Jackson Lafferty

Masi, Madam Chair. Similar to the Member for Thebacha, the breakdown in the regions. Obviously, I'm very interested in the breakdown to my communities. If the Minister doesn't have it, could that be provided, as well? Masi.

Masi, Mr. Speaker. It's great to invest $2 million, but that's for the whole territory. As you can imagine, there are 33 communities and various regions we have to deal with. When you do a calculation, just on the $200,000 per group, that's not enough. We're spending $2 or $3 million sending money elsewhere, out of the territory. It should be invested in the Northwest Territories. My final question, Mr. Speaker, is: in the past, we had Nechi training through Poundmaker's in the Tlicho region back in the early 1990s, and we've had upwards of 26 qualified counsellors graduate out of this program...

If the Minister can provide the detailed breakdown over the past 25 years, that would be great. The second question I have is: how much does the Minister's department spend annually to send Northerners out of the territory for residential addiction treatment programming? Mr. Speaker, the Minister has referred to four treatment program down south, treatment centres. How much do we spend on an annual basis?

Masi, Mr. Speaker. [Microphone turned off].

[Translation] Mr. Speaker, there has been success in the regions. I would like to say they have had on-the-land addictions programming in the past. One such program was held in Gameti at Faber Lake in the '90s. An elder ran the program for inmates, with a focus on both counselling and teaching survival skills.

Mr. Speaker, another project that was very successful was in the Sahtu region in the early 2000s. It was also operated by an elderly couple, with a focus on traditional skills and lifestyle. They did a lot of helping and healing. We know, in...

Masi, Madam Chair. Since this North Arm Park obviously is in the heart of the Tlicho land, as well, there will obviously be engagement with the Aboriginal leadership, the communities, to have their input. Usually, when there's a major expansion, there is public engagement of what they want to see, whether it be a tourism spot with a history of the Tlicho Nation, and so forth. So I'm assuming that those are discussions that will be undertaken. If there is, then engaging the general public of the nearby communities, such as Behchoko and Edzo. I understand the Minister is open to that, which is...

Masi, Mr. Speaker. No one is more vulnerable to COVID-19 than elders living in long-term care and seniors' homes. COVID facilities in these homes have become a national scandal. In light of the alarming death rate in such homes, I have a number of questions for the Minister of Health and Social Services. The first question I have is: what special COVID-related training have staff at the territorial long-term care and seniors' homes received in anticipation of a possible outbreak of the virus in our territory? Masi, Mr. Speaker.

Masi, Mr. Speaker. I may have to do a written question because I need more information pertaining to this. These are questions that have been asked by the seniors and family members in my community. The next question I have is in follow-up to my last question, Mr. Speaker: what systemic steps is the Minister taking pertaining to another very vulnerable segment of our population? I am referring to those disabled adults residing in group homes and other residential support programs, Mr. Speaker. Masi.

In light of the documented danger of long-distance airborne transmission, what consideration has the government given to retrofitting the territorial seniors' homes? I am referring to the virus-scrubbing systems of the type being integrated into the hospital's HVAC system.

Masi, Mr. Speaker. There is no place in the NWT more vulnerable to COVID-19 than our long-term care and seniors' homes. To illustrate, Mr. Speaker, in Canada, these homes account for an incredible 80 percent of all COVID-related deaths. That equals more than 3,000 deaths in Quebec; and in the case in Ontario, more than 1,500. That's as of May 20, 2020. Mr. Speaker, this raises critical concerns about the ability of our seniors to cope with an outbreak of COVID-19 in our territory. At the appropriate time, Mr. Speaker, I will ask questions of the Minister of Health and Social Services regarding...

My third question, obviously, is at the systemic level. What is the Minister doing to improve entry-level training standards and staff retention at our elders' care facilities? What steps have been taken so far, to date?