was that a lot of the sporting events were no longer attended by members of their community.
I support the minister, especially in this area, and that is why I’m asking about increasing the available funding.
Will funding be increased to meet more of these requests?
With respect to funding for these events, in the 2008-09 fiscal year, we allocated $260,000 for these types of events for use by various sporting bodies.
However, I can tell the member, Mr. Speaker, our colleague, that the funds we allocate to this category were, as a matter of fact, increased at the beginning of this year. We recently re-profiled some of the budget line items, which I was able to get consent for from my fellow Cabinet colleagues, especially in arguing for increases to the funding allocation for various sporting events.
Every year, funding is always insufficient to meet the requests that we receive. We are trying to handle this properly and I feel that we will be better able to meet our challenges in this upcoming fiscal year, Mr. Speaker. At least, that is what I think.
Now, if this information is not confidential, as certain government documents are labelled confidential, is it possible to release this information perhaps via written correspondence?
I would like to get a copy of the funding allocations for sporting events.
Hon. Louis Tapardjuk (interpretation): Yes, I agree with that and we want the public to be aware of our programs, especially what funding is available for sports.
As a government, we acknowledge the benefits associated with sports and I will be very pleased to provide more information on the developments to the member.
Oral Questions. (interpretation ends) Member for South Baffin, Mr. Schell.
Question 068 – 3(1): Electrical Code for MAP Units (Schell)
I was trying to get the last question in today.
It’s for Hon. Hunter for the Housing Corporation.
Going back to the MAP II units, can he explain to me if all the electrical drawings that have been done for the MAP II units are done according to the latest electrical code?
I was saying that I’m happy the member got his wish of having the last question with time running out.
Mr. Speaker, it’s my understanding that under the MAP program, there are a number of designs that are offered to MAP clients to choose from that are done by the Housing Corporation.
As far as I’m aware, Mr. Speaker, all those designs are done to code.
Speaker (interpretation): Thank you. (interpretation ends) Your first supplementary, Mr. Schell.
I think the hon. member knows where I’m going with this one here.
I have a constituent in Cape Dorset that has had a lot of electrical issues with a MAP II housing unit. Now, the Power Corporation says it wasn’t their fault, they changed the transformer, an electrician went in, and they said everything was done according to code.
But unfortunately, this gentleman has had two electrical fires there.
He put them out with his own fire extinguisher and just hasn’t seemed to find out what the issue is, and it seems to be dragging on a bit there, Mr. Speaker.
And I know there has been a change in the Power Corporation. Peter Mackey was supposed to look into it and unfortunately now he is the president, so I guess he would have to deal with somebody else.
My question is: when is the minister going to try to find a solution for the gentleman?
He is getting very impatient, it has been about three months, and he spent about $40,000 in replacing appliances in his house.
And I guess unfortunately, he is also the Minister of the Power Corporation, he is the Minister of the Housing Corporation, and this gentleman, the last time, had to move out of the house because of the fire, he is also the Minister of Homelessness, so I would like an answer on that, please.
I’ll have to have my officials arrange a meeting with all three of those ministers.
No, no, Mr. Speaker, we say that in humour and laughing, but, Mr. Speaker, this is a serious issue that the member raises and I just want to again acknowledge that the member representing his constituents in bringing this issue forward is aware, and I have met with the member and the individual as the Minister responsible for the Power Corporation, recently, I sent off a letter acknowledging that meeting, outlining to the individual the next steps to be taken.
I also left the door open to state if that individual thought that there was anything that I missed as a result of our meeting to please feel free, whether he wants to do it through his representative, Mr. Schell, or directly through my office, to let me know if there’s anything that he feels that I have missed as a result of our meeting.
Mr. Speaker, as far as I know the Power Corporation has contacted officials from Community and Government Services to find out if there is anyone with the particular expertise to be able to go in and determine if the appliances were damaged or what the situation is.
Mr. Speaker, his constituent, himself, myself, and everyone involved is just as concerned about this issue.
No one seems to have been able to determine what’s causing the problem. I know that his constituent is aware that, whether it be the Power Corporation or the Housing Corporation, no one wants to say, “Yes, we’re going to go in and fix something,” if they’re not liable for it.
