EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
QEC’s most recent annual report also indicates that it is undertaking, and I quote, “further alternative energy projects such as diesel hybrid systems which use hydro, solar, and/or wind to supplement our existing diesel generation systems.”
Can the minister provide an update today on the status of the hydro project near Iqaluit?
Speaker (interpretation): Thank you. (interpretation ends) The Hon. Minister of the Qulliq Energy Corporation, Mr. Hickes.
Hon. George Hickes: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank the member for that question as well.
Mr. Speaker, the hydro project that has been proposed for here in Iqaluit is obviously a very capital-intensive project. It is something that the Qulliq Energy Corporation and, in reality, this government itself can’t do alone.
We have been continuing discussions with potential partners, including the federal government, to ensure the viability and the end result of the economic benefit of a project.
Again, it is something that I am a very strong proponent of.
Iqaluit itself uses about a third of the fuel that QEC purchases. I believe the whole government purchases very close to that.
If we can offset that carbon footprint, it is quite a substantial impact to not only the financial status of our government but also to our impact and our steps forward in addressing climate change in the Arctic.
Once again thank you for your response.
I think we all want to reduce our carbon footprint these days.
As the minister will definitely recall, his motion called on the government to table a “comprehensive report on the activities and expenditures of the Government of Nunavut’s Energy Secretariat” on the first sitting day of the spring 2016 sitting, our sitting here.
Mr. Speaker, as the member from Arviat South - I hope he is listening intently - was fond of saying, “We’re here, so where is it?”
Although Qulliq Energy had a part to play in that report, it is a responsibility for the Minister of Economic Development and Transportation.
I would not want to presume to answer on her behalf. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Question 379 – 4(3): Staff Housing (Enook)
I will try to speak slower at this time while he takes off his Qulliq hat and puts on the other hat.
Mr. Speaker, earlier this week, my colleague, the Member for Quttiktuq, asked important questions regarding the impact that shared staff housing has on the government’s abi6lity to recruit and fill vital jobs in the communities.
I have similar concerns regarding Pond Inlet and I am aware of at least one situation where staff have left their position because only shared units were available.
That is very regretful.
Let me first ask the minister: can he clarify how the decision is made regarding whether or not a given position in the government is allocated a shared staff housing unit?
There’s an ongoing dialogue with NHC and the Department of Finance, specifically the division of HR, and the Building Capacity Committee is doing ongoing work to address GN staff housing policies across the territory. There have been some initial steps that have been taken.
We have developed three different categories for staff housing as a priority sequence, the first one being related to category 1, obviously, health, safety, or security, health care professionals, doctors, fire-trained staff, fire safety, airport facilities, and then we have category 2, which is operations, which would include management positions, middle management, and then category 3, administrative support.
We are taking steps to make sure that the people who need to fulfill the obligations of the government get staff housing.
I do recognize that it is a challenge.
In the member’s community itself, there are 16 active competitions that have housing associated with that competition and there are only 13 staff housing units available.
Across the territory, we’re still in a deficit for staff housing and we have had to be creative and in some cases, advertising with shared accommodations.
I realize that this isn’t always the best case scenario, especially if it’s somebody with a family, but the ultimate goal is to continue to allow the government to function and provide the services to Nunavummiut.
That’s a step that we have to take until such time as we can increase our housing stock, which we’re taking great steps just this year.
The Government of Nunavut has invested $20 million into staff housing. We are taking steps.
We know that it’s just putting a dent into it, but it is a work in progress.
On numerous occasions in this House, I voiced concerns about vacant government units located in Pond Inlet.
I have made statements many times about the fact that this government has housing units unavailable to the public in Pond Inlet, and ever since these units were constructed in 1999, some units have never been occupied.
Even though that is the case, what I do not understand is why some government staff board with other employees when some government units have never even been occupied.
Are they uninhabitable and therefore cannot house any employees?
I fail to understand why some employees share accommodations when some units have never even been occupied.
What is the reason for shared accommodations when there are so many vacant and unused government units?
I thank the member for once again bringing up that issue.
I was actually kind of surprised when I started getting my housing briefing binders that I didn’t have a specific Pond Inlet staff housing briefing note.
I do understand where the member is coming from. In general, overall from an outside view, it doesn’t seem to make sense.
We’ve got empty units that are sitting there for extended periods of time and that’s one of the topics we are working very closely with Human Resources to make sure that these active competitions are truly active.
Again, one of the things that we’re also reviewing is the staff housing allocation to make sure people are appropriately housed in staff housing to maximize the number of bedrooms in a unit to meet the needs of our staff as well.
I can assure the member that this is not a backburner issue; it’s something that’s very active in discussions with Finance and with the Nunavut Housing Corporation to make sure that we’re using those units.
