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May 21, 2004

Problems at Nunavut Power

Canada's auditor general is not the only person noticing problems at Nunavut Power.

On Tuesday, Arviat MLA David Alagalak told the legislative assembly that some of his constituents were receiving confusing bills from Nunavut Power offices located in both Rankin Inlet and Baker Lake, and said this was "not a very good way of doing things."

In Iqaluit, many residents have not received bills in some time, Iqaluit Centre MLA Hunter Tootoo said, adding that he received his first bill in two months that very day.

Hudson Bay MLA Peter Kattuk said that some of his constituents had their power cut-off, even though they had paid their bills, and asked that the 48-hour notice period be increased in the future.

An unruffled David Simailak, the minister of energy, said that a new software package had been installed to reduce problems of double-billing, that all mail in the Keewatin should now be directed to Baker Lake, and that the 48-hour notice period was already in review.

May 21, 2004

Larocque to run Kugluktuk jail

Helen Larocque of Kugluktuk has been hired as the general manager of Kugluktuk's new jail, set to open in September, Premier Paul Okalik told members of the legislative assembly last Thursday.

The recent budget from the finance minister allocates $1.5 million for the Kugluktuk Healing Centre and programs that will help offenders reintegrate into the communities.

The centre will house up to 20 offenders from the Kitikmeot region. Twelve more people will be hired to staff the centre.

May 21, 2004

GN leasing "uninhabitable" houses from Kevin O'Brien

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Former speaker and Arviat MLA Kevin O'Brien. Why is the GN leasing three uninhabitable buildings from him? (FILE PHOTO)

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The department of Community and Government Services continues to lease four rental units from former Arviat MLA Kevin O'Brien, even though three of those units are "uninhabitable," Monday's question period in the legislative assembly has revealed.

Iqaluit Centre MLA Hunter Tootoo asked the minister of Community and Government Services, Peter Kilabuk, about the vacant staff houses.

Kilabuk said that one government lease covered three rental units that were uninhabitable, and that he had put in a request to O'Brien to have them upgraded and renovated. One other lease was for a unit that is in good condition.

"It is not uncommon to continue paying for leases or units that are not occuppied for different reasons," Kilabuk told the assembly. "We are right now… looking at our options as to whether future payments should be made on those units."

Kilabuk said that he did not have the dates for when the houses became uninhabitable, but that the houses had been inspected and approved before they were rented. He promised to get back to the assembly with copies of the condition ratings of the units when the leases were signed.

May 21, 2004

Inuit come first for GN summer jobs

Non-Inuit students applying to the Department of Human Resources' summer student employment program are being told to wait for jobs, Iqaluit Centre MLA Hunter Tootoo told the legislative assembly on Tuesday.

"I'm not talking about people who just stepped off a plane," Tootoo said. He said some students who are already receiving financial assistance have been told to wait indefinitely for places in the program.

"We expect them to come back and pay the loans. How can they do that if they can't get jobs?" Tootoo asked, to enthusiastic applause from Education Minister Ed Picco.

CLEY Minister Louis Tapardjuk had previously told the assembly that the program hopes 85 per cent of the 141 students accepted in the program will be Inuit.

On Tuesday, he said that applications from beneficiaries who applied to the program will be reviewed before those of non-beneficiaries. He also said this was in accordance with the land claim agreement, was a "common ocurrence," and represented "a small, but not excessive, delay" for some students.

May 21, 2004

A place to stay in Rankin Inlet

Tagak Curley, the MLA for Rankin Inlet North, is pleased with the government decision to open a new health centre in Rankin Inlet this fall, but has questions about accommodations for people visiting the health centre.

"With the new health centre built in Rankin Inlet, where are these people going to stay?" he asked Levinia Brown, the minister of health and social services.

Curley said people passing through Rankin have to billet somewhere or stay in a hotel.

Minister Brown said that while 20 units are being built for patients, "we do not have a boarding home at this time." She said that she would work with the hamlet and the department of health to make sure a solution is found before the health centre opens.

May 21, 2004

Minister apologizes for release of fire report

A stoic Iqaluit fire chief, Cory Chegwyn, looked on as Iqaluit Centre MLA Hunter Tootoo directed questions about the fire marshal's report on the Joamie School fire to Community and Government Services Minister Peter Kilabuk in the legislative assembly on Monday.

Tootoo expressed his disappointment with the handling of the report in a member's statement at the opening of the session. He later asked the minister to describe the process that allowed the media to view the report before Iqaluit's fire chief saw it.

Kilabuk said senior officials of the city reviewed the report before it was tabled, but admits that they did not have time to respond before the media broke the news.

"I apologize that the release was given to the city just before it was released through the media. They didn't have enough time to scrutinize it."

A meeting between the department, the mayor, and councillors was scheduled for Tuesday morning.

May 21, 2004

Tootoo grills Picco on school safety

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Iqaluit Centre MLA Hunter Tootoo: worried about roof cave-ins. (FILE PHOTO)

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After the dramatic roof collapse at an Inuvik school last week, Iqaluit Centre MLA Hunter Tootoo wants to know whether Nunavut's schools are safe. He directed his questions to Education Minister Ed Picco during question period in the legislative assembly last Thursday.

Picco assured the assembly that all school roofs in Nunavut had been checked for snow-load following the collapse in Inuvik, and that regular inspections and maintenance were the responsibility of the Department of Community and Government Services.

Tootoo then demanded to know whether every school had had a complete safety inspection in the last three months.

"I noticed that the member does not seem afraid or frightened or terrified to be in this building which is a government-owned or a government -leased facility operated for and by the government of Nunavut," Picco said.

"I am not afraid to be in this building," Tootoo replied. "It is only four years old. Some of the schools that we are looking at… are over 30 years old."

Picco promised to provide the legislative assembly with details on when the last regular maintenance check-ups occurred.

May 21, 2004

Push a button and nothing happens

Iqaluit Centre MLA Hunter Tootoo made a plea to the Minister of Transportation David Simailak on Friday for a fix that could make getting in and out of Nunavut a little easier.

"You see people trying to go in and out of the airports and pushing the buttons that open the doors and they haven't worked for months," Tootoo said to the legislative assembly. "It is kind of embarassing."

Minister Simailak, MLA for Baker Lake, promised to look into the problem.

May 21, 2004

An end to plastic shopping bags?

James Arreak, MLA for Uqqummiut, was praised last Friday for bringing up a messy issue in the legislative assembly - shopping bags that are littering the territory.

"Plastic shopping bags can be found in every community and we use these bags for almost everything," Arreak said in Inuktitut. "Although these bags come in handy, they are harming our environment. They are also potentially very harmful to our wildlife."

Arreak pointed to Alaska, where about 30 villages have already banned the plastic bags, and then asked if the minister of the environment would provide support for communities that decide to replace the plastic bags with reusable ones.

Minister of the Environment Olayuk Akesuk, MLA for South Baffin, thanked Arreak for raising the issue and promised to look at the policies in other communities and hold discussons with officials from the retail outlets.

May 21, 2004

Crisis line still going strong

Premier Paul Okalik rose in the legislative assembly on Monday to applaud the efforts of the volunteers who work for the Kamatsiaqtut Crisis Line, which has now been running for 14 years.

The suicide crisis hotline held its annual fundraiser in Iqaluit last weekend, which featured singer and actor Tom Jackson entertaining a full house.

Okalik reminded people in crisis to seek help from their friends and families.

"If you don't have a place to go and you don't have anybody to see," he said, "you can call 979-3333, which is the crisis line. If you're outside of Iqaluit, you can call 1-800-265-3333."

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