Oral Questions, Pharmacy Act, Northern Employees Benefits Services Pension Plan Act, Health and Social Services — 1 December 2021 (19th Assembly, 2nd Session, pp. 3221–3266)
2021-12-01, 19th Assembly 2nd Session, pp. 3221–3266
Northwest Territories — Debates (Hansard)
Debates of Dec. 1st, 2021
This is page numbers 3221 - 3266 of the Hansard for the 19th Assembly, 2nd Session. The original version can be accessed on the Legislative Assembly's website or by contacting the Legislative Assembly Library.
The word of the day was units .
Topics
Oral Questions
Members Present
Prayer
Flood Recovery in the Northwest Territories
Stanton Labour and Delivery Services Update
Chronic Diseases in Small Communities
Use of Locums in Northwest Territories Healthcare
Appreciation for Frontline Healthcare Workers in Nunakput
Government of the Northwest Territories Living Well Together Training
Access to Counselling Services for Residential School Survivors
Access to Aftercare Services
Healthcare Wait Times
Affordable Housing
Chronic Diseases in Seniors
Canada Greener Homes Grant Program
Eulogy for Gunnar Paulson
Use of Locums in Northwest Territories Healthcare
Small Community COVID-19 Concerns
Government of the Northwest Territories Living Well Together Training
Primary Health Care Reform Program and Treatment of Diabetes
Access to Aftercare and Day Shelter Services
Addictions, Aftercare and Mental Health Supports
Affordable Housing Policies and Programs
Chronic Diseases in Seniors
Healthcare Wait Times
Pre- and Post-Audit Requirements for the Canada Greener Homes Grant Program
Tabled Document 511-19(2): Northwest Territories Surface Rights Board 2020-2021 Annual Report and the Audited Financial Statements
Tabled Document 512-19(2): Consolidated Budgets 2021-2022 of the Government of the Northwest Territories Tabled Document 513-19(2): Public Service Annual Report for 2020-2021 Tabled Document 514-19(2): The Report of Special Warrants issued June to November of 2021
Appointment of Equal Pay Commissioner
Move Committee Report 22-19(2) into Committee of the Whole
Bill 42: Supplementary Appropriations Act (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 2, 2021-2022
Bill 43: Supplementary Appropriations Act (Operations Expenditures), No. 2, 2021-2022
Bill 44: Supplementary Appropriations Act (Operations Expenditures and Borrowing Authorization), No. 4, 2020-2021
Bill 42: Supplementary Appropriations Act (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 2, 2021-2022
Bill 43: Supplementary Appropriations Act (Operations Expenditures), No. 2, 2021-2022
Bill 44: Supplementary Appropriations Act (Operations Expenditures and Borrowing Authorization), No. 4, 2020-2021
Consideration Of Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Report Of Committee Of The Whole
Bill 31:
an Act to Amend the Pharmacy Act
Recorded Vote
Bill 32:
An Act to Amend the Northern Employees Benefits Services Pension Plan Act
Recorded Vote
Bill 33: National Indigenous Peoples Day Act
Recorded Vote
Bill 42: Supplementary Appropriation Act (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 2, 2021-2022
Recorded Vote
Bill 43: Supplementary Appropriations Act (Operations Expenditures), No. 2, 2021-2022
Recorded Vote
Bill 44: Supplementary Appropriation Act (Operations Expenditures and Borrowing Authorization), No. 4, 2020-2021
Recorded Vote
Orders Of The Day
Members Present
Hon. Diane Archie , Hon. Frederick Blake Jr., Mr. Bonnetrouge , Hon. Paulie Chinna , Ms. Cleveland , Hon. Caroline Cochrane , Hon. Julie Green , Mr. Jacobson , Mr. Johnson , Ms. Martselos , Ms. Nokleby , Mr. O'Reilly , Ms. Semmler , Hon. R.J. Simpson , Mr. Rocky Simpson , Hon. Shane Thompson , Hon. Caroline Wawzonek . Ms. Weyallon-Armstrong
The House met at 1:30 p.m.
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---Prayer
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Prayer
Prayer
Page 3221
The Speaker
Frederick Blake Jr.
Ministers' statements. Minister responsible for Municipal and Community Affairs .
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Minister's Statement 190-19(2): Flood Recovery in the Northwest Territories
Ministers' Statements
Page 3221
Shane Thompson
Nahendeh
Mr. Speaker, I would like to provide an update on the status of the flood recovery work being undertaken by the Government of the Northwest Territories. As soon as the floodwater retreated last spring, community government leadership, residents, and our government got together to work, helping communities recover from the worst flood many of us have seen in our lifetime.
There are many people involved in this effort. I want to recognize the tireless efforts of the community government leadership in the immediately flood aftermath and over the past several months.
Some of the leadership has changed since the flood occurred but as the waters rose, Chief Stanley Sanguez, Mayor Sean Whelly, Mayor Andrew Charlie, and Chief Daniel Masuzumi showed tremendous leadership, evacuating residents safely and taking steps to reduce the potential flood damage where possible, Mayor Kandis Jameson and Chief April Martel, among many others, executed their emergency plans flawlessly and were ready for the worst, even if it never came. Residents and leaders in Fort Smith, Fort Providence, and Inuvik are to be commended for taking such excellent care of evacuees from flooded communities.
Mr. Speaker, our government knew we needed extraordinary measures to meet the challenges of these extraordinary floods.
We are doing home repairs on primary residences for those who have asked us to do this work. We've arranged for replacement homes for those destroyed by the flood so individuals and families do not need to start from scratch. We are providing disaster assistance to small businesses and community governments given the disruption and impact to their operations. We are providing disaster assistance payment to those residents who lost some or all of the contents of their homes.
Mr. Speaker, in Fort Simpson, Fort Good Hope, and Jean Marie River, we are on track to get repairs done by the end of the year, and replacement homes are scheduled to arrive between January and March in the new year.
I want to acknowledge the support and assistance provided by the contractors who have worked with the GNWT and with residents throughout the recovery process, especially ARCAN Construction, who provided critical support in completing this recovery work. I would also like to recognize Ne'rahten Development Ltd. for their work on the reconstruction efforts in Fort Good Hope.
We all hoped that the recovery could be done sooner, however, given the extraordinary flooding that occurred, recovering from this disaster was never going to be easy. Also, any construction project brings challenges with that and it needs to be managed and often this means shifting timelines.
To residents who have still not returned to their homes or who may still be facing challenges that have come as a result of the flood damage, I want to thank you for your patience as we continue our work to recover fully from last spring's flood.
The Department of Municipal and Community Affairs is conducting a thorough review of our response to this emergency and we will be using these lessons learned to ensure that we are prepared for the spring of 2022.
Mr. Speaker, I want to end on a personal note. I saw the impact of the flood on communities firsthand. Living in one of the flooded impacted communities, I was able to meet with residents, hear their stories, and try to help them in their time of need. I would like to thank the Minister Archie and Minister Chinna for their visit -- visiting some of the impacted communities during the flood. I would also like to thank the Premier for her constant support in this difficult time.
The work being done to recover from the flood is about the people and making sure they recover from the disaster. Our government has based our approach on that principle. We will continue to work on their behalf as we complete the recovery work in affected communities. Together, with the dedication of community government leadership, we will recover and rebuild together. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
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Minister's Statement 190-19(2): Flood Recovery in the Northwest Territories
Ministers' Statements
Page 3222
The Speaker
Frederick Blake Jr.
Thank you, Minister. Ministers' statements. Minister responsible for Health and Social Services
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Minister's Statement 191-19(2): Stanton Labour and Delivery Services Update
Ministers' Statements
Page 3222
Julie Green
Yellowknife Centre
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to update Members on the temporary shutdown of labor and delivery services at Stanton Territorial Hospital. This closure requires the Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority to send pregnant people to Edmonton to give birth. I know that this has placed a significant burden on NWT families at what should be a time of joy and celebration. I also recognize that this decision is even more difficult, coming as it does, so close to the holiday season.
This difficult decision was made to ensure the safety of individuals and their newborn babies while we experience an acute staffing shortage. By transferring care to Alberta, we can ensure our territorial hospital maintains capacity to deal with any urgent situations during pregnancy and ensure patient safety.