They’re still costing us money, it’s stock that’s in a community and we all live in overcrowded communities where housing is an issue.
It doesn’t make sense to me either that there are empty units sitting there for extended periods of time.
We are working very diligently to make sure that we can address the member’s concerns.
I have another question. The government’s Staff Housing Policy, which was last updated in 2009, currently falls under the responsibility of the Nunavut Housing Corporation.
Can the minister indicate what specific elements of the Staff Housing Policy are planned to be reviewed or changed during the remainder of our term of office?
In my initial response to his question, I alluded to the Building Capacity Committee that is reviewing the GN Staff Housing Policy that hasn’t been updated since 2009.
It’s an overall review, so we’re looking at all components of it to see where efficiencies can be made. There have already been some administrative adoptions like the three priority categories, including a couple of other administrative adaptations that we have taken.
I am anticipating getting the full report later on this summer and I look forward to discussing the findings of that report with all the members.
Question 380 – 4(3): Sport, Recreation, and Inuit Games (Qirngnuq)
Mr. Qirngnuq (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. (interpretation ends) My questions today are for the Minister of Community and Government Services.
According to its Sports and Recreation Grants and Contributions Policy, the department’s Inuit Games Support program offers grants to municipalities and other groups to “assist with organization and travel costs in support of Inuit Games.”
Can the minister indicate how his department advertises its Inuit Games Support program to communities and organizations throughout Nunavut?
Hon. Joe Savikataaq: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank the member for that question because the people of Nunavut should join in sports, we should get in shape, and the better shape we are, the less cost there is for health costs, so it is good into sports and exercise.
As for how it’s advertised, each community should have a recreation director and they should be informed on how to access funds from Sport Nunavut.
If the recreation director is not there or if they’re not aware, then our Sport North division in Baker Lake can be contacted and they are more than willing to help anyone to access funds or explain funds or help in any way that has to do with Sport Nunavut.
The department’s sport and recreation administration provides “overall direction and planning for the management and delivery of Sport Recreation and Physical Activity initiatives in Nunavut.”
Can the minister indicate if his department’s sport and recreation administration currently has any specific initiatives related to Inuit games planned for the current 2016-17 fiscal year?
Generally, there are two events where Inuit and Arctic Sports are used or displayed a lot.
One is the Arctic Winter Games, which occurs every second year, and Sport Nunavut is a big funding department and it has a big involvement in the Arctic Winter Games.
We’re proud that we always have a good delegation of Arctic Sports in the Arctic Winter Games.
The second venue is usually the Summer Games.
Those two we fund not to the extent of the Arctic Winter Games because they are on a much smaller scale, but we do help fund the Summer Games where it is Arctic Sports or Inuit sports.
We do fund those two things, but like I said, the funding for the Summer Games is not nearly as extensive as the Arctic Winter Games just because it’s a smaller event.
With Arctic Winter Games, we usually have three or four countries that participate in it, but we do fund Arctic Sports.
If there are other events going on, there are possibilities of funding it too.
Just talk to Sport North or the recreation director in your community, and we are more than willing to help in any way we can.
Mr. Qirngnuq: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. (interpretation) I also thank the minister for his response to my question. (interpretation ends) In its 2016-19 business plan, the department indicates that one of its priorities for the 2015-16 fiscal year was to “Revise the Sport and Recreation Grant and Contribution Policy to enhance program delivery” and that the department planned to complete these policy revisions for implementation in the current fiscal year.
I note that this policy expires on March 31, 2017, which is in eight months.
Can the minister indicate if his department is currently looking at making any revisions to its current Sports and Recreation Grants and Contributions Policy?
As the member pointed out, there is a commitment to review it in this past fiscal year and implement it in this coming fiscal year. I don’t have that policy in front of me, but if that was the plan, then I would think that that is the plan.
I can’t inform the [member] right now when it will be implemented as I don’t have the policy in front of me.
I did take about 12 inches of binders here, but that policy is not one in that many binders I have here.
That’s the best answer I can give the member right now.
Question 381 – 4(3): Future Status of Rankin Inlet Children’s Group Home (Sammurtok, A)
Mr. Speaker, on June 3, I asked the minister about the plans to convert the Rankin Inlet Children’s Group Home into a mental health transition home.
At that time, she indicated that it would be too costly to proceed with that plan and that “deliberations are ongoing as to the possible future uses of the facility.”
As I have mentioned on numerous occasions, there are currently nine Rankin Inlet elders living outside of the community who would like come back home to live in their own community.
Will the minister now commit to reconsidering the possibility of converting the Rankin Inlet Children’s Group Home into a temporary elders facility, yes or no?
