Education Act consultations extended
Casey Lessard
Northern News Services
Monday, June 13, 2016
IQALUIT
Education Act consultations will be extended into the fall after MLAs raised concerns that too many people would be taking advantage of summer weather to attend community meetings scheduled for this month.
The move came after Gjoa Haven MLA Tony Akoak raised the point May 30.
"For the sake of the listening public, can the minister clarify why his department feels that June of 2016 is the best time to carry out these consultations?" Akoak asked.
Noting the government is required to consult and complete its report by the end of its term, Education Minister Paul Quassa told lawmakers "we had to implement the proposals in the fastest manner possible and we are trying to accommodate that. This is a speedy process compared to other legislation drafting."
The tour was originally scheduled to end July 1, starting with Kivalliq and Kitikmeot visits that finished this week, and Baffin Island consultations the rest of the month.
The Gjoa Haven District Education Authority passed a motion May 11 asking the Department of Education to delay its consultations there until the fall.
"Usually springtime is when most of the people are out of the community and that's why we're asking if there can be a delay," Akoak told Quassa.
Quassa was unmoved that day but later in the week, Iqaluit-Sinaa MLA Paul Okalik raised the point again.
"They're gathering eggs, they're harvesting the land and they're doing family events because springtime is a family time," Okalik said. "Could the minister let us know if they can defer the consultation tour to the fall instead of this spring?"
This time, the answer was yes. Consultations will continue in August and wrap up Sept. 2, Quassa told legislators.
Baler to clean up fire debris
Kinngait/Cape Dorset
Community and Government Services will trial a metal shear baler to help clean up metal remaining from last year's Peter Pitseolak High School fire.
"What it does is it cuts up or shreds large pieces of metal to make them into more handle-able sizes, compacts and bales it so that it can be stored in a compact manner," Community and Government Services Minister Joe Savikataaq said June 1 in response to a question from South Baffin MLA David Joanasie. "We're not sure when that is coming on sealift, but it is coming on sealift and it will be used as part of the clean-up, but the site will be cleaned up before freeze-up."
Joanasie later asked if the shear baler would be taken to other communities for other metal processing.
Maybe, Savikataaq said.
"If this piece of equipment works then we will definitely be looking at putting it in other communities," he said. "All of this stuff will be evaluated once it has done all the work its supposed to do in Cape Dorset."