The priority of NTHSSA, Mr. Speaker, is the patients whose plans for giving birth here in Yellowknife have been disrupted by the temporary closure of those labor and delivery services at Stanton. As soon as hospital leadership confirmed that they were not going to be able to maintain this service, staff began to contact affected patients directly to discuss next steps.
Contact is being made by a team of people who were specifically tasked with discussing the individual circumstances of each patient and their families so together they can come up with a plan that meets the family's needs as much as possible.
Staff will continue to follow up with patients and families to ensure individuals have the information and understand the supports they may require.
The NTHSSA is also working to put together patient resources that will prepare individuals for their trip and the transition of care. Clinical resources in Edmonton are closely collaborating with care teams in the NWT to ensure ample resources and supports for patients are ready, including pre- and postnatal care and additional birthing supports.
To date, the NTHSSA medical travel program has worked with 71 clients to determine benefits and eligibility. Of these, 13 families are above the high-income threshold without employer or other benefits, who would be required to pay the co-pay. That said, there is a process to waive this fee if families can demonstrate it is a financial hardship.
Thirty-one families will be covered by employer programs and 26 qualify for non-insured health benefits and will receive additional support through that program. And then finally, seven are considered low-income and they will not be required to pay the co-pay and can have their expenses advanced to reduce any potential financial outlay.
The key piece here, Mr. Speaker, is that most individuals will have access to programs and resources outside the medical travel program. As a result of this initial assessment, NTHSSA is now able to focus on adding support and assisting individuals based on their specific needs.
While staff are making every effort to support patients who are now being asked to give birth in Edmonton, Mr. Speaker, I do want to acknowledge that this is a significant inconvenience for all patients who were expecting to give birth in Yellowknife. Even with support and best efforts from NTHSSA, I know that these are not the circumstances that families wanted, and I am sorry that we are not able to live up to their expectations.
Mr. Speaker, I want to reassure Members that NTHSSA has taken reasonable steps to prevent this temporary shutdown and if there had been any easy solutions, they would have been gladly implemented. NTHSSA has been making every effort to recruit staff in the face of a national nursing shortage that the pandemic has only made worse.
Advertising and active promotion in a variety of locations, including national nursing recruitment sites, has netted only seven applications and one hire since June. An external staffing agency, brought on in October to provide additional assistance, has only managed to identify three additional nurses with varying start dates and contracts still being confirmed. NTHSSA also issued a request for assistance from other provinces and territories but so far have been unable to generate additional staffing from this source, as these staff are in high demand in their home provinces.
NTHSSA is also making efforts to staff from within through redeployment, but different roles require different training and the pool of staff available is not large. I thank the staff in the obstetrics unit who stepped up in response to a call to pick up shifts yet NTHSSA was not able to cover more than one-quarter of all shifts in December, which simply was not enough to support the normal labor and delivery service.
While NTHSSA leadership will continue their efforts to fill immediate vacancies, Mr. Speaker, we obviously need a longer-term plan for addressing staffing needs.
Staff at the authority and the department are currently working on a Health and Social Services human resource plan that will include several key pieces to improve their ability to recruit staff. They are also surveying nursing staff directly to make sure plans are informed by an accurate understanding of challenges and concerns.
Finally, because one way to increase the labor supply is to grow the pool of trained people, there are specialized nursing certification training programs to help develop staff where the labor market is not meeting the need. This program will be piloted in the obstetrics unit at Stanton.
I know that challenges in hiring and adding capacity to the workforce are inextricably tied to the challenges of retention. Keeping the great staff we have is more important than being able to attract new talent.
Mr. Speaker, NTHSSA is taking steps to address the more persistent issues that have contributed to this immediate challenge. I recognize that morale issues have been building at Stanton, and they need to be addressed. A near strike, a facility move followed by a challenging start-up, and a global pandemic have all contributed to significant change and pressure on staff and leadership at the hospital.
As Minister, I know we need to improve and we need to do so quickly. I have met with staff from the obstetrics unit at Stanton and representatives from the Union of Northern Workers as well as leadership at Stanton, at the health authority, and in the department. We are all on the same page; we need to address this.
Stanton leadership has created a team, including clinical leads and management, to look at the current operational issues in detail and find the quickest path to service resumption with a focus on longer-term sustainability of services.
Stanton leadership is also looking closely at concerns over leave, workload, and compensation that have recently been highlighted as factors contributing to staff morale. The department and the authority are initiating a working group to look at staffing levels, service types, and volumes in the obstetrics unit to determine what appropriate staffing looks like and will look at what interim additional measures may be put in place until this review is complete. The department will also be working directly with the Department of Finance to discuss what options are available to ensure we remain competitive when it comes to attracting staff nationally and retaining the excellent staff we have.
Stanton's chief operating officer has already engaged with staff as part of a review of leave policies and processes that is expected to be complete by January. NTHSSA will also broaden opportunities for staff to meet directly with leadership to put their concerns on the table and help identify solutions. Culture change, Mr. Speaker, takes time but all parties are committed to doing it and doing it right.
Mr. Speaker, these are difficult times for the patients who are now being asked to deliver their babies in Edmonton and for the staff in the obstetrics unit. I want to assure Members that I, the authority, and the department are all committed to moving quickly to address the underlying issues that have led to this situation and we will continue to update you on our progress. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
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Minister's Statement 191-19(2): Stanton Labour and Delivery Services Update
Ministers' Statements
Page 3223
The Speaker
Frederick Blake Jr.
Thank you, Minister. Ministers' statements. Members' statements. Member for Deh Cho .
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Chronic Diseases in Small Communities
Members' Statements
Page 3223
Ronald Bonnetrouge
Deh Cho
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my topic is chronic diseases in the small communities. Mr. Speaker, Wikipedia describes "chronic diseases" as a human health condition or disease that is persistent or otherwise long-lasting in its effects or a disease that comes with time. The term "chronic" is often used when a disease lasts for more than three months. Common chronic diseases include arthritis, asthma, cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which is lung disease, and hypertension, which is high blood pressure, and diabetes to name a few. Diabetes was once described as terminal but is now described as chronic due to the availability of insulin and medication to manage the condition.
"Terminal" is described as a lifelong illness that results in death.
Mr. Speaker, Health and Social Services provided information on diabetes in the Northwest Territories and reports in 2017-2018, 5.9 percent of people 12 and older had diabetes, slightly lower than the Canadian average of 7.2 percent. This information is about four years old and does not appear that the Department of Health and Social Services tracks diabetes statistics more frequently therefore the current rate of diabetes in the NWT is not known.
Mr. Speaker, the report also states the NWT has a high rate of ambulatory care, sensitive conditions. That is hospitalizations for some chronic conditions that could have likely been prevented through better chronic disease management and better access to primary health care. Mr. Speaker, I will have questions for the Health Minister at the appropriate time. Mahsi.
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Chronic Diseases in Small Communities
Members' Statements
Page 3223
The Speaker
Frederick Blake Jr.
Thank you, Member for De Cho. Member statements. Member for Hay River South .
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Use of Locums in Northwest Territories Healthcare
Members' Statements
Page 3223
Rocky Simpson
Hay River South
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I want to talk about the use of locum tenens in our health care system. Mr. Speaker, is important that the delivery of health care in the NWT is timely. We must ensure that all communities are provided service, whether they are staffed by physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses, or other health care professionals. Locums are, and are becoming more, important in the way we deliver health care in the NWT.
Mr. Speaker, it was been a number of years since we had a full-time position in Hay River, or at least one we could call a "family physician.” We have had permanent physicians come and stay for a short period, only to leave, thus entrusting locums to fill that gap. I am not saying this is a bad thing because many of the attending locums are specialists that provide an added benefit to community health care services.
Mr. Speaker, if our health care system expects to retain permanent health care professionals, we must provide them with the support from locums in order to allow them time off to enjoy life as well. From statistics I have reviewed, the burnout rate among physicians is placed at upwards of 40 percent; and, with the added burden of the ongoing pandemic, I expect that number has increased. We have to remember that the pandemic lockdowns, coupled with additional workload of acute care units and deferral of surgeries, have healthcare workers re-evaluating what is important, and that is family.
Mr. Speaker, the pandemic has shown the fragility of our health care system, the importance of health care professionals, and the fact that we need to do more to support those on the frontline.
