This is page numbers 743 - 763 of the Hansard for the 12th Assembly, 7th Session. The original version can be accessed on the Legislative Assembly's website or by contacting the Legislative Assembly Library. The word of the day was housing.

Further Return To Question 370-12(7): Status Of Charging GNWT Employees Market Rates For Parking
Question 370-12(7): Status Of Charging GNWT Employees Market Rates For Parking
Item 6: Oral Questions

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Titus Allooloo Amittuq

(Microphone turned off)

Further Return To Question 370-12(7): Status Of Charging GNWT Employees Market Rates For Parking
Question 370-12(7): Status Of Charging GNWT Employees Market Rates For Parking
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The Speaker Samuel Gargan

I'm sorry, Mr. Allooloo, but that was your final supplementary. Item 6, oral questions, Mr. Koe.

Fred Koe Inuvik

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, on December 1, 1993 the Standing Committee on Agencies, Boards and Commissions tabled a report on Arctic College. Subsequently, on March 10, 1994 the Department of Education, Culture and Employment tabled their response to that report. I would like to follow up on some of the issues raised in the ABC's report on Arctic College with the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.

One of the recommendations was that the Minister table in the Legislative Assembly a draft strategic plan for each of the proposed colleges prior to the introduction of legislation to establish a new college system. Subsequently, we've adopted legislation creating two new colleges. I would like to ask the Minister, what is the status of the development of the strategic plans for the two new colleges?

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Nerysoo.

Return To Question 371-12(7): Status Re Development Of Strategic Plans For New Colleges
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Richard Nerysoo Mackenzie Delta

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Because there was a division of the Arctic College into two different colleges, there was a need for the colleges as they are now named, Nunavut Arctic College and Aurora College, to review the document that had been proposed and to submit a strategy for each separate college. The department has received the draft strategies. We have not responded and are reviewing the documentation to respond to the strategy after which we will be meeting with the boards, collectively. The meeting should take place, I believe, in mid-April so we can go over the strategies and, from there, we'll have two documents to present for public consideration.

Return To Question 371-12(7): Status Re Development Of Strategic Plans For New Colleges
Question 371-12(7): Status Re Development Of Strategic Plans For New Colleges
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The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Koe.

Supplementary To Question 371-12(7): Status Re Development Of Strategic Plans For New Colleges
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Fred Koe Inuvik

One of the concerns raised by the Standing Committee on Agencies, Boards and Commissions had to do with the responsibilities of the Minister, as outlined in the act, to determine the policy respecting the operations, programs and priorities of the college. The recommendation of the committee was that the formal process for the delegation of responsibilities from the Minister to the new boards be prepared and tabled in the Legislative Assembly for discussion. My supplementary to the Minister is when is he proposing to table this formal process outlining the delegation of responsibilities?

Supplementary To Question 371-12(7): Status Re Development Of Strategic Plans For New Colleges
Question 371-12(7): Status Re Development Of Strategic Plans For New Colleges
Item 6: Oral Questions

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The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Mr. Nerysoo.

Further Return To Question 371-12(7): Status Re Development Of Strategic Plans For New Colleges
Question 371-12(7): Status Re Development Of Strategic Plans For New Colleges
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Richard Nerysoo Mackenzie Delta

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I don't want to undermine the concerns the honourable Member has raised about the reporting process but one has to recognize that it was only on the 1st of January that we established the two colleges and requested them to come back with a new strategy reflecting their separate institution status. It has taken some time for them to develop their draft reports because they now have different responsibilities. Once there is clear indication of the direction they want to go, we will then review the assignments and determine the authorities those boards will have. Part of that comes from legislation but another part comes from directives of the Minister. We need some time to review the documentation before we lay out the directives for each board of directors.

Further Return To Question 371-12(7): Status Re Development Of Strategic Plans For New Colleges
Question 371-12(7): Status Re Development Of Strategic Plans For New Colleges
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The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Supplementary, Mr. Koe.

Supplementary To Question 371-12(7): Status Re Development Of Strategic Plans For New Colleges
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Fred Koe Inuvik

I appreciate the dilemma the Minister is in because these are recent changes, the colleges have just been separated and the new boards are now functional. But the Minister is still responsible for both college systems and I'm trying to determine the status of the strategic plan because included in the strategic plan are the operational plans and included in that, obviously, are the budgets. My supplementary is on what basis, then, has the Minister been approving the operations of the colleges. We are now coming to the end of a fiscal year and the colleges have to start gearing up for their fall programs. I'm wondering what information and what basis the Minister is using to make decisions so that colleges can prepare for their fall programs.

Supplementary To Question 371-12(7): Status Re Development Of Strategic Plans For New Colleges
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The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Mr. Nerysoo.

Further Return To Question 371-12(7): Status Re Development Of Strategic Plans For New Colleges
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Richard Nerysoo Mackenzie Delta

Thank you. It's a good question but I believe I've answered it a number of times for Mr. Patterson already.

