Sandy Lee

I think more details of what exactly these projects are will be coming forth in the business planning review process in a couple of weeks. There are very specific investments being made to extend runways, for example. In some of the small communities we are improving road access. We are improving winter bridges to connect winter road icebridges, and we are making investments in alternative energy programs. So there are some real, specific things to help with cost of living issues in the midterm, short term and long term. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table four documents. Further to my Return to Written Question 21-16(2) I wish to table the following document entitled Aboriginal Employee Statistics, Sport, Recreation, and Youth Division, Municipal and Community Affairs. Further to my Return to Written Question 23-16(2) I wish to table the following document entitled Use of Agency Nurses in the Northwest Territories. Further to my Return to Written Question 30-16(2) I wish to table the following document entitled Travel Summary: Sport, Recreation and Youth Division, Municipal and Community Affairs for the Fiscal Years...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have a return to an oral question asked by Mr. Hawkins on June 18, 2008, regarding services for children with autism.

The Department of Health and Social Services does not operate under a framework or policy that is specific to autism. Services for children with disabilities are delivered within the context of the integrated service delivery model, which allows for access to rehabilitation services, referrals to specialists and, if necessary, voluntary support agreements through the Child and Family Services Act. A framework for services for children with disabilities...

Mr. Speaker, I’d like to recognize my beautiful mother, who usually watches us on TV but decided to show up in the gallery today. She’s also a resident of Avens Court.

That is the first time I have heard that our professionals would in any way limit services available to NWT residents in favour of Nunavut residents. I’m glad the Member brought this to my attention for the first time here. I’d be happy to look into that.

What we do have challenges with is the fact that while we have positions available for rehab services and speech therapists and lots of other services our children need, we do have challenges in filling them, and we have to continue to work on those.

We will continue to work on expanding services for children, especially for children with...

Mr. Speaker, the department is working on a framework to address various issues of disabilities — not particular to autism, but obviously the autism segment will be included in that.

The difficulties with providing all the services we need to for our children has to do with the fact that we have limited professionals available who can provide that service. For those children in need, we do what we can to provide them.

If the Member wants to talk about specific situations of a specific client, I’d be happy to work with the Member to see what we can make available to them.

I have worked with parents of children with autism, and I am aware of situations in Yellowknife where certain children with autism have someone with them the entire day at school because that child needs a full-time aide every minute he is in school.

What I’m saying is it’s hard to talk about how many hours we provide a child with autism. My answer is: it depends. It depends on the needs of the child as well as what services are available. Children with autism sometimes need…. I don’t know; I’m not a professional. I think that’s all I can say for now.

Mr. Speaker, I’m not aware of parents being able to receive funding from Yellowknife Health and Social Services Authority or any authority.

What I’m telling the Member is that parents can receive the services. We still have more speech therapists — or any other specialists — that the children with autism or any other disability need. They’re mostly hired by the health authorities. There is a team of people who would work with children and families to provide the services they need.

You have to understand that children with autism come with all sorts of individual and varying degrees of needs...

All of our health care professionals employed by the GNWT or funded by the GNWT have to put their priority to the NWT residents.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Department of Health and Social Services, in cooperation with educational services that we provide, do assist families and children with varying types of disabilities, including autism. Those services are made available on a case-by-case basis.