Mr. Speaker, we see large health care employee vacancy numbers, not only in the NWT by throughout Canada. If we expect to retain professional care and health care workers then our current retention approach must be revisited, it must be different, and must come with resolve.
Mr. Speaker, any change must be done in collaboration with our health care professionals. We need immediate solutions to address how to efficiently provide focused patient care for all residents in the NWT. This may include better communication, reducing health care burnout, use of virtual care, functioning facilities and equipment, increased compensation for health care staff, and the effective use of locums who are now engrained in all facets of our health care delivery system. Mr. Speaker, I will have questions for the Minister of Health at the appropriate time. Thank you.
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Use of Locums in Northwest Territories Healthcare
Members' Statements
Page 3224
The Speaker
Frederick Blake Jr.
Thank you, Member for Hay River South . Members' statements. Member for Nunakput .
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Appreciation for Frontline Healthcare Workers in Nunakput
Members' Statements
Page 3224
Jackie Jacobson
Nunakput
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today Mr. Speaker, I'd like to acknowledge and thank all the frontline health care workers in Tuktoyaktuk and my leadership and all Nunakput riding.
Mr. Speaker, 10 percent of my community in Tuktoyaktuk had an outbreak and that was a really scary situation. It's still 18 positives that we're still working towards getting through that 10-day isolation and making sure they're testing negative but we're very thankful to our staff for all the hard work that they do, August Stuckey and the health centre crew, thank you so much. And for all the tireless work you've been doing for the last three weeks to a month. Also to the SAO and the hamlet staff for working so hard and diligently to make sure everything's been going right. And my mayor Erwin Elias, thank you for doing what you do and the good job that you're doing.
Mr. Speaker, November 26th, 2021 our health organization designated a new variant COVID-19. It's a concern. The variant is called Omicron. It appeared in Canada. I was watching the news the other day, at six in the morning, and then -- it was in Ottawa. 4 o'clock in the afternoon, it was in Edmonton. So that's how fast it's travelling, Mr. Speaker, and we're worried. There's a lot of unknowns at this point surrounding the variant, and we don't know how quickly it will spread and the vaccines help. I am concerned with my communities.
My leadership called; I talked to my leadership Josh Oliktoak. I had a text message from him saying, Anybody travelling from Yellowknife airport should be getting a clean bill of COVID test before they jump on the plane heading into Ulu. So that has to be looked at, Mr. Speaker. I don't think it's being done here, or passengers have to go and get cleared to travel because getting it into Ulukhaktok, some of my Elders are not vaccinated and it's a really scary situation that they went through already. And, you know, there's so many challenges in our communities.
Like, for Tuk we had to establish a managing and isolation centre, finding enough homes and places to isolate families. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, colleagues. Ensuring residents have food and they don't have to leave their homes. Administrating the COVID testing and tracing is fast enough to limit the spread, and I'd like to thank them for doing that job so diligently, but we have to work on it.
Mr. Speaker, I'm really concerned on whether the next variant of COVID is going to hit our communities and the secretariat was created to respond to COVID, to create a process that will keep our communities safe. I'm concerned that the response to keep communities safe may be not improving and quick enough to address the challenges for our community and giving the SAOs and the hamlet help. Mr. Speaker, I'll have a few questions for the Premier as the head of COVID Secretariat later this afternoon. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
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Appreciation for Frontline Healthcare Workers in Nunakput
Members' Statements
Page 3224
The Speaker
Frederick Blake Jr.
Thank you, Member for Nunakput . Members' statements. Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes .
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Government of the Northwest Territories Living Well Together Training
Members' Statements
Page 3225
Lesa Semmler
Inuvik Twin Lakes
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. With the implementation of the Living Well Together training for all the government of the Northwest Territories staff, it was disturbing for me to hear on the different occasions that some members of the public service are not completing this training. The Living Well Together recognizes that the NWT was first Indigenous land filled with Indigenous people. It recognizes the impact of colonization had on Indigenous people. It explains through firsthand stories how this trauma continues today in the lives of Indigenous residents.
Living Well Together was intended to provide all public servants with Indigenous cultural awareness and sensitivity training to assist them in their jobs.
Mr. Speaker, I think people throughout Canada, even within the NWT, do not recognize the impact of our collective history built on racism, white privilege, removing Indigenous people from their land, and forcing children out of their culture. Many people don't recognize -- don't truly recognize how Canada's colonial history affects us all today.
Mr. Speaker, many of our Indigenous people struggle with addictions, mental health, high rates of family violence; our children make up most all of the children in care; and the majority of the inmates of the population in our correction facilities. The homeless and underhoused people in the NWT are made up of many residential school survivors or their children.
Mr. Speaker, this is a result of the systemic racism built in governments that has continued since first contact.
Mr. Speaker, this training is extremely important for all public servants in the GNWT to complete, especially those people who deal directly with the public.
Mr. Speaker, we know that non-Indigenous people make up nearly 60 percent of the entire GNWT public service. It is very concerning to me that non-Indigenous public servants, especially those on the frontlines, dealing with directly, with our Elders, our new mothers, our people struggling with addictions, are not properly trained in cultural awareness, or refuse to do so.
I will have questions for the Minister of Finance later today. Mahsi.
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Government of the Northwest Territories Living Well Together Training
Members' Statements
Page 3225
The Speaker
Frederick Blake Jr.
Thank you, Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes . Members' statements. Member for Great Slave .
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Access to Counselling Services for Residential School Survivors
Members' Statements
Page 3225
Katrina Nokleby
Great Slave
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, recently Health Canada limited access for counseling services for residential school survivors in the NWT and Nunavut. Funding for travelling clinics has been cut and Health Canada counselors that normally travel to the communities, must now take a four to six-week break before they are permitted to see clients in person again. This means that many in-person appointments could take place as much as eight weeks apart.
One of the key aspects of trauma counseling is creating a space in which survivors feel safe enough to share. The creation of that space relies heavily on the trust established with their counselor; trust that may take years to create. Any mental health worker knows that face-to-face sessions are vastly preferred over virtual, as they are trained to look for physical signs of mental health distress, abuse, neglect, or cognitive difficulties. This is especially crucial for children who may not have the language to express their thoughts and feelings. Despite this, Health Canada has instructed counselors to use virtual technology over travel in order to save money.
Mr. Speaker we all know what telephone and internet services are like in the North. It is inadequate and costly and not all residents have access. Add in the disconnect that not being in the same room causes, and one doesn't have to be a mental health expert to see this doesn't work.
The NWT has some of the highest rates of gender-based violence in Canada; only made worse by the pandemic. When I asked the Health Minister about this federal spending cut, she said she'd add it to her agenda when she has "the opportunity to meet with the new federal Minister."
Mr. Speaker, that's not good enough. Why would the Minister not immediately advocate on behalf of our residents? Why would she not inform them that this is not acceptable, particularly during the pandemic? When asked, the Minister points us to GNWT supports saying same day appointments are available. Yes, for one day, then you will be put on a list for a permanent counselor, often waiting for months, as what happened when my father passed away. Otherwise we're pointed to apps and online tools, placing the onus on residents to "heal themselves", something that is clearly not working. Not everyone can "go on the land", Mr. Speaker, nor does everyone have a smartphone or a computer.
This Cabinet loves to deflect responsibility to Canada whenever it suits them; however, I think they fail to realize at times that they are our voices in Ottawa and it is up to them to ensure that we are being heard. This involves being proactive, being vocal, being loud. Not waiting until it's convenient for the bureaucrats in Ottawa to find time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
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Access to Counselling Services for Residential School Survivors
Members' Statements
Page 3225
The Speaker
Frederick Blake Jr.
Thank you, Member for Great Slave . Members' statements. Member for Thebacha .
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Access to Aftercare Services
Members' Statements
Page 3226
Frieda Martselos
Thebacha
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm going to speak again today about the need for more access to aftercare services for people in recovery and for those who are addicted to drugs and alcohol.
Mr. Speaker, assessing mental health and addiction issues in the NWT can be tedious and an intimidating experience for our residents. That was true before the pandemic hit, and it's even harder now for the people to access these vital supports during these uncertain times amidst this pandemic.
As I said in my Member's statement last week, it has been reported and researched by many entities, mental health and addiction services during this pandemic have become harder to access and its service availability has been increasingly limited.
