False blizzard blows hot air through the house

The city of Iqaluit shut down last Friday morning, after a blizzard warning by Environment Canada. By about noon, the blustery sky had cleared and many government buildings, including the legislative assembly, opened for business.

But Tunnuniq MLA Jobie Nutarak showed up for work that morning as usual. “When I woke up, I turned on the radio. I heard about all the offices being closed, and there was just a little wind blowing when I looked out the window.”

When the House began sitting at noon, he asked Manitok Thompson, the minister of community government and transportation, how exactly the government decides whether to shut down after a blizzard warning.

“I believe every single one of us looked out our window to see how strong the blizzard was, and especially when we heard that the government offices and schools were closed,” she said.

“The emergency measures office, human resource staff and also the city of Iqaluit first talk about what they’re going to be doing. Perhaps there is a need to review this because at times it seems like the offices sometimes close prematurely.”

Nutarak said he was particularly upset when he came across government employees picking up groceries — when they would otherwise have been at work. “Because the wind wasn’t very strong, there were a lot of people down at the Northern store doing their shopping.”

(Nutarak didn’t say what he was doing at the Northern store at the time.)

“When you see government employees wandering around and going shopping instead of going to their offices it is a little bit disturbing,” Thompson replied.