Bob Bromley

Thank you. A key feature of this approach must be community participation that accrues benefits to communities. To achieve this, we must invest in community-owned energy systems if we want to build local economies, address cost of living and restore the environment. The time for a serious renewable commitment has come. If not now, when? If not us, who? Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I see this supp includes a special warrant, which I appreciate. I think this is an important opportunity, obviously, for us to be commenting on special warrants when they come forward in supps like this. It’s an important opportunity for Members of this House to share their perspectives, and special warrants, as we know, are expenditures that are made on an emergency basis typically almost by definition when it has to be done and we really can’t afford to go through the process of approval at the time, but it does allow a retrospective look at things and public discussion...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I just had one question. I see there was quite an increase from our capital estimates last year, I guess, the current year that we’re in, ’14-15, from the figure presented, $329,000 up to almost double, and I’m just wondering if I can get an explanation of what accounts for the increase from $329,000 to $657,000 there.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you to all of my colleagues for your comments on this motion. I think it has attracted a lot of thoughtful consideration.

I would like to start by mentioning, of course, that when you look at the capital plans, we are finishing up a couple of facilities in the regions, but that’s it. Where are they? It’s not that we’ve just started talking about our capital facilities, our facilities for seniors.

What this motion is, it’s a call for a plan. It’s a call for a plan because there is no plan right now. We had government report after government report; no plan is in...

WHEREAS the population of the Northwest Territories is ageing, with the proportion of seniors of the general population rising by about 8 percent annually;

AND WHEREAS the waiting lists in the NWT for extended care facilities are long and getting longer, with urgent current and future need for services for seniors in both large and small communities;

AND WHEREAS the numbers of seniors living in Yellowknife will triple by 2031, and the number of beds needed may parallel this increase here and throughout the NWT;

AND WHEREAS there is a projected shortfall in the NWT of 200 long-term care beds and...

The Auditor General has continually pointed out how this government has failed because we fail to put evaluation systems in place. Obviously, it’s getting too late to put an evaluation system in place. I had asked the Minister what systems he had put in place to ensure that information. This is very disappointing and, I would say, very irresponsible to be going forward with this program without those systems in place.

The Wellness Court is heavily dependent on other departments in the social envelope; for example, Health and Social Services and perhaps ECE.

What systems are in place to capture...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the lead Minister of the Wellness Court, or the second lead. As I said in my Member’s statement earlier today, the Wellness Court is a most welcome new tool in the justice and health systems toolbox. Why use a hammer when a minor adjustment with a wrench is what is required? I’m wondering if our justices feel there is sufficient medical and justice resources available for a successful Wellness Court.

So my question is: What new resources have been made available, through both Justice and Health and Social Services, to achieve the potential we know is...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I know my colleagues in the House are all aware of the changing age structure in the Northwest Territories and that as a proportion our numbers of seniors in the general population is increasing steadily from year to year. This has been a long-term trend and its slowly ramping up. The projected shortfall of 200 long-term care beds and 60 dementia beds by 2031 was a result of one study. In fact, the numbers of seniors in Yellowknife will grow at triple the rate of the rest of the Northwest Territories. I recall discussions in the past about the number of seniors, the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thanks for the additional information from the Minister. I wonder if the Minister would commit to providing that. I apparently misunderstood his earlier comments.

I think we all expect great things from this program, judging from the results we have seen in the Yukon.

Will the Minister commit to annually report back to this House as to the efficacy of the Wellness Court and its attendant programs in other departments, which are critically important as well? Mahsi.

Thanks to the Minister. I don’t disagree with any of the comments. I assume those are Justice dollars and I had also asked about the Health and Social Services dollars. The evolution of a program like the Wellness Court must be driven by results. Over a few years, the Yukon Wellness Court gained an astounding drop in the rate of recidivism from 90 percent to 11 percent for those who completed the program. In past I have not been able to get information on what our rates of recidivism are, let alone how they are changing.

What systems are now in place to gather the statistics necessary to...