Glen Abernethy

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thanks to the Member for that question. I did have an opportunity to attend the first graduation. I spent about 10 or 15 minutes talking to each of the kids about their experience and what they got out of the experience.

The department is currently evaluating the lessons learned from that pilot program, which is actually going to help us articulate and identify how we can move forward with similar youth-based online programs in the future. So we’re in the middle of that assessment now. When that information is compiled, I’d be happy to have further discussions with...

Mr. Speaker, I give notice that on Monday, November 3, 2014, I will move that Bill 36, Health and Social Services Professions Act, be read for the first time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you. We intend to have the strategy ready by June 2015, but at the same time, we’re not actually waiting for the strategy to be done. The work that I mentioned, we’re already in the process of doing. This is something that can’t wait.

We continue to work on the healthy choices, we continue to work on improving methods of getting people in and screened as early as possible. The strategy will help inform the things that we’re already doing and improve even more, but we are definitely not waiting for that strategy to be done.

I’d be happy to meet with committee and provide them with that...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I do thank the Member for the question. Cancer is one of the leading causes of death here in the Northwest Territories and breast cancer is certainly a huge problem here.

Experience has shown that the best means to improve breast cancer screening is to have an organized program of systematic recall. We have put in breast cancer screening services in the Northwest Territories and those programs are located in Hay River, Yellowknife and Inuvik. As of this summer, June 2014, the Stanton Breast Cancer Screening Program added Behchoko to their organized Breast Cancer...

Thank you. Due to the changes in the NWT Public Health Act in 2009, we were able to actually start collecting information on things like breast cancer and we have been collecting that data and reporting that data. That’s going to help us set targets. The longer that data continues, the better the information will be to help us make that evidence-based decision. So the answer is yes, we’re working with the statistics we have to improve our results here in the Northwest Territories. Thank you.

The Member is exactly right; it’s important to live healthy lifestyles. It’s important to eat healthy and be active, and that would help you, obviously, reduce your risk of getting cancer, including breast cancer.

Right now we’re currently working on the development of a Cancer Strategy here in Northwest Territories. The five key areas of that strategy will be: primary prevention and health promotion, so finding ways to encourage people to live a healthy and active lifestyle; emotional and cultural safety and delivery of diagnosis, getting people diagnosed early and making sure that when they...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There’s one midwifery position vacant in Fort Smith that they’re currently actively recruiting for. The two positions in Hay River have been filled and we’re looking at going live early 2015. We have already begun some preliminary discussions with the Beaufort-Delta, but those positions and that program will not be moving forward until 2015-2016 as per our plan, but we are in early negotiations with those. Just recently we had the Deh Cho approach us, indicating that they’d be interested. So we’re in conversation with them as well.

One of the challenges we have right now...

Thank you. There have been some consultations with physicians and other professionals in the Beaufort-Delta. The result of those consultations, a number of challenges and concerns were raised around things like deliverables, potential complications and individuals’ responsibilities. We’re working through those right now with the Beaufort-Delta Health and Social Services Authority. Once we’re a little bit closer and we have that information worked out with the physicians, we intend to do some public engagements as well.

We will not be moving forward with staffing until such time as a budget is...

Thank you. We continue to move forward as the plan outlines, which is Fort Smith done, Hay River, Beaufort-Delta, Yellowknife, but we will look at other communities and regions as well. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following document, entitled “Annual Report of the Director of Child and Family Services 2013-2014.” Thank you.