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In The Legislative
Assembly
November
7, 2003
MLAs pass anti-tobacco legislation
Bill 33, the Tobacco Control Act, received quick passage in the legislative
assembly this week, with little comment from MLAs.
Ed Picco, the minister of health and social services, called the act a key
part of Nunavut's plan to reduce diseases due to tobacco.
"This is a very historic day for this assembly," he added. "This
is one of the most important pieces of legislation this government will pass
in this session." The bill received third reading on Nov. 3.
The act designates all public places as smoke-free zones, with a three-metre
smoke-free zone outside public buildings.
But it includes exemptions for elders' facilities and private clubs such as
the Royal Canadian Legion and the Elk's Club. Elders' residences were added
to the list of exemptions, Picco said, because it would be cruel to make the
old and infirm go outside to smoke.
The act contains a clause that would repeal the exemption for private clubs
after two years. It is meant to allow municipalities to gradually roll in total
bans.
Iqaluit implemented its anti-smoking bylaw on April 15.
The act includes measures to "denormalize" tobacco and limit advertising,
including prohibiting tobacco vending machines and displays that allow people
to handle tobacco products before purchase.
"For instance, Mr. Chairman, if you go into a store and you start smoking,
you could be removed. You will be removed," Picco told David Iqaqrialu,
chairman of committee of the whole, during his opening address.
It will be enforced by RCMP and bylaw officers. In addition, the act gives
the department of health the authority to appoint tobacco inspectors to monitor
compliance.
The act, as passed, will not ban tobacco sales from pharmacies located in grocery
stores. Initial drafts sought to ban retail tobacco sales from pharmacies, but
the North West Company, which operates Northern and NorthMart stores, objected
to the standing committee on health and education, saying most pharmacies in
Nunavut are located in grocery stores.
The standing committee also asked that the health department table an annual
report, with details on the cost of implementing the act and savings in related
health-care costs.
But Bernie Blais, deputy minister for the department of health, said it may
be 10 years before there is any noticeable difference in health costs.
November
7, 2003
Everyone should pay
David Iqaqrialu, MLA for Uqqummiut, knocked the Nunavut Power Corp.'s policy
of high charges and cutting off power. Iqaqrialu also managed to raise the ire
of fellow MLA Ed Picco, the minister responsible for the power corporation.
Picco said without NPC, the new power plant in Clyde River would have cost
the residents of that community a lot of money.
"Because we had our own power corporation in the Government of Nunavut,
there was no increase in Clyde River on their bill," Picco said.
Picco also said NPC has not had a rate change in since 1998.
In response to comments that users who don't pay their bills get cut off, Picco
said that before their power is cut, all late bill-payers get a 60-day notice,
30-day notice, a two-week notice, and a 48-hour notice.
"That is the way it is in the year 2003," Picco said.
Picco said during the winter months, the NPC does not cut off power.
"It is against the law to cut off the power when you get into the months
of November, December, January and February," Picco said.
Picco said in some cases where someone has a bill that is $2,000, or $3,000,
workers put a regulator on the account. This means there is power, but only
enough to run the furnace and appliances.
"At times in my community, they have a bill for less than $100, and their
power is cut off. Much mistreatment is happening in my community and I am sure
that I am not the only one. They have power bills that are less than $100, and
they have to get their power cut off," Iqaqrialu said.
Iqaqrialu, who appeared to challenge Picco's truthfulness, earned a verbal
warning from speaker Kevin O'Brien.
"I would like to caution the member on comments and words that refer to
the minister's integrity. Words like honesty and not correct. I don't believe
that's your intent, but they're not words that we permit in the house,"
O'Brien told Iqaqrialu.
Picco said the size of the bill doesn't affect the decision to cut off power.
"If you haven't paid your phone bill and it's only $10 and you haven't
paid it for six months, they'll cut you off," Picco said. "If you
haven't paid your Visa bill and it's only $50 and you haven't paid it for six
months, you have no credit coverage.... If you have a bill for $50 and you haven't
paid it for 90 days, that's three months, then the power corporation is in the
position to collect. "
Picco said he had asked the NPC's Jobie Inooya to phone each community and
go on each local radio station and explain how the billing is done.
November
7, 2003
Back in December
After sitting in Iqaluit for a little more than two and a half weeks, MLAs
seem to be growing weary and somewhat homesick. So they have decided to break
for three weeks, before returning to Iqaluit for four days beginning Dec. 2.