Mr. Speaker, with this in mind, it is very welcoming news to hear from our Health Minister that a new wellness recovery centre will be built in Yellowknife by 2024. This is very good news for the people of the NWT and certainly a step in the right direction for the territory, and I support it.
Mr. Speaker, to add to this conversation and to be build upon this good work, I'd like to suggest that our government considers expanding its reach for aftercare and recovery centres in the NWT since we now know that our recovery centre will be built in the central hub of the capital. I think we need to consider building in the future another recovery centre in a different community and region of the NWT.
That said, Mr. Speaker, I'd like to suggest that Fort Smith and the South Slave region be considered as a site for a future recovery centre aftercare facility for the NWT. I think having an aftercare facility in a non-industrialized location and away from the enabling spaces of people's addictions is a good thing. It can be a good thing to remove someone, at least temporarily, from their spaces of active addiction in order to help them break the cycle of their addiction. However, equally vital to breaking the cycles of addiction is a need to provide aftercare and proper follow up for those in recovery.
I will have questions for the Minister of Health and Social Services at the appropriate time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
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Access to Aftercare Services
Members' Statements
Page 3226
The Speaker
Frederick Blake Jr.
Thank you, Member for Thebacha . Members' statements. Member for Yellowknife North .
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Healthcare Wait Times
Members' Statements
Page 3226
Rylund Johnson
Yellowknife North
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. One of the key indicators for evaluating how a health system works is wait times. And right now, you can go to every other jurisdiction -- or every province in Canada and look up their wait times. And I'd encourage people to do this. If you go to the BC one, it's actually quite an amazing database. You can see every single surgeon and how many procedures they currently have waiting, at which hospitals, at which region. You can see the number of weeks for every single procedure that could be scheduled in the health care system in live reported data, Mr. Speaker.
And multiple organizations, including Health Canada take this data from across the country, and they use it to help inform how we need to fund health care. Yet when you go to the Northwest Territories, none of this data is readily available, Mr. Speaker. It is few and far between. And often when it is published, it's published in the amount of people waiting for a procedure, which is not a helpful statistic. If 50 people need a knee replacement, I don't know how long that takes, I have to find a knee surgeon to tell me how long it takes to actually get through 50 people.
Mr. Speaker, I would like us to have this data, and I would like to be giving a statement here on the facts and where we need to improve and put resources. But I don't have that data. So I'm going to share some anecdotal evidence I have on this.
One of my constituents just recently got a knee replacement. It was five years from the time she was told she needs a knee replacement. She's now on the
schedule for the next knee replacement and has already, years in advance, booked the after-physiotherapy for that knee replacement knowing the waitlist is so long, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I previously asked in this House about the wait times to get FASD. I know many people who have been waiting for an FASD diagnosis for years, Mr. Speaker - a diagnosis that is essential to accessing services that is relevant to getting a person to cope with that disorder, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I believe that the department is doing some work but I think we really need to prioritize this. I know we're getting a new electronic medical records system, and I would like to thank the department for the work they did during booking COVID vaccines. I've never seen a department get ahold of software so quickly. But it was great. It allowed you to
schedule your appointments. It sent you reminders. It allowed you to cancel them easily. I would ask that the department look at doing something similar for all procedures and make sure we are tracking this key essential data. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
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Healthcare Wait Times
Members' Statements
Page 3227
The Speaker
Frederick Blake Jr.
Thank you, Member for Yellowknife North . Members' statements. Member for Monfwi .
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Affordable Housing
Members' Statements
Page 3227
Jane Weyallon Armstrong
Monfwi
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Today I am going to be talking about housing, again. I know Ms. Chinna is a good person and it's the portfolio I'm speaking to, so.
Okay, Mr. Speaker, the Northwest Territories is facing a housing crisis because there is a serious lack of affordable housing in this territory. Current Northwest Territories Housing Corporation strategy to provide housing for NWT residents is not meeting the unique needs of our people and communities. For example, many people in the North are employed in the diamond mines or work seasonally in other resource industry jobs. These jobs are really important for our community members because there are so few jobs and so few high-paying jobs in the communities.
In these jobs, our people can make good income for themselves and their families but then their rents are increased dramatically to very high excessive monthly amounts.
Mr. Speaker, we are penalizing our own people for working. In economic, people are discouraged to seek higher paying work. How is this fair to our people who want to do well for themselves and their families? This is not a new issue. We have been discussing for decades how the housing rate structure does not work and operates for our own people to work. On the other hand, many of our community members are considered low-income and do not qualify for the government assistance programs toward homeownership.
The applications that currently exist are overly complicated, have too many financial barriers, and simply take too long to approve. Our people are trapped without clear or easy pathway towards affordable housing. We simply do not have enough housing for private ownership, for low-income families, and for our Elders. We are preventing our own people from having homes. Mr. Speaker, I will have questions for the Minister responsible for the Housing . Thank you.
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Affordable Housing
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Page 3227
The Speaker
Frederick Blake Jr.
Thank you, Member for Monfwi . Members' statements. Member for Kam Lake .
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Chronic Diseases in Seniors
Members' Statements
Page 3227
Caitlin Cleveland
Kam Lake
Mr. Speaker, our seniors and Elders are the fastest growing population in the NWT. Over the next decade, our seniors population over 60 will increase by 56 percent, and the demand for home care by 80 percent. As the GNWT pens an Elders strategy, we speak often in this House about the need for housing to support seniors to age in place with dignity. But what we don't talk about, Mr. Speaker, is the predictable surge of chronic illness. 31 percent of NWT residents over the age of 65 have diabetes, a disease shown to lead to neurodegeneration that substantially increases a Northerner's risk of Alzheimer's, other dementias, and Parkinson's.
Seniors with type 2 diabetes are twice as likely to develop Alzheimer's and 80 percent more likely to develop Parkinson's. Currently, Alzheimer's, dementias, and Parkinson's cannot be cured but treatment options are available to help mitigate the symptoms and health impacts associated with these conditions. But like any disease, before it can be treated or supported, it needs to be diagnosed.
The onset of dementias and Parkinson's have a slow progression and often symptoms that make life difficult for the individual travelling through life changes and that are hard to diagnose. These neurodegenerative diseases require a series of tests, many of which are not accessible in most of our communities, a full physical exam by a doctor, neurological exam by a specialist, blood work, CT scan, MRI, and EEG, and a PET.
Travel and its associated stresses exacerbate neurological conditions, rendering our Elders further exhausted, stressed, and needing more medication to attend and participate in appointments for the purposes of finding out if their treatment and medication doses are working. This is counterintuitive, Mr. Speaker. But without diagnosis, there are no supports, and without supports, conditions worsen and quality of life suffers.
The number of Canadians living with dementia is expected to double by 2030, and the number of Canadians living with Parkinson's are expected to double by 2031.
Mr. Speaker, the NWT does not have physicians who specialize in the care of neurodegenerative disease, and we are in the wake of a wave that is about to break. The people who birthed us, taught us, loved us, and cared for us are ageing. The times are shifting, and it is our turn to be the caregivers. But I am worried that we are not resourced, ready, or acknowledging what is required for our Elders to age in place with dignity. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
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Chronic Diseases in Seniors
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Page 3227
The Speaker
Frederick Blake Jr.
Thank you, Member for Kam Lake . Members' statements. Member for Frame Lake .
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Canada Greener Homes Grant Program
Members' Statements
Page 3228
Kevin O'Reilly
Frame Lake
Merci, Monsieur le President. I'll talk today about problems with the federal Energy Efficiency Grant Program that are preventing NWT residents from receiving program benefits, saving energy, and cutting greenhouse gas emissions.
The Canada Greener Homes Grant Program was established in May 2021 by the federal government and provides cash grants up to $5,000 to private homeowners for energy efficiency retrofits. To receive the grant, applicants must have home energy audits done both before and after retrofits. The Arctic Energy Alliance is the only provider of such audits in the NWT that's certified by the federal -- or certified to federal standards.
The audit requirements apply to minor projects of even a few hundred dollars. The Alliance has long since set aside audit requirements for minor projects under its own programs, recognizing that many energy efficiency benefits are obvious without the need for individual assessment. The federal program fails to recognize the lack of certified auditors necessary to meet requirements in a timely fashion.
The alliance has two certified auditors and two more in training. Past efforts to provide energy audits through contractors in the NWT has not been successful, although that option is, again, being pursued.
