Legislative Assembly briefs
Income assistance changes start July 1
Derek Neary
Northern News Services
Monday, June 12, 2017
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Income assistance clients will soon be allowed to earn more without having their income assistance reduced.
For single people, the $200 income exemption remains and, as of July, only 50 per cent of income support will be clawed back on the next $600 in earnings. For a family of three, the initial income exemption still stands at $400, and they too will only be penalized 50 per cent on the next $600 in earnings.
"The old process did not provide an incentive for clients to work because their income assistance benefits were reduced by a dollar for every dollar of income they made over the earned income limit," Family Services Minister Johnny Mike said in the legislative assembly June 6.
Income assistance clients will be permitted to keep a savings account with money earned, whereas previously they had to drain their savings before qualifying for income assistance.
As well, payments to those on short-term and long-term disability are rising to $250 per month for those with disabilities lasting a year or longer, and to $125 per month for people with disabilities lasting six to 12 months.
The first phase of these changes takes effect July 1.
Concerns over mould and its health effects
Housing Minister George Kuksuk said $2.6 million in funding from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation will be devoted to mould cleanup in Nunavut public housing units.
The government has identified more than 200 homes that require mould removal. Kuksuk said staff from the Nunavut Housing Corporation and local housing organizations have been trained in how to remove mould, and that work is already underway in some communities. In some cases, contractors may be brought in and tenants may have to be temporarily relocated during the cleanup, Kuksuk said.
On June 6, Iqaluit-Sinaa MLA Paul Okalik said he recently experienced headaches and loss of breath when exposed to mould while travelling in the south. He asked Kuksuk if information on toxicity and possible illness due to mould is being disseminated to those who reside or formerly resided in the affected public housing units.
Kuksuk replied that information on health concerns has been provided publicly in a calendar and other ways of raising awareness have been explored.
Nutrition North 'broken'
The ongoing saga of Nutrition North has Premier Peter Taptuna demanding that the federal government fix the "broken" program once and for all.
Nutrition North is a subsidy program intended to lower the cost of food in remote communities, and is worth tens of millions of dollars annually. However, for well over a decade, people in the North have insisted that the program is having little effect, a position reinforced by a 2014 report from Canada's auditor general.
The federal government toured Nunavut communities last summer seeking feedback on how to improve the program, but no changes have yet been announced.
Taptuna told his colleagues in the legislative assembly on June 5 that he sent a six-page letter to the Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada Minister Carolyn Bennett reiterating that substantial changes must be made immediately and that transparency is critical.
"At this point, Mr. Speaker, we don't know the amount of the savings passed on to the consumer. If you don't know the landed cost, the freight costs and the profit margin, you don't know if the program is actually assisting Nunavummiut. That is one of the recommendations that I've made to ensure that the savings are passed on to the people in need as this program has been developed to assist Nunavummiut, and at this point we just don't know if it's doing that," Taptuna said.
"The Nutrition North program is really critical to Nunavummiut. As you know, around 60 percent of our residents of Nunavut have food insecurity."
Hudson Bay MLA Allan Rumbolt asked if Taptuna had offered to have the Government of Nunavut assume control of the Nutrition North for the territory, as the Government of the Northwest Territories has offered on behalf of its people. Taptuna said no such suggestion has been made by the GN.
New promotion for tourism
A new tourism initiative known as Destination Nunavut has been launched, Economic Development and Transportation Minister Monica Ell-Kanayuk announced June 7.
The promotion includes a new website and associated social media campaigns on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Local tour operators and their services will be promoted.
The Destination Nunavut brand was derived from market research and interviews with those involved in the territory's tourism sector, Ell-Kanayuk said.
Naujaat runway extension sought
Akulliq MLA Steve Mapsalak requested a study be undertaken to extend the runway in Naujaat by 30 metres to allow for planes carrying heavier loads - up to 2,700 kg more - to land in the community. The runway is currently 1,036 metres.
Transportation Minister Monica Ell-Kanayuk committed to asking staff in her department and representatives of airlines for their input on the matter.
Foster parenting for profit?
Tununiq MLA Joe Enook had several questions over two days in regards to checks and balances on foster parents.
While acknowledging that foster parents serve a vital role in Nunavut and many of them have the best of intentions, Enook asked Family Services Minister Johnny Mike how his department ensures some foster parents are not motivated by the social services money provided in exchange for taking desperate children into their homes.
"Unfortunately, it has been brought to my attention that a few foster parents provide this service primarily as a means to earn extra income," Enook said.
Mike replied that he had never heard of such an instance, but he acknowledged that his staff had received correspondence from Enook's constituency that has prompted his department to look into the matter.
Enook said his queries had nothing to do with the correspondence and again asked what safeguards are in place to prevent money-hungry foster parents from getting into the system.
Mike said there is a vetting process, that social workers "know about everything that happens in their communities," and if they became aware of such a case, they would put a stop to it and withdraw the foster parents' privileges.
