Glen Abernethy

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to recognize two constituents of the Great Slave riding, Brendan Kolson as well as Kiera-Dawn Kolson, one of the award recipients today. Welcome to the gallery.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document entitled "Avens Adult Day Program Review – Final Summary Report to July 19, 2017." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, the use of telepsychiatry is already in place in the Northwest Territories. The telehealth support unit may be able to provide those types of services directly to individuals or indirectly to communities based on supports and resources that are required to support individual people. However, I do want to caution that often that would be for follow-up appointments and those types of things. Initial appointments, I believe, and I think many people believe that some of that needs to be done person-to-person, psychiatrist or counsellor with an individual, so that they can start to...

Mr. Speaker, during the capital budgeting process, the Minister of Finance did indicate that we would be working together to see if there are any opportunities to provide some funding in this area, especially if the federal government was going to come to the table in support of family violence shelters. We are going to work together to see what opportunities exist and, as we have more information, we are happy to share that with Members.

The Department of Health staff met with different individuals from the family shelters around the Northwest Territories on September 16th to start developing a work plan on how to work together to develop a funding formula. I do not know the exact timelines of that. They are working amongst themselves, something that will work on both sides. I will get some additional information to share with the Member.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following two documents entitled "Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 847-18(2): Medical Travel" and "Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 880-18(2): Centralization of Long-Term Care Facilities." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

In developing the oral health strategy, we have actually contracted a local dentist here in the Northwest Territories to provide some oversight and direction on that. We also have some staff members involved. We are looking at changing the way that we provide oral health services. Some of the things we are hoping to accomplish is to create an integrated oral health program for children within the NWT at all ages, not just the ones in the school system.

We are looking at delivering more prevention/promotion activities with an emphasis on oral health as a part of the overall health, not as a...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In the past, our oral health services delivery model consisted of 12 dental therapists in nine communities across the Northwest Territories. There were three positions established in Behchoko, two in Inuvik, one in Deline, Fort Good Hope, Simpson, Tuktoyaktuk, Aklavik, Fort McPherson, and Fort Smith. These individuals got their training from a dental therapy training program at the University of Saskatoon. It once upon a time was delivered in Fort Smith, and it was a federally funded program. It was moved to Saskatoon. It was discontinued in 2011.

We no longer have a...

After the building opens.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we are expecting that substantial completion of the facility will be either late November or early December, at which point the government will take possession of the building. It does require that the Department of Infrastructure go in there and do some testing on some of the functional components of the building to make sure that it is all running properly. Once that has been verified, then the Department of Health and Social Services would take over the responsibility of the building. We would then go in there and start doing our assessments on some of...