The wait time for energy audits in Yellowknife is now up to a year. COVID restrictions on entry in to private homes can further aggravate the wait time on a situation. I'm calling on our Minister of Infrastructure to partner with other jurisdictions and convince the federal government to change the energy audit requirements for the Canada Greener Homes Grant Program to enable NWT residents to access the funding.
I'll have questions later today for the Minister of Infrastructure who has lead responsibility for the Arctic Energy Alliance. Merci, Mr. Speaker.
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Canada Greener Homes Grant Program
Members' Statements
Page 3228
The Speaker
Frederick Blake Jr.
Thank you, Member for Frame Lake . Members' statements. Member for Nahendeh .
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Eulogy for Gunnar Paulson
Members' Statements
Page 3228
Shane Thompson
Nahendeh
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, on September 30, 2021, Gunnar Paulson passed away at the age of 64. Gunnar is survived by his brother Chris and his three daughters: Josanne Kenny, Kristen Tanche, Hannah Paulson, and his two grandchildren William and Amaria Tanche.
Gunnar grew up in Weyburn, Saskatchewan, and always planned on travelling when he got older. When the travel bug hit him, he was off. He spent time all over the Northwest Territories, Saskatchewan, Iceland, and many other places. In the 80's, he settled in the Northwest Territories, mostly in the Deh Cho and Tlicho regions but also spent a lot of time in the Yellowknife area.
Gunnar worked in many different professions, from fishing, surveying, office administration to diamond mining. He was a hard-working person who enjoyed all different jobs he had.
I had the pleasure of meeting Gunnar when he worked for the Whati Band. He was well respected by his co-workers and bosses. He worked hard to get things done right. However, the job wasn't what he was most proud of, and that was being a father and grandfather. He was a loving father and was very proud of his daughters and grandchildren. He was full of stories about their successes and challenges.
Gunnar was well known for his humour. He enjoyed telling funny stories and he had a long list of one-liners he would use during your conversation with him. If it didn't happen, you were disappointed. However, there was one thing that stood out was Gunner's generosity. If he was able to part with something to make the other person's life better, he would do it. Like the old saying "he would give the shirt right off his back for you." This was Gunnar. He had a lot of friends all over the North and will be sorely missed.
The family would like to extend their gratitude and appreciation to all those who came to pay their respects to Gunnar in person or virtually. Mahsi for showing him support, love, and compassion. The family are grateful for everybody's kindness during this difficult time. His daughters would like to thank the Stanton medical staff, the doctors, nurses, and nurses aides for making their father comfortable during the last few months. As well, for making the family feel wanted and respected during this difficult time. Mr. Speaker, he will be sadly missed by us all. Thank you.
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Eulogy for Gunnar Paulson
Members' Statements
Page 3228
The Speaker
Frederick Blake Jr.
Thank you, Member for Nahendeh . Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and community at this time. Members' statements. Returns to oral questions. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Acknowledgements. Oral questions. Member for Hay River South .
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Oral Question 841-19(2): Use of Locums in Northwest Territories Healthcare
Oral Questions
Page 3229
Rocky Simpson
Hay River South
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The questions are for the Minister of Health . Can the Minister tell this Assembly how many locum health care providers the department employs throughout the NWT? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
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Oral Question 841-19(2): Use of Locums in Northwest Territories Healthcare
Oral Questions
Page 3229
The Speaker
Frederick Blake Jr.
Thank you, Member for Hay River South . Minister responsible for Health and Social Services .
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Oral Question 841-19(2): Use of Locums in Northwest Territories Healthcare
Oral Questions
Page 3229
Julie Green
Yellowknife Centre
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you for the question. For the month of December, there will be 77 locum physicians providing services to the NWT. It sounds like a lot, but this is substantially lower than the average of 103 locums per month. In addition, as of October 31st the following casual locum staff working throughout the Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority: 11 community health nurses, one midwife, one nurse practitioner, one respiratory therapist, and 26 registered nurses. And to give some context to these numbers, as of June the 30th there were 338 frontline nursing positions and a total of 1509 positions throughout the whole of the NTHSSA. Thank you.
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Oral Question 841-19(2): Use of Locums in Northwest Territories Healthcare
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Page 3229
Rocky Simpson
Hay River South
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Can the Minister tell this Assembly if these positions are concentrated in Yellowknife or throughout other communities as well; and, due to increased vacancy of health care professionals, is the department looking to locums to fill the gap going forward? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
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Oral Question 841-19(2): Use of Locums in Northwest Territories Healthcare
Oral Questions
Page 3229
Julie Green
Yellowknife Centre
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the NWT Health and Social Services system has always relied on locums, and that is still the case. The positions are located throughout the NWT, and we use them to cover short-term gaps and ensure that we're providing quality services to our patients. Thank you.
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Oral Question 841-19(2): Use of Locums in Northwest Territories Healthcare
Oral Questions
Page 3229
Rocky Simpson
Hay River South
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister confirm if locum turnover is something the department considers real, something constituents say is happening and resulting in inadequate and untimely community health care. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
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Oral Question 841-19(2): Use of Locums in Northwest Territories Healthcare
Oral Questions
Page 3229
Julie Green
Yellowknife Centre
Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, locums are self-employed basically. They come here on short-term contracts, and they may come once, they may come on a schedule; there's no way to know. And on the employer end, they are used to fill gaps as necessary. So in some cases, we do see locums returning on a regular basis and, wherever possible, we encourage them to continue coming to the NWT to ensure that patient continuity that the Member was seeking of.
In addition, we maintain a locum talent pool list which is a list that we consult and call people from on an ongoing basis.
What we've seen from locums in recent months is that there's a lower uptake across all health care areas, and that's not just in the NWT; it's across the country as well. And so we're monitoring this and determining whether we need to increase our recruitment efforts not only of full-time staff but of locums as well. Thank you.
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Oral Question 841-19(2): Use of Locums in Northwest Territories Healthcare
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Page 3229
The Speaker
Frederick Blake Jr.
Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary, Member for Hay River South .
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Oral Question 841-19(2): Use of Locums in Northwest Territories Healthcare
Oral Questions
Page 3229
Rocky Simpson
Hay River South
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, an issue that is discussed is of some health care staff is the inequity in the treatment between permanent staff and locums. It is assumed locums are treated better when it comes to compensation and time on the job. Can the Minister confirm if this is an issue and if so, how is it being addressed? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
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Oral Question 841-19(2): Use of Locums in Northwest Territories Healthcare
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Page 3229
Julie Green
Yellowknife Centre
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Oral Question 841-19(2): Use of Locums in Northwest Territories Healthcare
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Page 3229
The Speaker
Frederick Blake Jr.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Nunakput .
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Oral Question 842-19(2): Small Community COVID-19 Concerns
Oral Questions
Page 3229
Jackie Jacobson
Nunakput
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today my Member's statement was on COVID-19 and what are our safety precautions going forward, and it was for the COVID Secretariat, the Premier . Mr. Speaker, my residents and my leadership in Nunakput are concerned that travellers are coming from outside the territory, are not getting COVID tested before coming into our smaller communities out of Yellowknife into Ulukhaktok. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
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Oral Question 842-19(2): Small Community COVID-19 Concerns
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Page 3229
The Speaker
Frederick Blake Jr.
Thank you, Member for Nunakput . Honourable Premier .
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Oral Question 842-19(2): Small Community COVID-19 Concerns
Oral Questions
Page 3230
Caroline Cochrane
Range Lake
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So I'll start with saying that there's a couple factors with that. The transportation of airlines is governed by Canada, regulated under by Transport Canada, and right now they have, I think it was October they started and at the end of November so we're there, all passengers who fly on their airline have to now be vaccinated, so that is one method of controlling COVID spread. However, I know that there was a request from Ulukhaktok to get testing when people get on the planes. So there's a couple things with that as well.
There's that Ulukhaktok has one of the highest rates -- they're really doing well; they have 91 percent fully vaccinated. 95 percent are partially vaccinated. We don't have the testing capacity to do every community right now. And there's false negatives and false positives and so it's not a matter of getting a test and being safe. That leads people to the assumption that they can just go about business. No one's allowed to isolate in small communities. They have to isolate in the regional centres. Or the hub communities such as -- Ulukhaktok would be Inuvik or Yellowknife if they're coming through here.
