Michael Miltenberger

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document entitled Making Connections - Building Networks to Prevent Abuse of Older Adults, A Framework for Action.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Later today I will table the new NWT Seniors’ Society Action Plan: Making Connections – Building Networks to Prevent Abuse of Older Adults.

Seniors and elders are the fastest growing segment of the Northwest Territories population. Unfortunately, the vulnerability of many elders leaves them open to exploitation, often by relatives or others in their community. The Northwest Territories Seniors’ Society reports within its new action plan entitled Making Connections – Building Networks to Prevent Abuse of Older Adults that 71 percent of older adults say the abuse of older...

There is still a chair available for the dinner tomorrow night with Mr. Beaulieu, so the Member for Weledeh is welcome to attend. Yes, I will make that commitment.

I will commit to meet with the Member. In fact, I’ll even buy him dinner, and we can do it over dinner to talk about this issue, Mr. Speaker. Of course, other Members that are looking to have sustenance at the expense of a poor, underpaid Minister, of course I’d be happy to have them come along. Thank you.

We’re committed to hiring as many students as possible with the resources that are available to allow us to do so.

Mr. Speaker, this is a longstanding issue tied into Fort Resolution being in the Akaitcho Territory and unsettled claims and Treaty 8 and the whole issue of payment of taxes. There have been a number of attempts to try to resolve this issue. There have been former chiefs that have asked for forgiveness or wiping the slate clean on a go-forward basis. Anything of that nature would require a Cabinet decision.

As I indicated, the Member has had no opportunity to discuss this particular issue in any detail, so I would once again just restate my commitment to sit down with him to talk about the...

I will just reiterate the encouragement and admonition that we put out to all departments, as a matter of fact, to hire all the students possible within the resources that we have available.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document entitled Making Connections - Building Networks to Prevent Abuse of Older Adults, A Framework for Action.

Thank you. I don’t have the number of the money that’s generated from the modest charge for long-term care facilities, but I will as well in the note to the Member add the cost that we do spend and the revenues, and the Member will see that these programs are heavily subsidized, with good reason. I mean, we made a choice, we want to give the elders in the Northwest Territories the best care possible at the most reasonable cost and I believe we are doing that, but I will share that information with the Member, as well. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My list tells me we’ve hired nine, all in Yellowknife.