Having said that, Mr. Speaker, I know that his constituent understands that and I want to assure him that we are just as concerned to try to figure out what the problem is so that it can be addressed, so that individual can feel safe in their own home.
I thank the hon. member for the answer to that.
I guess my next question is, obviously, my constituent wants to know roughly the timeframe that would be involved in trying to set something up again.
I do appreciate that we did meet with him here at the last session when we had our committee meetings here and he did look into it.
It’s just that he’s getting impatient and I can’t blame him. So I would like to kind of get an idea as to what the timeframe would be to look into this.
I can certainly acknowledge and sympathize with the member and his constituent.
As I indicated earlier, I know that the officials at the Power Corporation have contracted officials with the Department of Community and Government Services.
I’m not exactly sure where they are at right now or if they have received a response, but I will commit to the member that over the next couple of days, I will determine exactly whether or not the Power Corporation has received any contact back from Community and Government Services and let the member know.
Mr. Okalik (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. (interpretation ends) I would like to go back to Item 5 if I can get approval from the Assembly. (interpretation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, my colleagues. (interpretation ends) I would like to welcome a couple of people back to Nunavut. In particular, our very own wonderful artist, with a new CD called Swagger, Lucie Idlout. (interpretation) Welcome.
(interpretation ends) She is here with her guitarist, Jonny James.
They are here, as you know, for Pauktuutit’s 25th anniversary that are meeting here in Iqaluit. (interpretation) Thank you and welcome.
>>House recessed at 15:21 and Committee resumed at 15:58
Chairman (Mr. Pauloosie): Order, please.
We wish to continue with the review of Bill 1 and the Nunavut Housing Corporation, followed by the Department of Justice, and if time permits, we will deal with the Department of Education.
Mr. Arvaluk. (interpretation ends) Are we in agreement that we continue with the capital estimates for the Nunavut Housing Corporation?
Chairman: At this time, I ask the committee if they are agreed that Minister Tootoo and his staff go to the witness table. Are we agreed?
Chairman (interpretation): Sergeant-at-Arms, (interpretation ends) please let minister and his staff go to the witness table.
We were on questions yesterday. Are there any questions on the capital estimates for the Nunavut Housing Corporation?
Please let the record show, Mr. Tootoo, if you could recognize your staff to the members.
Again, on my right is the President of the Housing Corporation, Mr. Peter Scott, and on my left is the Chief Finance Officer for the corporation, Mr. Eric Whitworth.
Chairman: Thank you, Minister Tootoo.
Are there any questions on the capital estimate for the Nunavut Housing Corporation?
In my opening comments, I outlined the concerns that members have expressed regarding the Nunavut Housing Corporation’s plan to spend $900,000 on fencing in the upcoming fiscal year.
I have also had the opportunity to raise this matter directly with the minister and I have appreciated his willingness to listen to these concerns.
As I indicated in my opening comments, I recognize the importance of good inventory controls. I have a number of years of experience in working with Sanikiluaq’s local housing association and recognize the challenges that they face.
Mr. Chairman, I have a motion that I would like to move concerning this matter.
Mr. Rumbolt, please read your motion.
Committee Motion 001 – 3(1): Recommendation to Rename and Expand the Scope of Work of the NHC’s “Fencing Secured Yards” Capital Project (Rumbolt)
Mr. Rumbolt: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I move that this committee recommends that the “Fencing Secure Yards” project in the 2009-2010 Capital Estimates of the Nunavut Housing Corporation be renamed “Secure Storage” in order to allow for the project’s scope of work to be expanded to incorporate the construction of enclosed facilities to safeguard local housing organization materials.
Every member has the right to speak once to the motion for a total time of 20 minutes.
The mover of the motion speaks first. The mover of the motion has the right to the last reply which closes the debate. To the motion.
Speaking to the motion, again in my opening comments and throughout yesterday, we have all expressed our concerns with the fencing issues. So I think this recommendation is a good one for the better of all of the communities in Nunavut.
Are there any more comments from the members?
I would like to first off acknowledge and thank the member for raising this issue with me when we’re here for our standing committee reviews of the main estimates, of the main capital estimates; I mean the only capital estimates.