At this point we're telling people that the best precaution against COVID is get vaccinated, wear your mask, keep your bubble small, stay home if you're sick. And keep six meters of space between you. So, again, we don't want to set up false expectations that someone gets tested and they're safe, because that's not the truth. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
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Oral Question 842-19(2): Small Community COVID-19 Concerns
Oral Questions
Page 3230
Jackie Jacobson
Nunakput
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thought it being Yellowknife, it would be an automatic yes to get a testing machine at the airport. We have a $20 million revolving fund, maybe we can use some of that to use it. The thing is, Mr. Speaker, our communities are small - where you going to go? Soon as you're going to get medevaced out of the community or why wasn't that same concern brought up in Tuk, why weren't they shipped out into Inuvik in the isolation centre? You're telling me one of my outside communities are able and the other one's not? So kind of where we're going with this, Mr. Speaker, thank you.
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Oral Question 842-19(2): Small Community COVID-19 Concerns
Oral Questions
Page 3230
Caroline Cochrane
Range Lake
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. A couple questions there, I'll try to answer them. The reality is when an outbreak does hit a community such as Tuk was hit, we don't move people outside once the community has already been infected with the COVID-19. What we do is we try to isolate that community, that's happened in all of our smaller communities, and we've been able to contain it.
One of the best defenses, as I stated, was six feet, not six meters, correction on that one. But every -- when we first saw COVID first hit, we asked our departments to make sure that every local community government had a plan on how to deal with COVID. So what I would say is Ulukhaktok, if they don't have a plan on how to deal with a community outbreak, please contact me and we will make sure that we work with them to make sure that they have a plan so that if COVID hits, they will know what to do. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
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Oral Question 842-19(2): Small Community COVID-19 Concerns
Oral Questions
Page 3230
Jackie Jacobson
Nunakput
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Every community has a community plan in regards to COVID right now. That's not the question. The question is will the Premier commit to getting people -- putting more responsibility on the airline to say, Okay, here's a piece of paper I got COVID test. If they have that COVID test they could fly out of Ulu or fly from Yellowknife to Ulu, for the safety -- and being resolved I guess to my leadership in the community because people are worried. So thank you, Mr. Speaker.
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Oral Question 842-19(2): Small Community COVID-19 Concerns
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Page 3230
Caroline Cochrane
Range Lake
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think that goes back to the first question about getting testing and airlines, at this point we're not looking at doing that because that is not -- it is not a guarantee that if you get tested that you do not have COVID. That's why we ask people to be tested on day one, day eight, day ten, depending on their orders, is because you can get a false negative or a false positive and, again, we don't want to set up the communities to think that everybody who gets off the plane is safe, because that is not the truth. So it's all of us have a responsibility.
This pandemic is turning to an endemic and so we all have a responsibility to make sure that we keep our bubble small and we do the best we can to protect our communities. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
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Page 3230
The Speaker
Frederick Blake Jr.
Thank you, Honourable Premier . Final supplementary, Member for Nunakput .
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Jackie Jacobson
Nunakput
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. You know, because it's travel and NWT, will it make people pay themselves $262.50 to get tested? So, Mr. Speaker, going back can the Premier provide a "lessons learned" of COVID-19 and how her COVID Secretariat has -- can be I guess improved and to have response teams going into the communities instead of the way this pandemic, when it first hit, my leadership was put to the test and they did good but at the end of the day, we need the help. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
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Caroline Cochrane
Range Lake
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Absolutely, we'll be doing a "lessons learned." I mean, we didn't know what we were getting into when we got COVID. We don't know whether we would make it or not. The reality is that it is becoming an endemic and we have to learn with this so we will be doing a lessons learned once we get -- figure out if it's going to keep coming or not.
But along the way, Mr. Speaker, we have not been not learning from our experiences. Every single community that's got hit by COVID has taught us things. And every time we get a community that does have an outbreak, we try to look at what are some of the areas that we did really well, what are some of the areas we need to work on. And so the next community that does get hit, and honestly, Mr. Speaker, we do better. But I do say that the community governments themselves have done phenomenal. So it's community governments, it's Indigenous governments, it's the GNWT, and it's every resident working together that has brought us to where we are with COVID today. And thank you, Mr. Speaker.
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The Speaker
Frederick Blake Jr.
Thank you, Honourable Premier . Oral questions. Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes
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Oral Question 843-19(2): Government of the Northwest Territories Living Well Together Training
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Page 3231
Lesa Semmler
Inuvik Twin Lakes
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And with regards to the rolling out of the Living Well Together, I'd like to ask the Minister of Finance what is the target date, or if there was a target date set for the completion of all of this training for all GNWT staff? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
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Page 3231
The Speaker
Frederick Blake Jr.
Thank you, Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes . Minister responsible for Finance .
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Caroline Wawzonek
Yellowknife South
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this was launched back in March of 2021. It was mandated to be for everyone and everyone is expected to have it done by March of 2022. And new employees will have a year from their start date. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
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Lesa Semmler
Inuvik Twin Lakes
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, since I only get four questions and I'm not allowed to switch ministers, can I ask the Minister of Finance , since it was created in her department, to bring this to Cabinet for the discussion to make sure that the prioritization for this training is for our frontline staff and if that's what I could get a commitment for that. Thank you.
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Caroline Wawzonek
Yellowknife South
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'll bring this to my colleagues. I know they're all listening. This is mandatory for all staff. This is one of those policies that is coordinated out of the Department of Finance through human resources. There was a real recognition of how important this was, and a lot of effort and time and collaboration, internal and external, went into these materials, so. It's already a priority but I'll certainly recommit to reinforcing that and to confirming with the Member as we do that. I want us all to be held accountable for taking this training. It is very good.
I've had people reach out to me from outside the public service, from outside of the Northwest Territories asking for it. So we'll certainly -- maybe I should have just said a yes, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.
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Lesa Semmler
Inuvik Twin Lakes
I'm going to get the yeses today. Okay. So as I mentioned in my statement, you know, it's been brought to my attention, I've had a lot of discussions with a lot different staff, especially since I came to Yellowknife, in different areas, nursing issue, frontline staff, but it's been brought to my attention that employees, and I know I've talked to this to the Minister before, that they're able to fast forward through the modules, to be able to complete and check box that they finished the training faster, not necessarily having to go through the training.
So like I said, that was very discouraging and disheartening for me to hear that. So how is the department auditing the completion of this training? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
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Caroline Wawzonek
Yellowknife South
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I share the Member's view. That is not what we want to be hearing and there was actually quite a number of, what I thought fairly clever, controls put in place and it wasn't the first time the Member raised that with myself and so the department's well aware. Techniques were used -- you can't advance very far unless you have sort of gone through the motions of clicking through various items. You either have to read a certain number or you have to view a certain number of videos or dialogs in order to advance. So there's some interesting ways in there that really do sort of push people to go through the materials.
You know, human beings are what they are and I suppose they will always find a way if they want to. But that is again, that is disheartening. It is possible to watch the amount of time an employee spends on each module. So certainly, you know, at a management level, that can be monitored. That takes a lot of effort and I would certainly hope we wouldn't have to be doing that.
We do have over 3700 employees who have started this training, so there are a lot folks who are doing it. I believe a lot of folks are doing it and doing it well. And I think really all we can do is continue to provide support to managers so that they can make sure that they're getting time and encouragement to their own staff to be completing this properly and fulsomely. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
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Lesa Semmler
Inuvik Twin Lakes
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you to the Minister for that. I think the one thing that frontline staff, and especially health care staff, are used to doing training, doing tests, just like CPR, just like any other courses, and so I'm just wondering if the Minister would consider implementing a mandatory test at the completion of this training to ensure that staff recognize the importance of this training and can demonstrate that the comprehend the issues facing Indigenous people in the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
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Page 3232
Caroline Wawzonek
Yellowknife South
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, throughout the modules there are points along the way where one can -- or actually to advance, you have to complete a test and does check in on what you have taken out of a certain
section or out of a certain module in order to move forward. So there's those internal tests along the way. Yes, those are not necessarily being monitored by a manager or by someone's supervisor. But, Mr. Speaker, perhaps what I would like to do is to go back to the departments, see what we with do. You know, the point of the training isn't necessarily to score people. It's to create culture change. It's to create a public service that is inclusive and diverse representative and understanding and trauma-aware and culturally-aware and culturally-sensitive; you know, to really reflect the Northwest Territories.
