Perspectivas de estudio y modelos teóricos del apoyo social

Energy

Nunavut relies on imported fossil fuels for all of its energy needs, importing 170 to 230 million litres of fuel annually for transportation, heating and electricity generation. All of Nunavut’s fuel is purchased and shipped in bulk during a short summer season and stored in facilities in each community, with the exception of some airborne emergency delivery.

Each year Nunavut’s energy use increases and a growing share of Nunavut’s budget must be allocated, directly and indirectly, to providing energy for Nunavummiut. This

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increase in energy use is mainly due to population and economic growth, with growth in the mining sector the primary driver of economic activity. As the economy and population of the territory grows, so too does the demand for imported fuels. Moreover, fluctuations and volatility in world energy prices provide added pressure on territorial energy planning. However, it is this volatility and the long-term impacts of fossil fuel use, combined with new resource projects receiving regulatory approval, that present a new opportunity for exploring energy transmission into Nunavut from the south. In certain instances, additional opportunities also exist for hydro development within the territory in support of the resource sector.

Due to Nunavut’s vast land mass, each community has its own independent energy system, presenting serious challenges to the development of an energy system that is sustainable and reliable. The Government of Nunavut’s energy strategy, Ikummatiit: An Energy Strategy for Nunavut focuses on reducing reliance on fossil fuels, finding alternative energy sources, and promoting the efficient use of energy in the territory. Implementing innovative technologies and solutions will be paramount to reducing our dependence on fossil fuels.

Transportation

Nunavut is dependent on the importation of goods from outside of the territory. Health care, education, and training also rely heavily on transportation. Furthermore, a reliable and efficient transportation system has positive impacts on economic investment.

Air transportation is the only year-round means to access neighboring communities, other regions and the rest of Canada. Many airports require improvements for safety, security and maintenance purposes, and need to accommodate new security regulations and newer and more efficient aircraft. In recent years, major improvements have been made at all three regional hub airports: Iqaluit, Rankin Inlet, and Cambridge Bay.

All Nunavut communities depend on access to the sea for annual re-supply and participation in traditional harvesting. Some communities rely on this access for an emerging and increasingly important commercial fishery. The lack of adequate marine facilities affects the safety and efficiency of Nunavut’s marine activities and is a barrier to the development of commercial fisheries, mine development, the territory’s tourism sector, and the development stronger logistical systems throughout Nunavut.

Communications

Reliable and affordable access to telecommunication services, including broadband internet, is vital to Nunavut’s economic future, both to ensure efficient communications and to enable and prepare Nunavummiut to take advantage of economic developments and emerging commercial opportunities. Currently Nunavut is entirely reliant on satellite internet. There is also a critical lack of satellite redundancy, with 16 of Nunavut’s 25 communities reliant on a single satellite.

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Northwestel’s revised modernization plan was closely reviewed by the CRTC at hearings on Northern Telecommunications in 2013. There is a clear need for Nunavut to receive telecommunication services comparable to Southern Canada in terms of choice, quality, and reliability. The CRTC has subsequently announced that it will be examining satellite transport services and reviewing how broadband investments in the North should be funded.

On February 11, 2014, the 2014-15 federal budget unveiled $305 million towards supporting northern and rural broadband. A $50-million northern component will extend and augment satellite capacity, bringing service at a targeted 3 to 5 Mbps to an estimated 12,000 households in Nunavut and the Nunavik region of Quebec between 2014 and 2016. Such improvement is welcomed, but is an incremental improvement – access to affordable broadband internet lags far behind the rest of Canada. A strategic, long-term solution is needed in order to bring Nunavut closer to modern service levels enjoyed in Southern Canada.

Acquisition of Goods and Services

The Government of Nunavut’s procurement services continue to evolve and improve the level of service to all Government of Nunavut departments and to the general public. Contract Regulations are in force and the Contract Procedures Manual continues to evolve to meet emerging needs. Procurement and Contracting Services continues to provide training and support to all departments to ensure fair, ethical, and transparent procurement and contracting.

The Nunavummi Nangminiqaqtunik Ikajuuti (NNI) Policy, the Government of Nunavut preferential procurement policy mandated by the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement, is integrated into virtually all Government of Nunavut procurement activities. The policy is currently being renewed in partnership with Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated. The amended policy is expected to bring changes and improvements to the government’s preferential procurement system.

Support for Municipalities

Financial reporting for Nunavut municipalities has been improving, but attraction and retention of senior staff for administration and finance continues to be challenging. Improving the capacity of staff and increasing the stability of senior staff remains the key to keeping communities financially healthy.

Community Infrastructure

The lack of availability of local construction resources in combination with short building seasons and a limited labour market continues to escalate the costs of developing and maintaining community and government infrastructure. Communities often utilize buildings that have exceeded their lifecycle expectations and increased demand due to growing community populations place further burden on already aging facilities. Innovative infrastructure design – such as multi-use facilities and more

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rigorous planning towards sustainable community growth has helped position the GN for more effective use of limited capital resources.

The Nunavut Community Infrastructure Advisory Committee (NCIAC) undertook the development of Integrated Community Infrastructure Sustainability Plans (ICSP) to create and measure long-term goals for infrastructure development in each Nunavut Community. The first draft of these plans was completed in 2010 and the ICSPs have now evolved to living documents through the integration of an online webtool, www.buildingnunavut.com. This webtool now provides each community the ability to continually update and amend their sustainability plans, helping communities achieve their environmental, cultural, social, and economic goals.

The Department of Community & Government Services continues to work closely with our Federal counterparts to lobby for increased funding. Infrastructure programs for Nunavut must be relevant to the needs and priorities of the Territory and must provide financial contributions that are adequate to meet the high costs of Northern construction. While federal funding is critical for future development of infrastructure in communities, having a well-defined and clear process to administer this funding is paramount. To this end, the Department of Community and Government Services continues to refine the capital planning process to have greater emphasis on community participation, input through the ICSPs, open dialogue, fair and transparent project prioritization, and accountability.

Municipal Capacity

The Government of Nunavut supports building human resource capacity for municipalities through support of the Municipal Training Organization (MTO) with a mandate to identify community staff training needs; provide training to address those needs; and to encourage the use of best practices – with the goal of continuous performance improvement in municipal operations.

The MTO is entering its eleventh year of delivering the Municipal Government Certificate Program in partnership with the Nunavut Arctic College (to ensure the training courses are accredited and transferrable), which allows municipal employees and other community residents to receive accredited training and certification in municipal management and governance. The MTO has taken steps to ensure the continued relevance of courses by engaging municipal staff, GN staff and adult education experts to provide constructive feedback. The MTO will continue to review and update all courses periodically to ensure they are relevant and specific for municipal operations. The MTO also provides targeted training in areas such as class 3 drivers’ licenses and airbrake courses for municipal drivers and firefighting training for Nunavut’s municipal fire departments and Municipal Solid Waste Training.

Nunavut Fire Protection

The need to maintain public safety, coupled with increasing costs of fire insurance coverage for Nunavut communities, required the development of an enhanced fire

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protection capability. Maintaining affordable fire insurance has become a major issue for Nunavut communities. The Fire Protection Strategy is a crucial element of the overall program. Training will continue to be the cornerstone of the Fire Protection Strategy.

Health Infrastructure

Seventy percent of the territory’s health facilities require renovations or replacements to ensure that they meet operational requirements and 2010 national building code standards. There is also a need for medical and mobile equipment to meet minimum standards and keep pace with technological advances. A strategic investment in health infrastructure is necessary in order to increase capacity, meet the needs of a rapidly growing population, and reduce patient risk.