Budget 2002: Spending highlights

Here are some examples of areas where the Nunavut government will be spending new money:

• The Nunavut Housing Corporation, which now looks after employee staff housing in addition to social housing, will build at least 78 social housing units this year, Finance Minister Kelvin Ng said.

• The Office of the Chief Electoral Officer will get about $400,000 to hold a territorial election next year, probably in the fall.

• The justice department will put $90,000 of new money into a victim’s assistance fund, and will spend about $120,000 more on the Akitsiraq law school program. It’s budget for law enforcement will go up by about $3.5 million, to reflect the cost of hiring 14 new RCMP members. There’s also some extra money for non-court family law services, a pilot project in family dispute mediation, and $105,000 for the training of court workers, legal interpreters and justices of the peace.

• The department of culture, language, elders and youth will get about $1.5 million more than it spent last year. That includes $320,000 for a toponymy, or place-naming program, money for an elder’s council, and more hand-out money for elders’ and youth programs.

• The budget for the department of health and social services appears to have been stabilized. Its spending for 2002-3 has been set at $156,893. In the last fiscal year, its budget had been set at $123,364, but it actually spent $151,592.

• The health department will get $949,000 in new money for community alcohol and drug counselling programs, and $1.7 million in new money for a shelter serving people with psychiatric problems. In all, the health department is getting about $9 million more for “healthy children, families and communities,” which includes dental care, health promotion and health research.

• The department of education will spend more money on programs, but less on capital projects in 2002-3. It’s expecting to spend $22.6 million in income support, or welfare payments, an increase of about $400,000. Its student financial assistance program will get a little more money, about $500,000, and District Education Authorities will get a little more money for school operations, about $980,000. Ng also says they’ll get about $2.8 million in extra money for new teachers.

There’s no new money for curriculum development, teaching resources, and student evaluation, however. The School Services Branch is taking a small cut, from $7.3 million to $7 million. There’s also a cut in funding for trades programs, from $585,000 to $299,000.

• Nunavut Tourism will get another $1 million, bringing its budget to $2.3 million.

• The human resource department’s Inuit Employment Plan will get more money — $3.4 million, up from $1.7 million.