Yellowknife Centre

Statements in Debates

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 92)

Yes, thank you. Providing those wraparound supports is very important. It's not just the work of one department; it is often the work of many departments. And I'll give an example:

Right now, we're asking for an expression of interest in transitional housing for people who are exiting facilitybased treatment and require a place to live while they maintain their sobriety and build up some stamina in that area. So we're working with the Housing Corporation on that. We work with ECE on issues like income assistance. We work with Justice. This is really a crossdepartmental approach.

As the Minister...

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 92)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, if the community has used the funds that I'm talking about to hire counsellors, there may, in fact, be someone in place who does addictions outreach, otherwise that would be a function of the community counselling service that exists in either inperson, virtual, or telephone form everywhere throughout the NWT. So community counselling is the place to go for immediate sameday follow-up.

I also wanted to mention that where communities have connectivity, we have a mobile phone app called Wagon, WAGON, which is an interactive aftercare and recovery app which is...

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 92)

Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, next year we're going to implement a system called Interride, which I'm sure the Member is familiar with. It's an international assessment tool that assesses people for the kinds of needs they have, the services that they require, and the resources they need to meet their needs. And so this is going to be introduced and implemented for the whole population who requires supported living of some kind. And that will enable the health planner, that we have recently hired, to develop a plan about how to meet these needs, what kind of funding is required...

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 92)

Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this is a bit of an apples and oranges situation because we don't usually take funds dedicated to capital projects and move them into operations and maintenance. So even if there was savings on the capital project, it would be spent on other capital projects, whether for health or some other kind of development.

It's important to know that we get a chunk of funding from the federal government from the First Nations and Inuit home and community care funding, and what happens here is that the regional health and social services authorities identify the...

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 91)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it was my understanding that the money that goes to the IRC annually pays for community camps, but I certainly am happy to speak to the chair of the IRC and talk to him about how that money is being spent and whether there is a need for additional resources at the community level. Thank you.

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 91)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you for the question. The update that I have is that the community counselling program has resumed facetoface counselling all across the NWT, including in the Beaufort Delta. This is a very serious issue, the mental health impacts of COVID19, they're felt throughout the NWT and in fact I think throughout the country and the world. It has certainly been a time of stress and anxiety, as the Member referenced, because there's been so much uncertainty and upheaval in our lives.

So we have the community counselling program which, just to remind the Member, that is a...

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 91)

Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we offer a variety of apps, and we're adding more every few months. So we have the Strongest Family Institute, which is primarily for families who need assistance with parenting. We have Wagon, which is an aftercare app for people who are returning from residential treatment or have had some kind of a treatment and they need support. We also have Breathing Room, which is specifically for youth and young adults who are experiencing anxiety and depression. So there are those three, but I understand that there are more.

We recently I believe we tabled it...

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 91)

Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, programs like on-the-land healing camps, we fund the IRC to provide, and they make decisions about how that money is spent and what the focus of the healing camps will be. Other departments also have pots of money which will assist people to get out on the land for various activities such as trapping and hunting and so on. So there are a variety of supports available. They are, as I say, probably best referenced online to get the complete list or through the IRC which has its own very robust mental health support system. Thank you.

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 90)

I think I might feel the flames at my feet, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the information I have is that it will be early next year. So let's say by the time we come back. Thank you.

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 90)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the regular Members negotiated, in addition to this year's operating budget, of four Indigenous patient advocates that would be located in Inuvik, Hay River, Fort Smith, and Yellowknife. Their specific mandate is to work to improve cultural safety and patient experience by supporting Indigenous patients in particular and resolving their concerns, complaints, and questions, and bridging cultural and language barriers. The job descriptions for these Indigenous patient advocates are now in development, and we expect to have them in place next year. Thank you.