Herbert Nakimayak

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, recently the Minister of Health and Social Services announced that the GNWT had finalized a bilateral agreement on health funding with the Government of Canada.

According to this announcement, the department will invest federal funding of about $6.7 million in mental health, addictions services, and home and community care.

For that last category, Northerners will see that money going to the implementation of InterRAl, a system for assessing long-term care needs, and the development of a Paid Family Community Caregiver Pilot Project.

This captured my attention...

It looks like it's a good opportunity to work with the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation, as well as the GSOs in Nunakput. Mr. Speaker, my final question to the Minister is: without local homecare services, what options are open to communities like Sachs Harbour?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Earlier, I spoke about homecare services in Nunakput. Mr. Speaker, it's exciting to see the finalization of this bilateral agreement between the Government of the Northwest Territories and the Government of Canada, to bring home community care funding to the Northwest Territories. Mr. Speaker, my question to the Minister is: when does the Minister expect that our communities can start to engage with the planned paid-caregiver pilot? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the response from the Minister, and it's good to see the healthcare system working for elders. Mr. Speaker, I am just wondering if it's in the near future that the Minister will reinstate the position in Sachs Harbour for a homecare worker? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I am just going to move on there. I appreciate the response from the Premier and the department. I am looking at, on page 117, the Tuktoyaktuk Community Corporation Strategic Direction and Action Plan. I just wonder if we can get a few details from the Premier on that. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Getting back to the topic of GSOs, I won't reiterate too many questions of what some of my colleagues have said; but I know in my region they're very important, and in some smaller communities we do not have some. I'm just wondering, the Premier mentioned that in some communities it's hard to hire a GSO who has the capacity. I'm thinking maybe we can utilize other communities that already have existing GSOs to help build that capacity. I think, for the communities that are close together, one community with the capacity, one without, it may be easier to work that way and...

Well, thank you, Mr. Chair. I do not have anything further, thanks.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I appreciate the department looking at something like this because I think it is important to employ positions like this in the smaller communities before we go into the regional centres. All of the regional centres, as well as Yellowknife, have all the departments here. We can go to Motor Vehicles, we can go to the ENR office, places like that where, you know, you may need a system navigator to help people identify where they need to go, but I think in the small communities it is important to try to at least do something like this. A small service like this would be a...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the response. Mr. Speaker, my final question is: will the department increase the frequency of snow clearing on those sections of the highway that are subject to high winds during drifting snow? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I appreciate the response from the Minister. It's good to see that work is going on to improve the highway. Mr. Speaker, my second question is: under what circumstances does the department issue public alerts on road conditions for the Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk Highway?