Michael Miltenberger

Mr. Speaker, in relation to this particular instance, the primary, fundamental and initial concern is to make sure that once a decision is made about APYS, the transition to move clients into adequate facilities so they have the same kind of service level and resources they had previously is done. We’ve done that. I have indicated to this House, in the short term we are looking at the possibilities of some short-term repatriation of services we now have in the North. As well, we are going to look at the longer term, once again based on the individual client needs, to see what could be possible...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We would be happy to provide this House, to the Chair of Social Programs, the package of information that we have as it relates to Integrated Services in Edmonton and the various components of the programs and services they offer. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the level of the Member's satisfaction is the level of detail I don't think I really need as the Minister. However, I will attempt to respond once again. These are very specialized placements, they're not necessarily institutions, they're supported living, there are multiple needs, some of them very complex that require specialized care. Are we looking at this? Yes, we are.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the issue of repatriation and providing, as a government, services to the people we serve within the territory is not a new concept. If we look back to 1967 when the government came north and the services that were there then and the services that are here now clearly indicate that we have been evolving over the years and decades and that there are a tremendous amount of services we provide in house, be it in education where we now can do college or some university accreditation, or in health and social services where we have group homes, we have...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would be happy to provide the Member, through the Social Programs committee, with all the information we have as it pertains to the alcohol and drug and mental health strategy, all the information she has requested both as it applies to the community wellness workers and the mental health workers. As well, I would be happy to extend the offer for a briefing to the committee to discuss the situation and any other concerns that they may have resulting from the review of what has been implemented to date, which is now in year two. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, part of this process, which was supposed to be a good news story, was to recognize it. In many cases, there were incumbents in positions and incumbents who had been practising for years, incumbents with an often wide array of different training, education and skills. We want to recognize that. If my memory serves me correctly, I made a commitment in this House last week that the intent is not to lay people off. We would have a grandfathering or arrangement here, as well as doing past learning assessments on incumbents. We are in the process with the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to point out that all affected seniors were given a direct mail-out as were all pharmacies, but I will commit here today to ensure that the information has gotten to its destination and ensure that the information of how the changes are to be implemented are in the areas where they are supposed to be. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we did consider that. We also considered the fact that there is a host of other significant other related information tied into compliance and monetary issues, as well as some program issues. We recognize that clearly there was strong support for the program by clients, and that some of the professionals involved in the day-to-day work with clients spoke highly of the programming work that was being done there. But the reality for us, Mr. Speaker, is that there are other issues and variables that have significant bearing as well on the situation, which...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I’m prepared to share with the Members on a confidential basis the reports that we have. I am respecting the client confidentiality, and I would be happy to set up an opportunity to do that. There is an extensive stack, and I would be happy to do that, or at the very least I could share a relatively detailed summary that we also have available that outlines the various issues, the compliance questions, the service issues, and the monetary fiscal questions that have been raised. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today is World No Tobacco Day. I would like to make use of this opportunity to recognize the work that is being done to create a smoke-free society in the NWT.

Mr. Speaker, there are numerous examples of people and communities working to a common goal of a smoke-free society:

A new campaign targeting school children is using a character named Butthead to encourage kids to commit to be smoke-free. This campaign has only been running for a few weeks and already about 1,340 kids have made the commitment;

New health units have been developed that discuss the...