I'm not sure that a test is going to do that. If someone is struggling with those concepts I'm not sure that the test is going to achieve that. But, Mr. Speaker, I'm going to commit to going back to the department and seeing what else we can do to ensure that anyone who has completed this is achieving those goals. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
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The Speaker
Frederick Blake Jr.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Deh Cho .
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Oral Question 844-19(2): Primary Health Care Reform Program and Treatment of Diabetes
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Page 3232
Ronald Bonnetrouge
Deh Cho
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, according to the Department of Health and Social Services business plan for 2021-2022, one of the key activities to address diabetes is to implement Primary Health Care Reform. The Minister stated in the House on February 9th, 2021 that the Deh Cho would begin to receive PHCR by December 2021. Can the Minister explain what the Primary Health Care Reform program is all about? Mahsi.
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The Speaker
Frederick Blake Jr.
Thank you, Member for Deh Cho . Minister responsible for Health and Social Services .
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Julie Green
Yellowknife Centre
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Member for Deh Cho for that question.
So Primary Health Care Reform goes beyond the traditional health care system, and it is a system-wide initiative to provide culturally-safe and relationship-based care in both the Health and Social Services system. So rather than having decisions made in a centralized way and then implemented through regions and communities, under the Primary Health Care Reform, frontline clients and staff and communities are involved in developing new approaches and solutions based on their own needs and priority, building on their strengths, and addressing challenges that are specific to that place.
It's my understanding that work started in the Deh Cho to bring about Primary Health Care Reform in mid May but for a variety of reasons, that work has been delayed and we would like to get back to it and encourage the community to engage us in that. Thank you.
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Ronald Bonnetrouge
Deh Cho
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker, and mahsi to the Minister for that reply. Mr. Speaker, I note Integrated Care Teams projects have been launched in all the large regional centres. Can the Minister explain the purpose and functions of the teams? Mahsi.
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Julie Green
Yellowknife Centre
Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. The purpose of the Integrated Care Teams is to allow for greater access and continuity of care and delivery to patients. So the model places the patient and the family at the center of care and then it allows primary care teams to bring in other service providers to provide an integrated spectrum of services to the patient and/or their family. So the idea here is to break down these silos of care and to bring them together into one team.
So it is important to know, however, at this point, per the Member's statement, that the Integrated Care Teams are separate from the Chronic Disease Management Demonstration projects that are happening in the Deh Cho, but there is potential in the future for them to overlap. Thank you.
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Ronald Bonnetrouge
Deh Cho
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker, and mahsi to the Minister for some good news. Looking forward to all that to help our small communities address their chronic diseases.
Mr. Speaker, the department's plan to implement community-based models to promote self-management of chronic diseases in creating new diabetic/dietician positions, or someone that looks after diabetes, can the Minister elaborate further on the department's plans for the positions and, specifically, into the small communities? Mahsi.
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Julie Green
Yellowknife Centre
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, progress in this area has been about implementing community-based models to promote self-management of chronic diseases and creating, as the Member referenced, new diabetic/dietician positions. So the health authorities now have registered dieticians in every region of the NWT and so they, together, serve every community in the NWT.
They're trained to provide to support -- to support people living with diabetes and they do this not only by providing education and support but also education in the form of, for example, grocery store tours, health fairs, and other health-promoting activities to assist people who have diabetes. So each regional dietician will see diabetic clients on a regular basis. The frequency depends on the individual's needs, and these visits could be in person, over the phone, or online, depending on what suits the needs of the patient. Thank you.
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The Speaker
Frederick Blake Jr.
Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary. Member for Deh Cho .
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Page 3233
Ronald Bonnetrouge
Deh Cho
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker, and mahsi to the Minister for that bit of information. They may have regional positions. But, you know, as to really go into the small communities because they really don't have anybody face-to-face. Health centre nurses are already busy as it is. We really need someone that's specific to this kind of care, and there are people out there that are trained do that, to really help our people.
Because, you know, I've had an Elder who went through a really difficult stress because he wasn't aware of the diabetes, you know, the illness and the seriousness of it and there's nobody in the community to talk to on this, and it's a really scary situation for all our small communities.
Mr. Speaker, I noted in my Member's statement the department hasn't updated statistics on diabetes in Northwest Territories for some time. This information could include age groups, male/female, by community, etcetera, etcetera. I just want to note that the Department of Infrastructure, the department I worked with previously, the maintenance department has a -- you know, a maintenance management program, WebWorks, and you can find out from one building all the work orders that were done on that building within the year.
And, you know, we should be able to have something so we can identify the number of diabetics in all the different communities. I know there's challenges associated with that but I just wanted to ask the Minister if they would look into a database to track and record chronic diseases, including diabetes. Mahsi.
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Julie Green
Yellowknife Centre
Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, all the provinces and territories, including the NWT, submit data to the Canadian Chronic Disease Surveillance System, and the latest statistics for diabetes were published in 2020. The information is broken down by demographics such as age, sex, ethnicity, and community type. And "community type" includes Yellowknife regional centres and small communities. And earlier today I provided the Member with the number of diabetics who live in his community.
The data gathered by the Canadian Chronic Disease Surveillance System is further broken down into a more user-friendly format for the public by reference to the Department of Health and Social Services population health division. It's important to note that diabetes rates do not change dramatically from year to year. And so with that, that kind of certainty, Health and Social Services has been able to not only plan but provide programming for people who are diabetics well in advance.
For people who need diabetic care, it really starts with the diagnosis of diabetes. And if someone is feeling the possible symptoms of diabetes, then they should go to the health centre and make known to the nurse there that they are experiencing these symptoms and ask to be tested for them. Once the diagnosis is confirmed, then these other supports are put in place. Thank you.
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The Speaker
Frederick Blake Jr.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Thebacha .
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Oral Question 845-19(2): Access to Aftercare and Day Shelter Services
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Page 3233
Frieda Martselos
Thebacha
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister tell us if there are any future plans for the government to build an aftercare facility or a wellness and recovery centre in a community outside of the capital region? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
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The Speaker
Frederick Blake Jr.
Thank you, Member for Thebacha . Minister responsible for Health and Social Services .
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Julie Green
Yellowknife Centre
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I can tell the Member, the Member from Thebacha as well as the other Members, that our focus right now is opening the permanent wellness and recovery centre which the Member referenced in her statement. This facility will replace the current day and sobering centre, and the services offered in the one place will be transferred to the other once the building is open.
At this time, there are no plans to establish a similar service in any other community. That would require new resources which would need to follow established GNWT resource allocation processes which we all know start with a business plan, end with the budget. Thank you.
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Frieda Martselos
Thebacha
Mr. Speaker, would the Minister consider opening a satellite wellness and recovery centre that's related to the one in the capital but situated in a different regional centre in the NWT? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
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Julie Green
Yellowknife Centre
Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am aware of similar requests for day shelter options in other communities, including in Hay River and in Inuvik and in Fort Simpson, but establishing this type of service in other communities would need to involve conversations with partners at the NWT Housing Corporation who are the lead on homelessness, taking as a starting-point that most of these services are required by homeless individuals.
Should there be a way forward to establish additional day sheltering programs, there would be an opportunity to use what we've learned running the temporary day shelter here in Yellowknife, as well as the sobering centre, and use that to create a template for approaches in other communities so that it becomes the centre here becomes a model for similar centres should the partnerships and the money materialize. Thank you.
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Frieda Martselos
Thebacha
Mr. Speaker, if the government is unable to open a satellite recovery centre on its own, would the Minister consider partnering with Indigenous governments, or other communities and organizations, to open a separate standalone recovery centre? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
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Julie Green
Yellowknife Centre
Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm absolutely open to the idea of creating a partnership in a community outside of Yellowknife to offer these services, however, there would still be the question of resources, where the program was going to be located and who was going to pay for it. So at this point, as I said, there is no plan for a new facility or for the additional resources that would be required. But if Indigenous governments or community organizations are interested in partnering in the provision of wellness services, I urge them to contact me. Thank you.
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The Speaker
Frederick Blake Jr.
Final supplementary, Member for Thebacha .