The Department of Health has been told by the Department of Community and Government Services that they requested to convert that building in Rankin Inlet to a mental health transition home, but the renovation to make sure that it follows the building codes would be too costly.
With that, they would have no choice but to build a new facility.
We would have to discuss this issue with the Department of Community and Government Services regarding vacant buildings. We have to negotiate with the department on the use of these facilities and we have to follow the process.
Question 382 – 4(3): Banking Services (Joanasie)
Before I begin, I want to acknowledge to the minister and to the public and note for the record that during our proceedings of June 2, I inadvertently cited the wrong figures from the government’s December 2015 quarterly employment report when discussing Inuit employment levels in the Government of Nunavut.
The correct figure is 50.1 percent Inuit employment and 49.9 percent non-Inuit employment.
I just wanted to correct that.
Mr. Speaker, during our March 10 sitting, I asked the minister some questions about his department’s request for proposals for banking services for the GN. This RFP closed on April 15, 2016, just under two months ago.
Can the minister inform the House today as to which bank has been awarded the contract?
Hon. Keith Peterson: Mr. Speaker, the banking service contract has not been awarded yet.
Can the minister explain why the contract has not been awarded by now? It seems like it should have been done by today.
Hon. Keith Peterson: Mr. Speaker, there were three rather large and complex submissions. They are being evaluated and we hope to award by July.
Question 383 – 4(3): Income Support (Mapsalak)
Mr. Speaker, let me start with a request for clarification from the minister. In our dialect, we call it food support income.
What is the timeframe for when clients have left Nunavut before the assistance program considers them no longer a client? Actually, how does the department determine one of their clients is no longer a Nunavut resident?
What is the usual amount of time a previous client must have left Nunavut for before benefits are cut off?
Minister responsible for Family Services, Mr. George Kuksuk.
Hon. George Kuksuk (interpretation): Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Good day, fellow Nunavummiut and the member who asked the question.
Mr. Speaker, I believe I completely understood his question. Let me start by asking him if he is asking how long a previous client has to be outside of Nunavut before benefits are cancelled. Alternatively, did you ask how long they are outside of Nunavut and when they return to Nunavut, if they would be eligible for the Income Support Program?
Did you ask if the previous client would just resume their benefits upon their return? Did I understand the member’s question? I would like to understand if that is his question.
Mr. Mapsalak (interpretation): I think the minister was trying to get clarification, Mr. Speaker.
Yes, he understood. I was asking about a previous client who used to receive income support travelled outside of Nunavut. What is the time limit from their point of departure from Nunavut when benefits no longer flow to the client?
Speaker (interpretation): Thank you. I apologize to the member for that. I will allow another supplementary question later on.
I thank him for clarifying the question.
Mr. Speaker, I briefly looked for the information in my binder, but the policy on that is not in front of me now. However, later on today, I may get the information. I will first check into that and provide a response once I have the information.
Now in that light, what about people who do not move out of Nunavut voluntarily? Many Nunavummiut move to southern locations without employment and many have to look after their children.
With that being the case, when medical patients travel south, some patients can receive specialized medical treatment lasting the entire year or longer where they are out of their community.
If they are parents, their children or dependants are too young to be eligible for the program, but they are stuck at home.
Now, a family may be in that situation where the Nunavut resident has spent an inordinate amount of time south, such as a year or two, for medical reasons or treatment at a facility, even though they still have dependants.
Would the previous client be declared ineligible for benefits even if their dependants or children at their home were too young to receive benefits?
Are patients considered ineligible if they spend more than a specified period outside of Nunavut?
I hope I was understandable, as I would like a response.
As I stated earlier, I want to provide a proper response, but I cannot find the information at hand.
Once I have the information, I can either provide a copy of the policy or perhaps send my colleague correspondence outlining the details.
Can the minister agree to provide an answer prior to everyone’s departure tomorrow? I know we are all leaving, but I wanted the minister to make that information available immediately once we have finished this session.
As per my earlier response, I will check on the policy.
Once I have the information, I will distribute it to my colleague and the other members.
However, what I cannot state here is that I can have it done by the end of today.
I will commit to providing the information once I have the details.
Question 384 – 4(3): Public and Staff Housing Construction (Rumbolt)
Before I ask my question, I would just like to wish my wife a happy 22nd wedding anniversary, which is tomorrow.
I have missed the last eight, so I want to publicly remind her that we are still married.
Mr. Speaker, my questions today are for the Minister responsible for the Housing Corporation.
Mr. Speaker, information that was tabled in the Legislative Assembly during the fall 2015 sitting of the House indicated that the Nunavut Housing Corporation’s construction plans for the 2016-17 fiscal year included 40 new public housing units and 43 new staff housing units in 11 communities.
