Alfred Moses

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize a constituent from back home, Mr. Sonny Greenland. Welcome to the House.

I’d also like to recognize Ms. Val Robertson, who is also from Inuvik and does a lot of work over at the school and for the UNW.

I’d also like to recognize all the UNW members and all members from the Northern Territory Federation of Labour. Welcome to the House, and I hope you enjoy the proceedings this afternoon. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to report to the Assembly that the Standing Committee on Social Programs has reviewed the following bills: Bill 25, An Act to Amend the Education Act; Bill 29, Human Tissue Donation Act; and Bill 32, An Act to Amend the Pharmacy Act. I wish to report to the Assembly that Bills 25, 29 and 32 are ready for consideration in Committee of the Whole.

The Standing Committee on Social Programs has also reviewed Bill 27, Miscellaneous Statute Law Amendment Act, 2014, and wishes to report that Bill 27 as amended and reprinted is also ready for consideration in Committee of...

The reason I’m asking is we do have a homelessness issue here in the Northwest Territories, a transitional house issue. We also have an addictions problem, as you heard here today.

I just want to ask the Minister, have any departments looked at grabbing that facility for use, and can he let us know which departments have looked at using that facility that’s going back into the government stock?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wanted to talk to an issue here about one of our facilities. I mentioned it earlier in my Member’s statement about using existing infrastructure for treatment programs. One in particular is a building in Inuvik. It’s the Arctic Tern building. There have been a lot of issues with that, but I know this government has been working on stabilizing the foundation.

I’d like to ask the Minister of Public Works and Services just for a quick update on that foundation and whether it was stabilized or not, and is the building going to be able to be used for other departments?

What I heard in those answers is that the department is not looking at creating a treatment facility in the Northwest Territories due to the costs, but as I mentioned in my Member’s statement, mental health and addiction is the biggest cost-driver for this government. We have four contracts going down south.

Can I ask the Minister, has the department looked at streamlining our residents who are applying for treatment? Is that process streamlined? I know in the past we’ve had residents who have had to wait 30 days or been sober for 30 days before they can even look at treatment. We don’t have...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would just like to follow up to my Member’s statement and ask the Minister of Health and Social Services, in regard to our priorities that we set in the 17th Legislative Assembly, has the department gone out in the Northwest Territories and identified any existing infrastructure that we can potentially turn into a treatment facility for residents that are battling addictions?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d also like to welcome all Members back into the House here.

The Premier, in his sessional statement, mentioned that personal challenges such as mental health and addictions will continue to hold our people back. Earlier in the 17th Legislative Assembly, all Members of this government got together and we developed priorities that were going to lead us along this path for four years. One of these priorities was enhancing addiction treatment programs using existing infrastructure so we didn’t have to put more dollars into creating new buildings. We were also told at the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I know we have had questions on this at the beginning of this Legislative Assembly. Did the Minister have any dialogue with the Minister of Health and Social Services to look at Arctic Tern as a possible addictions treatment centre and detox facility?

I’m glad to hear that the building is ready for reuse. I know that there was a lot of cost in getting that building up and running.

I’d like to ask the Minister, in regard to that building, how many beds are currently in that building. I know it was used before for a young offenders facility, so I wonder how many beds are in that building that could be used as well.

Thank you, Mr. Moses. In my Member’s statement I talked about doing a unique approach, a pan-territorial approach with our northern territorial partners, Nunavut and Yukon, and look at using one of our existing facilities and getting funding to look at creating that facility where Northerners from Nunavut, Yukon and the Northwest Territories can get the treatment and services that they need.

Will the Minister be willing to look at that option for all Northerners, Yukon, Nunavut and Northwest Territories? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.