I just want to make it clear that the rationale the corporation has taken in providing secured areas for the housing organizations throughout the territory, one of the main concerns was that it was an issue that was raised by the Auditor General in her audit on the corporation.
The second issue of concern of doing this is just the fact of a potential liability issue to the corporation by not having secured areas for the housing organizations to store their goods.
But as the member clearly pointed out in his motion, this will allow the corporation to have some flexibility in moving forward for secured storage areas for the LHOs.
Mr. Chairman, I know in some communities, the suggestion that the member brought forward was something like a building.
If it were just to be a building, the unfortunate thing is that, with the way some housing associations’ lots are laid out, they don’t have the opportunity to be able to put a building with that kind of a footprint down on their lots.
So with this motion, it does and will allow us the flexibility to adapt to local housing organizations’ needs and specific requirements on a case-by-case basis.
Nunavut Housing Corporation. Branch Summary. Nunavut Housing Corporation.
Total Capital Expenditures. $18,546,000.
Does any member have any questions on that?
Are there any questions on the Nunavut Housing Corporation, L-3?
Why is there a difference between the revised capital estimates of $19,125,000 and the current capital estimates of $18,546,000?
Maybe I could just ask the member, I didn’t quite understand his question, if he can try and clarify it for me again so that I can respond appropriately.
Chairman: Thank you, Mr. Tootoo. (interpretation) The minister didn’t quite understand the question.
Why is the budget for 2009-2010 lower than the budget for 2008-09? The actual expenditures for 2007-08 is $69,608,000.
What’s the reason for the decreases and in particular, why are the estimates for 2009-2010 less than the revised estimates?
My understanding is that the actual expenditures for 2007-08 of $69,608,000 included some of the Northern Housing Trust dollars. The reason it’s smaller here, it’s only $18,546,000, is because that doesn’t take into account the trust delivery that’s going on in this current year.
Mr. Arvaluk (interpretation): Where can we find the item for the Nunavut Housing Trust if it’s not in here?
I just want to confirm what I thought already. The dollar amounts for the Housing Trust delivery for this year were just approved in the capital supplementary appropriation last week or the week before during this sitting.
I think there was around 60 million to 61 million dollars in that approval for the Housing Trust.
Mr. Arvaluk (interpretation): This is my last question.
Will the amount of actual expenditures for 2007-08 remain the same?
For instance, if we add $18,546,000 to the supplementary appropriation and about $61 million, it will be the same as the amount for 2007-08 without any substantial increases.
The 2007-08 figures that the member is referring to there is the actual expenditures of the corporation on capital for that year and like I said, that included, when we were reporting, we were budgeted a certain amount.
For this year, $18,546,000 is the budget amount and hopefully next year, it will say that the revised main estimates will be the same.
In a couple of years, when the actual expenditures are shown in the books, they will have a total of $18,546,000 plus the dollars that were allocated towards the Housing Trust for this current fiscal year coming up.
Mr. Aupaluktuq (interpretation): Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.
I thank the minister and his officials for coming back.
Yesterday, in your opening comments, you mentioned that you provide funding for seniors and disabled persons.
It would be appreciated if elders and disabled persons were informed about what types of assistance the Housing Corporation provides to them.
That’s more of a comment than a question.
Chairman: Thank you, Mr. Aupaluktuq. (interpretation) I don’t believe there was a question.
From the NWT perspective, about 10 years ago, every house was built through the homeownership program so that you could actually build two public units.
I wonder if the Nunavut government has a similar belief in nature.
I don’t recall that view being an issue with the NWT Housing Corporation when I worked there just prior to division.
Right now, our average cost per unit to the Nunavut Housing Trust Delivery has been around $275,000 per unit, keeping in mind that that is in the form of a multiplex design that naturally is going to be not as expensive as it would be to build a single family dwelling unit. I would be guessing now, but I think our range in that is between $300,000 and $340,000, depending on whereabouts it’s being built in Nunavut.
Do members have any more questions?
I just want to clarify, I did make a little bit of a mistake earlier.
Our estimates for a single family dwelling are $350,000. I just wanted to make sure that it is on the record at the right amount.