Can the minister update us today if all the 83 new units are on schedule to be completed as planned?
Speaker (interpretation): Thank you. (interpretation ends) The Hon. Minister of the Housing Corporation, Mr. George Hickes.
There are a number of tenders that were put out earlier this spring.
All the tenders have closed and have been awarded.
As of right now, to my knowledge, everything is on schedule and on plan.
The recent federal budget announced $76.7 million in funding for Nunavut through the Affordable Housing Initiative.
Can the minister indicate how the Nunavut Housing Corporation plans to allocate this federal funding?
We’re going to be basing it in the same way that we did this past year. We do a needs assessment in each community and do a rating system. I believe, also last fall, there were some items that were tabled.
It might have been the session before. My memory is unclear as to which it was tabled in. It was on scoring and ranking of where each community is in their public housing needs assessment.
We will be using that same criteria to allocate which units are going to be best served by new construction.
In addition to that, we’re still going to use the practice of enhancing our economies of scale, where any staff housing units would be built, we will look at public housing units to be able to coordinate the construction in a community.
The government’s new NNI Policy comes into effect on April 1 of 2017, at the beginning of the 2017-18 fiscal year.
I anticipate that the minister and his officials will have undertaken extensive analysis of the impact that the new NNI Policy will have on the Nunavut Housing Corporation.
Can the minister give us a sense of how the new NNI Policy will impact the Nunavut Housing Corporation in terms of such things as the cost of construction of new houses as well as the employment of Nunavut residents on construction projects?
The NNI Policy has been something that I have been asking questions about over the years, so I am quite familiar with it and the BLG report that came out from its review. A lot of the issues that I have been concerned about in the past have been dealt with through this new policy that will be implemented on April 1, 2017.
With that being said, I believe a misconception of the overall policy objective is that it doesn’t always have to increase the costs of construction.
It is a bid adjustment used to allow tenders to be closed with an emphasis on northern contractors and Inuit labour components associated with it.
It is hard to gauge a cost without doing a tender-by-tender comparison of the bid adjustment and the winning tender. If there is actually a difference, it doesn’t always increase the cost of construction. There may be a little bit more administrative costs associated with having to review and do further calculations.
I can’t give a cost of what the NNI Policy or the new one would have because there may not be any.
Question 385 – 4(3): The Need for a Bio-lab in Nunavut (Sammurtok, T)
(interpretation ends) Mr. Speaker, almost every year, our hunters are faced with the possibility of a parasite in some harvested meat, such as walrus.
Individuals are told to wait while the appropriate tests are conducted and samples are sent out of the territory for testing.
Can the minister provide an update on what consideration has been given to establishing a biological testing facility in Nunavut so that hunters and others can get faster test results on the meat they have harvested?
There are not too many cases where individuals become ill from parasites. Sometimes when a person eats walrus meat, they may become infected with trichinella.
Samples will still be sent to Kuujjuaq and it doesn’t take very long to get results.
The Department of Health, the Department of Environment, and Nunavut Arctic College are still working on considerations on how to have a quicker turnaround time for meat inspections.
The tests need to be in a properly set-up lab.
It has not changed very much lately.
It has been more than two years since the Hamlet of Chesterfield Inlet put forward a proposal to set up a bio-lab in the community. Not only would this service provide timely results for meat testing, but it would also be an economic benefit to the community. Can the minister provide an update on what consideration has been given to this proposal?
Hon. Monica Ell-Kanayuk (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The letter the member referenced is one I doubt I have ever seen. I believe I was queried earlier about another letter during this session and the letter mentioned turned out to be from 2012, which would be historical information due to the age.
It would be easier if the member can provide a copy of the letter, as our department receives a multitude of correspondence. When members reference a letter, they should also include a date and the addressee, as it is almost impossible to respond when no details are included.
Mr. Tom Sammurtok (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, with respect to that letter, I will request the Chesterfield Inlet hamlet to resend the correspondence to the minister’s office.
(interpretation ends) Mr. Speaker, I have written to the government a number of times on this issue and to date, it appears that there are no plans to establish a meat-testing facility in Nunavut.
Can the minister clarify whether or not her department has had any discussions with the Hamlet of Chesterfield Inlet, the Nunavut Research Institute, or Nunavut’s Iqaluit-based veterinarian regarding the feasibility of setting up a Nunavut-based meat-testing facility?
I also thank the member. What I can respond with here is that the Department of Health has continued to cooperate with the Department of Environment and Arctic College as well as the (interpretation ends) Nunavut Research Institute (interpretation) in Iqaluit on discussing this matter.
With respect to testing meat, it seems simple to undertake the work, but it requires a qualified technician to test country food. To use the example of walrus meat, most Inuit don’t harvest walrus throughout the entire year.