That means the current session, which was supposed to be the last sitting of
the first legislative assembly, is actually the second-last.
MLAs must wrap up all remaining business in December, before the legislature
is dissolved in January. There are still several bills, including the proposed
new Wildlife Act, awaiting third reading.
November
7, 2003
Nunavut's Inuit beneficiary
hires
Between Jan. 1 and June 1, 2003, the Government of Nunavut hired 89 Inuit beneficiaries
and 217 non-beneficiaries, according to information tabled in the legislative
assembly last month in response to a written question from David Iqaqrialu,
MLA for Uqqummiut, on June 5.
Iqaqrialu asked the question of Manitok Thompson, the minister of human resources,
during the Baker Lake sitting of the assembly.
In her response, Thompson said the GN's priority hiring policy was approved
by cabinet in August 2000 with a sunset clause of December 2001. In January
2002, cabinet approved an extension of the policy to Dec. 31, 2006.
November
7, 2003
Baker Lake sitting
cost extra $250,000
The Baker Lake sitting of the legislative assembly, from June 2 to 6, cost
$250,000 more than it would have cost to hold the sitting in Iqaluit, according
to a document tabled in the assembly by Speaker Kevin O'Brien last week.
The amount includes more than $100,000 for airfare and transportation, $33,000
for meals and accommodations, nearly $20,000 for office supplies and services
and $12,000 for freight and delivery.
Regular costs for chamber operations, including translation and administration,
are not reflected in the incremental costs.
The legislative assembly estimates it costs $26,000 for an average session
day in Iqaluit, including costs for Hansard production and audio visual operations.
The cost of five days in Iqaluit would have been about $130,000. The approximate
total of the Baker Lake sitting, including the incremental costs and base costs,
is more than $380,000.
The GN's incremental costs for the sitting amounted to more than $28,000, according
to a document tabled by Government House Leader Kelvin Ng last week.
The department of the executive and intergovernmental affairs paid more than
$15,000 for expenses related to the Baker Lake sitting. The departments of finance;
human resources; community government and transportation; culture, language,
elders and youth; and health and social services paid in the range of $2,000
more for the Baker Lake sitting than they would if it was held in Iqaluit.
The departments of public works, education and sustainable development, as
well as the Nunavut Housing Corp. did not incur any extra expenses.
November
7, 2003
NWT agrees to accept
15 Nunavut inmates
The GN has an agreement with the Northwest Territories to place an average
of at least 15 inmates per day in the NWT, and the NWT is committed to accept
at least that number of placements, Premier Paul Okalik, the minister of justice,
said in a letter to Quttiktuq MLA Rebekah Williams tabled in the assembly last
week.
Okalik was responding to a letter from Williams dated June 26.
"The minimum commitment, which has been made, is considerably less than
the number of placements made last year," Okalik's letter says. "The
department of justice certainly recognizes that this arrangement is not ideal."
The agreement can be terminated with a notice period of a full fiscal year,
and runs for until March 31, 2006.
November
7, 2003
Co-ops upset by bed
and breakfast proposal
Co-ops in Nunavut are "incredulous" that the GN has adopted a policy
that could threaten the economic viability of co-op hotels in Nunavut.
In a document tabled in the assembly last month by Hunter Tootoo, MLA for Iqaluit
Centre, they direct the GN to "ensure that all government employees use
commercial hotel facilities for all government travel."
They are upset about a call for proposals issued by the department of public
works on March 31, 2003, for an addition to a school in Rankin Inlet.
"In the call for proposals [the GN] issued a directive for bidders that
they no longer had to use commercial accommodation (a hotel) for this or any
other construction project; that they could now stay in a "bed and breakfast"
facility (a commercial residence)," the co-op document says. "That
small change in the wording of a proposal call will have drastic results for
our member co-operatives operating Inns North hotels."
The co-ops argue that they have invested their own money to build hotels that,
other than government staff and contractors working on GN projects, receive
very little traffic.
They also say that hotels must operate to a higher standard than bed and breakfasts.
At the 2003 annual general meeting of Arctic Co-operatives Ltd., of Winnipeg,
members directed the board "to approach the highest levels of the Government
of Nunavut, including the legislature and all the elected officials, to reverse
this change in the accommodation policy for contractors."