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Frieda Martselos
Thebacha
Mr. Speaker, has the Minister engaged with any Indigenous or community governments about any potential partnerships in building a recovery centre or aftercare facility within the NWT, specifically in any region outside of the capital? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
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Oral Question 845-19(2): Access to Aftercare and Day Shelter Services
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Page 3234
Julie Green
Yellowknife Centre
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, to this point no Indigenous government or community organization has contacted me about this idea. Thank you.
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The Speaker
Frederick Blake Jr.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Great Slave .
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Katrina Nokleby
Great Slave
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are for the Minister of Health and Social Services following up on what my colleague from Thebacha has been asking.
If we're waiting on the data from this wellness centre in Yellowknife as stated, then that puts the centres outside of Yellowknife into years, if not a decade, before that they would be constructed. How is the Minister and the department making this a priority given the need outside the capital for these services? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
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The Speaker
Frederick Blake Jr.
Thank you, Member for Great Slave . Minister responsible for Health and Social Services .
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Julie Green
Yellowknife Centre
Yes, thank you. I take it that the Member is talking about buildings. We don't have any buildings on the books other than the wellness and recovery centre in Yellowknife. In Members decide that's a priority, they should bring it to the regular business plan process and pursue the resources necessary to build and operate it. Thank you.
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Katrina Nokleby
Great Slave
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, since I asked how this was going to be a priority, I guess the Minister's response is that it's not.
The next question I have is has the Minister contacted the federal government to advocate for the reinstatement of the funding for survivors of residential school trauma so that the face-to-face counseling is reinstated and the services can resume; and, if she hasn't, why not? Thank you.
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Julie Green
Yellowknife Centre
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, aftercare is a huge priority for me. I spoke about it endlessly as a regular Member, and I continue that passion in this role now.
I'd just like to clarify that the Indian Residential counseling Service is not, in fact, cancelled. The service has been reduced so that face-to-face counseling occurs less often, approximately every four to six weeks, and there are alternative ways t-to -- to obtain counseling between times using the phone and the internet and so on as constituent -- as residents are comfortable in and according to the technology that they have. Thank you.
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Katrina Nokleby
Great Slave
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'd ask that the Minister listen more carefully. I did not ask about -- or state that these services were cancelled. I asked about advocating for the reinstatement of the funding so that the services being more than every eight weeks or six to four is reinstated. However, I'm going to move on because I'm going to guess that I'm probably not getting answers to these questions either.
If we are going to be putting people on to virtual care and services, what is the Minister and department doing to identify and accommodate residents in small communities who require counseling but may not have access to the phone or internet or be comfortable with that method of delivery? Thank you.
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Julie Green
Yellowknife Centre
Yes, thanks. I'm not a big fan of all the editorializing but I'm happy to answer the questions.
So most communities have a resident counselor through either the community counseling service or the child and youth counseling program. And in the event that they don't have a resident counselor, a counselor visits on a known
schedule to provide those services.
I recognize from my own travels in the NWT that it's not easy in some communities to obtain enough internet connectivity to sustain a conversation, especially one that has video related to it, and that's a real impediment to the services that people receive. At this point, that is an issue that is beyond my department to solve. But we are keen to offer services to as many people in as timely a way as possible to preserve or enhance their mental health. Thank you.
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The Speaker
Frederick Blake Jr.
Thank you, Minister. Final short supplementary, Member for Great Slave .
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Katrina Nokleby
Great Slave
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And Mr. Speaker, I'm not a fan of the way the Minister speaks to me either but we can't always get what we want, can we?
Can the Minister please tell us how she actually advocates with the federal government for more money for supports for our people besides the FPT tables? Does she ever contact the federal minister outside to tell them what is going on in the territory? Thank you.
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Julie Green
Yellowknife Centre
Yes, Mr. Speaker. I'll take that question on notice.
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The Speaker
Frederick Blake Jr.
Thank you. Oral questions. Member for Monfwi .
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Oral Question 847-19(2): Affordable Housing Policies and Programs
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Page 3235
Jane Weyallon Armstrong
Monfwi
Thank you, masi, Mr. Speaker. Question for the Minister responsible for NWT Housing. So first question is basing rent of someone's income discouraging people to work. Why are people who are working penalized with increased rent?
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The Speaker
Frederick Blake Jr.
Thank you, Member for Monfwi . Minister responsible for Northwest Territories Housing Corporation .
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Paulie Chinna
Sahtu
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Housing Corporation tries to provide subsidized rent for the Northwest Territories. And I know that we can do better, and I know through the renewal that we do have that, you know, this is one of the policies that we will be reviewing as well. But the Housing Corporation right now calculates rent as low as 4 percent and 19 percent. Throughout Canada, it's 30 percent that is required for subsidized housing. So we're one of the lowest for the jurisdictions throughout the territory -- I mean, throughout Canada. But it doesn't stop us from reviewing that as well.
Like, I hear the Member as well because we did get a number of tenants that had acquired the CERB funding as well, and it's really provided a lot of, you know, just different calculations this year, including the -- that funding that was received by the client as well, and I do hear the Member. The Housing Corporation will provide more communications to the local housing authorities and our service providers as well too. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
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Jane Weyallon Armstrong
Monfwi
Thank you. I was not talking about CERB, but that's okay. And then at least they admit that, you know, they can do better job.
So I think with the -- with reference to the first questions, I know that there are leaders in the community, they would like to work with the Housing Corporations on drafting policy in this area as well. So second questions, with so many people living in inadequate housing, even those who are paying max rent, maximum rent, so we would like to know what's happening to the revenue.
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Paulie Chinna
Sahtu
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I just want to just inform, like, just the House and the Member as well too that the Housing Corporation's lowest rent that we collect is $75. And with the $75, we do have the utilities and utilities that are included in that rent as well too, property taxes and leases as well, and we try to work with the client to have affordable rent calculated in the Northwest Territories. And we are going to be working with the Council of Leaders as well too, that will have the opportunity to review our policies. So we do practice and encourage our engagements as well too with the -- with the Indigenous groups as well.
And I just wanted to comment on the CERB funding that I had identified, is that we see a really huge increase, rent increase throughout the Northwest Territories, and it is due to CERB. So there's a lot of assessments that are being done right now as well too to not include the CERB payments that were received last year. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
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Jane Weyallon Armstrong
Monfwi
Okay, thank you. She didn't answer my questions. I want to know what happened to those people who are paying maximum rent, what happens to the revenue? That's what I would like to know.
But I am aware now that there are rent-to-own program. There are rent-to-own program in the communities. Can the Minister give us an update on how many people in the NWT are in rent-to-own program and when these tenants will become a homeowners? Thank you.
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Paulie Chinna
Sahtu
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And for the rent-to-own program, it is our HELP program that we do have throughout the Northwest Territories, and I don't have those numbers in front of me. But the Housing Corporation right now is doing a full review of all our mortgage clients right now, and I have told the department that I would like to see those units transferred within my time, to have those homeownership programs completed and closed off.
I think there's approximately 234 throughout the Northwest Territories that have entered into the mortgage homeownership program.
And also just going back to the question for what happens to the revenue. The Housing Corporation acquires about $5 million annually in rent received from our public housing units, but that also goes back into the operation and maintenance of the units as well too, and it's about $20,000 for operation and maintenance for the 2300 units throughout the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
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The Speaker
Frederick Blake Jr.
Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary, Member for Monfwi .
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Jane Weyallon Armstrong
Monfwi
More questions. Okay. The NWT Housing Corporation has several homes -- homeownership program. Approvals to participate in this -- in these program is low, okay. So can the Minister of NWT Corporation commit to guaranteeing an application approval rate that reflects national homeownership rates? Thank you.
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Paulie Chinna
Sahtu
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Right now all of our single-family housing dwellings are up for sale. Today we have 105 applications that have been received, and the Housing Corporation tries to work very diligently with the client in trying to help them to become successful in the homeownership program. But nationally, I don't have those numbers in front of me. I'd have to follow up with the Member. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
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The Speaker
Frederick Blake Jr.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Kam Lake .
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Oral Question 848-19(2): Chronic Diseases in Seniors
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Page 3236
Caitlin Cleveland
Kam Lake
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions today are for the Minister of Health and Social Services . Further to my Member's statement, I'm wondering if the Minister can advise us of the rates of Alzheimer's, dementia,