IQALUIT - The Nunavut government paid for an incomplete study when it funded the Qanukkanniq GN report card, Iqaluit West MLA Paul Okalik told members of the legislative assembly on Nov. 24.

Okalik said the consulting firm that completed the report card, North Sky Consulting, was supposed to report the strengths of the government and outline areas that needed improvement and said the report was intended to act like a school report card.

"The terms of reference had said they would be treated annually, like a school report card, where the good parts are and where the challenges are going to be," Okalik said.

Okalik said the report focused too much on the negative and did not adequately outline where the government needs to improve.

Okalik asked premier Eva Aariak if the government is going to ask for a refund from North Sky Consulting.

"The report that was tabled seemed to be incomplete. If we had worked on it, we would have been fired," Okalik said. "Although they had a goal and an objective, the consultation group didn't follow the terms of reference. Will they be reimbursing the money because they did an incomplete study?"

Aariak, who said the report cost $1 million, added the report card met the intended criteria.

"No, they completed their work and we held a meeting here all together so that we can start planning for the future," she said.

MLA grills cabinet on medical travel

The issue of escort policy for medical travel was brought forward by Akulliq MLA John Ningark. Ningark said a clearer policy to determine which patients are eligible to bring an escort on medical travel is needed in the territory.

"My comment was in regard to the patients having to leave without escorts even though they require the help," he said. "Some who are more capable are sometimes given the opportunity to take escorts."

Health minister Tagak Curley said it is the nurse in charge who first determines whether a patient requires an escort, but "in some cases, and possibly because they don't understand the policy or haven't seen the policy, they don't allow patients to bring escorts."

Curley said escort issues regarding medical travel need to be brought first to managerial staff then to regional offices.

"I can tell the member that if there are complaints about the lack of providing escorts in cases where an escort is clearly required, we would like to hear about them so that we can rectify these in the future," he said.

Capital budget estimate cut in half

On Nov. 25, Finance Minister Keith Peterson announced that Nunavut's capital budget for 2010/2011 will be slashed to $111.4 million.

That is nearly half of what Nunavut is estimated to spend in 2009/2010 - $223.7 million.

A deficit of about $30.1 million is predicted, he said.

Peterson said health care spending is still one of the major "cost drivers" of Nunavut's budget.