November
7, 2003
Health department
recruits 33 nurses
The department of health and social services has recruited 33 full-time nurses
over the past several months, Health Minister Ed Picco said last week.
The positions include eight community health nurses, two supervisors of community
health programs, one clinical instructor, five general duty nurse, three public
health nurses, two home-care coordinators, eight home-care nurses, three registered
psychiatric nurses and one tuberculosis specialist.
"In light of the national shortage of nurses, this is indeed a success
story," Picco said.
Picco could not say how many nurses the department has lost over the same period.
November
7, 2003
Nunavut Fire Prevention
Strategy
Peter Kilabuk, the minister responsible for the Nunavut Fire Marshall's Office,
released Nunavut's Fire Prevention Strategy last week.
"Our goal is to provide training to all community volunteer fire departments.
The strategy maps out how we will provide support services to integrate fire
protection with community development," Kilabuk said.
The strategy is linked to the Nunavut Association of Municipalities' insurance
exchange, known as NAMIX. NAMIX is a self-insurance program that provides liability
coverage for the communities.
November
7, 2003
McLean wants bigger
edge for Inuit business
Glenn McLean, the MLA for Baker Lake, wants the GN to increase the benefit
under the Nunavummi Namminiqaqtuni Ikajuuti (NNI) for businesses that are truly
Inuit-owned.
"True Inuit businesses should have more than a three per cent advantage
under the NNI," McLean said in the House on Oct. 30.
Premier Paul Okalik said the GN and Nunavut Tunngavik Inc., the two bodies
responsible for overseeing the NNI, are reviewing the policy. He added that
their recommendations for change should be complete by the end of November.
November
7, 2003
Schools to get security
cameras
The department of education will install security cameras in Nunavut schools,
in response to growing incidences of vandalism, Manitok Thompson, the minister
of education, said last week.
Thompson made the statement in response to questions from Glenn McLean, the
MLA for Baker Lake. McLean said the contractor responsible for building a new
school in his community has posted 24-hour security at the site, so no vandalism
has occurred. But he wanted a commitment that the GN would be vigilant about
safety after the school opens.
"When will the minister overrule her bureaucrats and install security
cameras in our schools," he asked.
Thompson said she has already directed her staff to look into it.
November
7, 2003
Rankin Inlet to get
liquor distribution centre
Cambridge Bay MLA Kelvin Ng announced that Nunavut's second liquor distribution
centre will be located in Rankin Inlet.
"This will be an opportunity for the Nunavut Liquor Commission to capture
the revenues that are currently flowing to other provincial and territorial
governments and agencies that are not coming back to Nunavut," Ng said.
It's also expected to cut down on the import of cheaper, bootlegged alcohol
into the Kivalliq by lowering the cost of buying legally-ordered supplies.
Consumers in the region have been grumbling because they have been paying more
than ever for booze. Anyone who used to order alcohol from Yellowknife before
1999 now has to buy an import permit before ordering from the NWT, or pay big
bucks to ship booze from Iqaluit.
"The distribution centre will also allow us to develop better statistics
on the amount of liquor being sold in our territory," Ng said. "By
creating a second liquor distribution centre, we do not expect that the sale
of alcohol in Nunavut will increase as those sales are already taking place."
Ng said the new warehouse will also let the liquor commission better account
for and track the liquor being sold in Nunavut.
The distribution centre should be fully operational by next summer.
November
7, 2003
Call for stable GN
workforce
Noting that "it's pretty grim," Iqaluit Centre MLA Hunter Tootoo
rose to speak about "the need for stability in our workforce."
Tootoo acknowledged the GN's difficulties in recruiting people for specialized
public service positions.
"We know that in order to retain good people we have to provide a degree
of certainty and stability in their lives," he said.
Tootoo said he's in favour of decentralization and agreed that bringing jobs
and opportunities into the smaller communities is "a worthy goal."
"However, I'm concerned that the actual implementation of decentralization,
has in some cases, become a numbers game where some positions are shuffled and
lives are disrupted simply to meet the miracle target," Tootoo said.
He added the lack of full employment within the GN is made worse by a climate
of "uncertainty and unpredictability" due to the movement of positions
from Iqaluit into the communities.
"I do not believe the decentralization itself will be a success if it
is done in a way that it alienates our workforce and makes hasty decisions based
on arbitrary targets," Tootoo said.
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