Glen Abernethy

As I’ve indicated, we’ve been working very closely with Avens over the last few years. We’ve even presented options and they’ve presented options back. At one point in time, we were talking about working with them to utilize the extended care needs and an extended care facility here in Yellowknife as an option to help them leverage some money to build their long-term care facility. At that time, that was declined by the board. I’m happy to say that the board has actually re-engaged and they are now interested in having dialogue and discussion about the possibility of merging those two...

You forget to answer a question and you get everybody coming at you from all sides. Yes, the training is incorporated. I apologize for missing that. Sorry.

Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, that Bill 68, An Act to Amend the Child and Family Services Act, No. 2, be read for the second time.

This bill amends the Child and Family Services Act to remove all references to the Child and Family Services Committee. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

This is obviously an incredibly important issue in the Northwest Territories, especially recognizing the rate in which our seniors populations are increasing. It’s something I have asked to be included on the Cabinet’s transition document so it is brought forward to the future government. If I’m fortunate enough to be back, whether I’m on that side of the House or on this side of the House, it’s still a priority for me and would continue to be a priority for me. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The portable ultrasounds is in response to a policy that was put forward in 2006 by the Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians. There are new national standards for emergency rooms and these portable ultrasounds will be going into emergency rooms. We’ve already got the one we need here in Yellowknife and we’re looking at Inuvik, Fort Smith, Simpson – Was it Simpson? – Hay River, my apologies, to be in – you’re right, Simpson – the emergency units. They do require some specialty training that we’re not in a position to ensure that our community health nurses throughout the Northwest...

I’m happy to have the department continue and re-engage in some dialogue with BC to see what it would take, but I do put some provisos around that. When a resident of the Northwest Territories chooses to go outside of this province for medical treatment that’s available in this province, we don’t cover that. What we’re talking about now is whether or not we can cover people for referrals, somebody who’s actually accessed and engaged in the system, so not people who are just making choices to travel outside but where there’s been a referral or something, we’re certainly willing to have those...

We don’t have an action plan per se. What we do have is Our Elders: Our Communities framework which focuses on seven different priority areas: healthy and active aging; home and community care services; integrated and coordinated services across the continuum; getting people to work together, as the Member has described; caregiver supports; elder-responsive communities is another initiative that we’re working on with communities and partners; and ensuring that there’s sustainable best practices available for all of the care providers and residents of the Northwest Territories.

We are also...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. We are always looking at the numbers and the costs of sending people south versus finding ways to keep them here in the North. We are doing ongoing analysis. We haven’t been able to identify anything appropriate as an immediate move to the Northwest Territories at this point in time. But in the construction and design of Stanton, we didn’t want to limit ourselves to the future. So there is room within the proposed build that would fit something like an MRI, as an example. In the plan of the new building, there is a section that is designated for where we put the addition...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker As Canadian residents, the residents of Fort Liard can receive services anywhere in this country with no cost as long as it’s medically necessary. So if they travel down there for a doctor’s appointment or if they travel down there for an emergency situation, those costs are actually covered through reciprocal billing.

What I believe the Member is talking about is when members of the community choose to go to Fort Nelson as opposed to going to the health centre, they want their travel covered. Our recommendation is that we use the health facilities here in the Northwest...

A couple of things. Your income doesn’t really affect your ability to access government funded long-term care facilities in the Northwest Territories or extended care. So it doesn’t matter if you make a ton of money or have no money, it’s based on need. So I’m not sure I understand that particular question. Hopefully the Member will be able to help me understand where he’s going with that.

On the other side, there is nothing stopping a private business from opening up a long-term care facility and charging whatever they feel an appropriate market rent or market fee would be to do that. There’s...