Sandy Lee

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Subsidies do reduce the cost of living. All of our programs are targeted at different people with different needs, whether it is housing, income security, senior housing, SFA, even health programs. If he is asking if we are going to be writing a cheque to 42,000 people tomorrow, he is probably not going to find that.

But we are looking at investments in commercial power subsidies. For many communities the cost of goods is a big issue, and if we could help with the cost of power for businesses, we are hoping that might help out in some way. The territorial power subsidy...

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.

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...

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.

Yes, I did indicate in my letter to the Member that we are working on a framework to have a coordinated intervention plan. I look forward to having this framework reviewed with the standing committee members and working to make it more concrete through our upcoming business-development process.

I am aware that the Alberta government has instituted intensive behavioural intervention programs. It is one of the most aggressive programs in the country, but it’s not something that’s available everywhere, and the success and merits of that Alberta program are not conclusive.

I do also believe this is an area where the federal government needs to step in to provide some comprehensive national response.

With respect to Yellowknife or the Territories, it is really hard to speak about exactly what services are available to children without knowing exactly who the child is. Autism is not a one...

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.