Glen Abernethy

This is the first time the Department of Health and Social Services has done this particular thing with respect to videoconferencing as well as the archiving. Once again, I have got to take this opportunity to applaud the staff for thinking outside the box and finding ways to make sure that all the information is available to all the residents of the Northwest Territories, and it is certainly something that we will explore and consider doing again. It’s something that, once we’ve had an opportunity to analyze this, other departments may also consider using this opportunity, this tool, in the...

The Stanton Elders Advisory Council will be playing a lead role in the work that I have articulated that is going to occur, starting in April, for the next three to four months, the planning, the articulation, programs and services.

We don’t have a lot of money in the Government of the Northwest Territories. Our budgets are incredibly limited. So to move on something like this is going to take a significant amount of creativity and ingenuity. We are looking, as I said, to other partners who might be interested in coming in on this particular project, whether it’s Aboriginal governments in the...

The Stanton renewal planning work that has been going on has actually identified a piece of land on the property where an Aboriginal wellness centre can go. The next step in planning is actually to develop a more detailed outline of the program requirements, what the Elders Advisory Council would like to see, as well as other Aboriginal government partners. Starting in April, we are going to be developing and consolidating all of that information into a plan that will help us articulate what exactly an Aboriginal wellness centre will be, what standards, what codes, what facilities, what...

Mr. Speaker, each year we celebrate March as National Social Work Month. Social work is a profession for those with a passion to help improve people’s lives. Social workers help individuals, families and communities by providing support and resources and working through challenging and complex circumstances.

Social workers can work directly with individuals to provide counselling services or other supports. They also contribute to the broader improvement of our territory through policy development and helping to improve the way services are provided and delivered at the community level.

Social...

There’s always going to be a high standard required, both medically and legally, to involuntarily commit an individual. Our current act is really vague in this particular area, and the drafting instructions are to look at the other jurisdictions and find ways to enhance that, recognizing that we do have to be incredibly careful so that we don’t infringe on individuals’ human rights.

But there is precedent out there. There is legislation out there. We’re looking at making a complete change to our Mental Health Act.

As I said, barring any unforeseen complications, we’re hoping and anticipating we...

Unfortunately, I haven’t memorized the number of health promotion officers that we have throughout the Northwest Territories, but I will get that information for the Member as quickly as possible. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We don’t have legislation, as far as I’m aware of, that dictates or requires us to put money into health promotion. But as the Member knows, we have increased the number of dollars that we have put into promotion and prevention here in the Northwest Territories during the life of this Assembly significantly, and we’re always looking to work with partners to find ways to create awareness and encourage healthy living for all residents in the Northwest Territories by way of prevention and promotion. Thank you.

Thanks to my conversations with the Department of Public Works and Services, it is my understanding at this time that we are on time and on budget. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The original completion date for the contractor was March 31, 2015, and we are still within that date. We were a little bit ahead of schedule through last summer and were hoping to do final construction and interior finishes through January and February. Unfortunately, we had an inspection on the 25th to determine if the building was ready to be opened and there were some deficiencies identified that the contractor is currently working on. We still have until March 31st to complete those final interior finishes. The original plan was to begin moving furniture and...

Our employees are our most valuable resources and we’re committed to their continued development. I know that there are dollars available for training particular activities, but as far as the number of dollars allocated to train health promotion officers, I don’t have that number.

We are, as I’ve indicated, committed to our staff. We want them to be current. We want them to be up to date on practices and procedures, and we want them to be continually evolving so that they can be current at all times. So, I will do a little bit of digging and I’ll get some specific numbers for the Member. Thank...