Further Return To Question 371-12(7): Status Re Development Of Strategic Plans For New Colleges
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An Hon. Member

(Microphone turned off)

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Richard Nerysoo Mackenzie Delta

Yes, I have, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the fact is there is a formula proposed by the department which reflects the division of the resources based on the programs presently being offered in the various campuses and colleges. The programs now being offered will be based on those programs and the location of those programs. That is part of the debate that Mr. Patterson tried to raise in the House regarding the division of PYs and programs. Those things are not going to be determined until we get the strategy but hopefully we can respond to the delivery issues that Mr. Patterson has raised in this House on a number of occasions, including the priorities that each board has identified and each of the leadership has identified as required in each particular college area.

Further Return To Question 371-12(7): Status Re Development Of Strategic Plans For New Colleges
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The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Thank you. Final supplementary, Mr. Koe.

Supplementary To Question 371-12(7): Status Re Development Of Strategic Plans For New Colleges
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Fred Koe Inuvik

Thank you. Another of the recommendations of the committee was that the college develop a formal process for obtaining the input of community education councils on local programming and planning. I don't think we can emphasize enough the need for community input into our programs and services. I would like to ask the Minister what's happening in terms of trying to achieve this recommendation made by the Standing Committee on Agencies, Boards and Commissions.

Supplementary To Question 371-12(7): Status Re Development Of Strategic Plans For New Colleges
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The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Mr. Nerysoo.

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Richard Nerysoo Mackenzie Delta

Mr. Speaker, that's really the responsibility and the task of Arctic College themselves. We're not involved in the day-to-day operational issues. I can advise the honourable Member that in one particular region, in the case of the Mackenzie Delta/Beaufort area, there is a case of a collective group of people getting together to review the whole matter of training educational programs. In the case of the Nunavut leadership meetings, prior to that there was a collective group of people who were involved in the divisional boards of education. NTI, NITC, I believe, got together to begin the process of addressing the educational training needs in those particular respective areas.

These are larger bodies that are getting together and in some instances there is a collective group of individuals who get together on a regular basis. It's my hope that once we get all the career centres established, that part of the responsibility will be a collective gathering of individuals who are involved in education and training so we lay some groundwork and framework for the kinds of training programs that would be offered by Arctic College.

The other component that's important here is whether or not we are delivering the programs in our schools so they meet the challenges for the labour market that's in their particular region or in their community. So I think that's an important part of our planning process.

Further Return To Question 371-12(7): Status Re Development Of Strategic Plans For New Colleges
Question 371-12(7): Status Re Development Of Strategic Plans For New Colleges
Item 6: Oral Questions

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The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Thank you. Item 6, oral questions. Ms. Mike.

Rebecca Mike Baffin Central

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I made a Member's statement some time ago, "Implementation of Social Housing Rental Scale." I still have concerns in this area because I have been hearing a number of concerns from my constituents as well as from the Cape Dorset Hamlet Council and Broughton Island Housing Association board raising their concerns. This government has been working very hard in the last three years to try and eliminate violence and family problems, yet as the hamlet of Cape Dorset put it together, this rental scale has the potential of creating more of the direct social problems, such as suicide and family violence. The way the rental scale is structured is being looked at as a subtle attack on family structure. I would like to ask the Minister, in the development of the proposed new rental scale for social housing, has the Minister of the Housing Corporation considered the potential problems that will certainly be created within the households as a result of sharing of rental responsibilities?

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Minister of Housing, Mr. Morin.

Return To Question 372-12(7): Potential Problems Resulting From New Social Housing Rent Scale
Question 372-12(7): Potential Problems Resulting From New Social Housing Rent Scale
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Don Morin Tu Nedhe

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Like I said earlier, one of the principles of the new rent scale is trust of tenants and the trust that they'll uphold their responsibility to pay rent. Hopefully this shouldn't create a problem because all tenants will be responsible and pay rent according to the dollars they make. Thank you.

Return To Question 372-12(7): Potential Problems Resulting From New Social Housing Rent Scale
Question 372-12(7): Potential Problems Resulting From New Social Housing Rent Scale
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The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Thank you. Supplementary, Ms. Mike.

Supplementary To Question 372-12(7): Potential Problems Resulting From New Social Housing Rent Scale
Question 372-12(7): Potential Problems Resulting From New Social Housing Rent Scale
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Rebecca Mike Baffin Central

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I have indicated in my Member's statement, most of the Nunavut communities outside of the bigger centre communities like Iqaluit, Cambridge Bay and Rankin Inlet, there are no private housing markets in these communities that could be an alternative to solving some of the problems. Mr. Speaker, a two-year period is not a long enough time for the high-income earners to prepare and try to get their homes in place.

Mr. Speaker, I'm not talking about the problem of collection of rent; I'm talking about the outcome of the family members having to pay rent if they are working in one household. In the communities that I know, the reason a lot of the families are living together is because there is a shortage of housing. I am very baffled, Mr. Speaker, that the Housing Corporation has not been able to meet the needs of the housing requirement, yet this kind of rental scale is being implemented. Has the Minister considered the potential problems that will certainly be created within households as a result of sharing of rental responsibilities?