Norman Yakeleya

Looking at the schedule from the Housing Corporation, the seniors are expected to move into the independent seniors facility in Fort Good Hope in the spring of 2015, I believe.

I want to ask, do we have enough time, I guess, to say, yes, we can look at an additional one or two staff members, given that there is going to be a caretaker there, and that we also need to have some kind of medical personnel at that site also?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Minister of Health and Social Services. Although I know that the Housing Corporation will be building independent living housing for seniors in Fort Good Hope in 2014-15 and that there’s a schedule already set out by the Housing Corporation and they’re working with the community of Fort Good Hope, I’m hoping that all plans are on target and that construction would begin, with elders moving into the facility in the spring of 2015. I wanted to ask the Minister of Health and Social Services about the programs and services of that facility.

Will there...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Member, Mrs. Groenewegen, talked about being thankful, and I also want to support her on that theme here. In the Sahtu communities, in Fort Good Hope, we’re thankful for the elders. There are 64 elders that are 60 years and over. In Fort Good Hope there used to be an old folks home, they used to call it, an old seniors home, and that got condemned and now it’s all boarded up.

People in Fort Good Hope have always asked for a seniors independent living facility when the government is going to look at continuing supporting them in that initiative, and my understanding...

Mr. Speaker, will the local housing authority also receive additional funding for that position?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to direct my questions now to the Minister of the Housing Corporation on the seniors facility that is going to be built in Fort Good Hope. I would ask the Minister, for the purpose of this session here, to inform the public, people in Fort Good Hope, on the scheduling of this new facility that’s going to be built in that community and opening for the spring of 2015.

Are we on schedule, where are we on schedule and how are the plans coming together to start the building of this facility? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My earlier oral questions to the Minister of Health and Social Services were on the independent unit in Fort Good Hope. I want to ask, I guess, the Minister of Health and Social Services about the positions that are going to be funded in regards to this unit.

What types of positions are going to be aligned with this new seniors unit in Fort Good Hope in regards to the facility itself?

The Minister has mentioned in the House the number of years, 19 years he’s been through this cycle and the number of years to get a project or to get something in in the regions or the communities. So, given that we’re close to the end of our term in this Assembly, could we look at one of the communities that does not have a nursing station, for example, or RCMP members in that community?

Imagine some communities do not have a nursing station, a position for a nurse or RCMP members in that community, and we’ve gone too long without the members living in our communities and this is our 10th year...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to ask this question to the Minister of Finance. With the discussion of all the vacancies and when they’re going to be filled and the amount of money we approve each year, for the last 10 years I’ve been standing here and I’m still standing here asking when will the communities without RCMP or nurses have those positions filled. Each year I bring that forward and there’s no money, there’s no money. Just recently we find out there are vacant positions and still there’s no money.

When will this government have the flexibility of letting this Cabinet say, listen...

In our planning for our elders and our long-term care facility in Norman Wells, which is going to happen for a territorial long-term care facility, we also have this additional independent senior housing unit in Fort Good Hope.

Can the Minister inform me if it makes sense to look at the training or this training happens in the upcoming years, that the residents in Fort Good Hope will also have the opportunity if the training is assessed and that they can also be tagged on to the training program that is scheduled for the territorial long-term care facility that is going to be located in Norman...

Mr. Speaker, I would like to acknowledge Mr. Wilfred Jackson from Fort Good Hope, who was presented the 2014 Elders in Motion Active Elder Award on February 11th.

The Elders in Motion seek to improve access to physical activity opportunities for NWT elders. Elders in Motion works to enhance independence and efficient mobility for older adults.

Mr. Jackson is well known for his endeavours and active lifestyle both in the community and out on the land. He is a master trapper.

Mr. Jackson is a positive role model for our elders and communities across the Sahtu and NWT.

Please join me in...