Jackie Jacobson

In the community of Ulukhaktok they have two airlines that fly in there: Aklak Air going into Inuvik and First Air that flies here into Yellowknife. Would the Minister let the patient have a choice regarding where they go for their hospitalization or checkups? A constituent told me a similar situation that at the time they had to wait due to cancellation because of lack of passengers. Will the Minister take the initiative to make coordinated alternative arrangements for scheduled medical travel flights had been cancelled?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today my Member’s statement was regarding medical travel from the communities of Ulukhaktok and the surrounding communities that I represent. Will the Minister commit to working with the various departments and agencies and programs to implement changes to provide to the communities an improvement in the administration of medical travel to prevent future patients from having to wait in their communities or transient centres while in pain?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. When you live in a small, isolated community such as Ulukhaktok, air travel is the only lifeline all year round. There is no road to the community for assistance. When constituents have to leave for medical travel conditions, they have to wait for the next flight. Most of the time they’re sold out; they get bumped. The government must act to fix this problem.

During my last visit to the community of Ulukhaktok, the community brought up a very serious concern regarding patients who have appointments with specialists in Inuvik. Most of the time the patients cannot make...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In Nunakput our elders have worked hard, have lived all their lives, and they’ve been quick to adapt their preliminary lifestyles into modern lifestyles during their time. They had to take care and protect us. Our elders truly lived amazing lives.

In every community in the Northwest Territories our elders deserve a place where they can go for entertainment, visiting, or just for healthy services. My office has received correspondence from the Minister responsible for Seniors in responding to a funding request for the facility in Ulukhaktok and I’d like to thank the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m just talking about how quickly the money appeared when they needed it in regard to that. The sixplex design, is the Minister committed to a sixplex design with the Minister of Housing? Could we make this project a reality in the community of Ulukhaktok by May?

Again, I’m tired of the studies. I’m tired of the needs assessments that this government takes upon itself to do. This has to get done. The elders in Ulukhaktok are... We don’t want our elders to go to Inuvik. We don’t want our elders to go to Aklavik. We don’t want them to come to Yellowknife. Caring for our elders’ health and well-being must be a pillar of this government. Will this government place substandard living conditions of seniors as their highest priority?

I will continue to try to improve the lives of my elders.

Once again, I challenge this government to seriously review the needs of our elders to place necessary resources and implement real plans for real changes for our real problems. I will have questions for the Minister of Health and Social Services. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

We’ve put a $15 million dementia centre in Yellowknife. It wasn’t even on the books. I could be corrected if need be, but I know that if the $15 million we want to, like, she’s saying.... The Minister is telling me she wants to put a package together for all the communities. Well, I have a package that says we could do a sixplex in the community and work with the Housing Minister and the Health and Social Services Minister to get this done. Will this government commit the necessary resources fairly to all northern communities and not just the major centres so elders have equal access to...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today my Member’s statement was on the elders facility in Ulukhaktok. Will this government commit to improving the life of our elders and develop an elders facility in Ulukhaktok? Like the Minister said before me, fairly, being fair to all across the Northwest Territories.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m not going to be singing there. Good job. It’s pretty hard to cover on that, Norm. That’s awesome.

This weekend is a big weekend for all minor hockey students in Nunakput and the Beaufort-Delta. The Gwich’in Cup is upon us. We have I think probably 14 teams playing, with students all the way from Ulukhaktok and Sachs Harbour, Tuk, Inuvik, Aklavik, Fort McPherson, and Tsiigehtchic. I’d like to thank today Chief Richard Nerysoo and Mary Ross from the Gwich’in Tribal Council for putting up this good tournament for our minor hockey players.

These tournaments are an...