Glen Abernethy

I’m not familiar with the particular campaign that the Member is talking about, but I like the premise and I like the concept. I would certainly like to sit down with committee and discuss how we can reduce sugar intake in the Northwest Territories. Thank you.

With respect to the priority, it may not be the Member’s priority, but we do have financial and potential liability implications with the professions I have identified, which must be addressed for the safety and security of our residents. Therefore, they continue to be at the top of the list. I have directed the department to include naturopathic doctors into the fourth position, so that regulation will happen soon as opposed to later after the bill has been completed.

It should be noted that the lack of regulations does not prevent naturopathic doctors from practicing in the Northwest...

The Department of Health and Social Services is obviously doing a number of things to try to curb the intake of sugar and other things such as tobacco. We do have the Drop the Pop, which the Member so clearly articulated. We do have dieticians and nutritionists available throughout the Northwest Territories to provide advice and guidance to our residents.

The Medical Association deals with patients on a regular basis. We have nurses in our communities who have well men and well women clinics encouraging people to eat healthy, live healthy, be healthy. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I’m not actually 100 percent sure. I believe it’s changes to legislation, but I will confirm that for the Member. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

As we look at the ISDM with respect to the mix of staff that’s available in small communities, we will look at all options and we will consider all opportunities. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I’d certainly like the Member to share the details with me so we can make sure that that doesn’t happen again. That isn’t consistent with my understanding. If it was prior to 7:00 a.m. or after 11:00 p.m. they wouldn’t have got a response to their call. As of March 1st we will be going to 24 hours. But with respect to this particular situation, I’d certainly like the Member to come to me and we can sit down and discuss it and see if we can make sure that this doesn’t happen again.

There hasn’t been what I would call or consider a fully comprehensive review, but it has been tweaked over time and will continue to be so. We will continue to do that in order to meet the needs of our residents.

I hear the Member, I hear all the Members. We need to do more to improve our services in those communities. I am willing to work with committee, Members and communities to find solutions that work, recognizing that not all communities are the same and not all solutions are going to be the same. We are going to review the ISDM with respect to the matrix or mix of staff that’s available...

Actually, interestingly enough, we had actually just approved the communications plan on this today and I was going to share all this information with the Members before I heard the Member make his statement today. We do have a communications plan. We are going to share that. That will likely be to Members today, and that includes communicating this information to the public.

Just for the record, anyone requiring support for themselves or for their loved ones can call the NWT Helpline at 1-800-661-0844, and it has been operational since February 1st, and it operates from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m...

That’s an interesting question and interesting concept. One of the things we are doing is the Seniors’ Handbook, that I already mentioned, that identifies the different types of programs. That is distributed to seniors in the territory and they have access to it through their local and territorial seniors’ societies. But with respect to any other push-type activity, I will talk to the department to see what we have and I will get back to the Member.

Mr. Speaker, a needs forecast for the entire Northwest Territories is going to help inform the Aging in Place Strategy. I will get back to the Member with that information. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.