Thank you and I apologize. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
No more questions? L-3.
Chairman: Go back to page L-2.
Nunavut Housing Corporation. Mission. Details of Expenditures.
Chairman: Is the committee agreed that the Nunavut Housing Corporation is concluded?
Minister Tootoo, do you have any closing comments?
Hon. Hunter Tootoo: Bye.
I just want to thank all the members for the issues and concerns that they raised and suggestions for improvements in the use of the limited capital resources that we have available to us as a corporation to deliver throughout the territory.
I think that this is again another great example where, as I have always said and our government has said, we’re here to listen.
I would like to thank the members for raising the issues that they did and suggesting improvements, and allowing, through the member from Hudson Bay’s motion, the corporation the flexibility to be able to deal with the issue that he raised. I think this is a great example of our government’s commitment to working together and I look forward to more of that happening as we move forward in this term.
With that, Mr. Chairman, the only other thing that I would like to say is I wanted to acknowledge my daughter, who was here in the Gallery, but she must have had a premonition that I was going to acknowledge my daughter, Eden, being here and left. So she’s probably upstairs in my office getting mad at me right now for mentioning her name here, but I just wanted to thank her for being here and welcome her to the Gallery.
That’s what happens when I don’t write things down; I always forget to say something. I just wanted to also take this opportunity to thank the staff of the corporation and the witnesses who are here with me and also all of the hard work that the rest of the staff in the corporation put in to be able to provide the information that we have before us today.
We would like to thank your staff as well. (interpretation) Sergeant-at-Arms, (interpretation ends) could you let them out, please.
I would now like to ask Minister Peterson of the Department of Justice to make his opening remarks.
Bill 01 – Appropriation (Capital) Act, 2009-2010 – Justice – Consideration in Committee
I am pleased to take this opportunity to present the proposed 2009-2010 Capital Estimates for the Department of Justice.
The total 2009-2010 Capital Estimates for the Department of Justice is $17.1 million.
The majority of this amount is comprised of two major projects; the men’s correctional facility in Rankin Inlet and the women’s correctional healing facility in Iqaluit. This figure also reflects our minor capital requirements.
The men’s correctional facility in Rankin Inlet is in the final phase of design and development. This facility can accommodate up to 48 inmates and is currently on time and within the estimates provided by Community and Government Services. Construction is set to begin during the fall of 2009 with an expected occupancy date set for 2011.
Building the new men’s correctional facility in Rankin Inlet will help alleviate some of the overcrowding issues currently faced at the Baffin Correctional Centre.
The women’s correctional healing facility was re-tendered on February 13 and closed on March 16, 2009. Bids are currently being reviewed by officials within Community and Government Services.
The opening of the new women’s correctional healing facility is targeted for late 2009.
The facility, slated for Iqaluit, has the capacity to house up to eight women.
It is necessary to construct a women’s facility in order to provide appropriate accommodation and security for female offenders, while addressing their unique cultural and rehabilitative needs.
We are allotting minor capital funds for vehicles at the Baffin Correctional Centre, replacement of departmental computers, and for office renovations.
I would be pleased to take questions.
Chairman (Mr. Okalik)(interpretation): Thank you.
Minister Peterson, do you wish to have witnesses with you to assist in answering questions?
Chairman (interpretation): Do my colleagues agree to have his officials at the witness table?
Chairman (interpretation): Sergeant-at-Arms, please escort the officials in.
Although I already know the officials beside you, minister, for the benefit of my colleagues, please introduce them for the record.
To my right is Rebecca Williams, Assistant Deputy Minister of the Department of Justice. To my left is Mr. Ted Dingle, Director of Corporate Services for the Department of Justice.
Mr. Ningeongan, do you have any opening comments?
Mr. Ningeongan: Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I am pleased to provide opening comments on behalf of the Regular Members’ Caucus as the Committee of the Whole begins its consideration of the Department of Justice’s proposed 2009-2010 capital estimates.
Members note that the department’s proposed capital budget for 2009-2010 is $17.1 million, primarily for two new correctional facilities.
The department’s capital budget was $1.9 million in 2007-08 and $2.9 million in 2008-09.