Tom Beaulieu

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. [English translation not provided.]

I want to congratulate Mr. Dan Summers, principal of Deninu K’ue School in Fort Resolution, for being recognized as one of Canada’s outstanding principals for 2013. The Learning Partnership announced Mr. Summers as one of 51 exceptional educators to receive the Award for Excellence in Public Education.

Through his leadership at the Deninu School, since 2009 learning outcomes have significantly increased. In 2012, 87 percent of Deninu School students achieved a national average or better on a group reading achievement and diagnosis...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. We have not put additional positions into the health and social services authority in the Sahtu. We have essentially looked at the Sahtu in the greater picture, in the territorial picture, as we’re trying to address what we think the issues are going be. That is that there will potentially be an increase in alcohol-related issues.

We do have regular updates from the CEO from the Sahtu Health and Social Services Authority. There’s a requirement for us to respond specifically with personnel on the ground, and then we will have that discussion with the Sahtu Health and...

Yes, Madam Chair. To my right I have Debbie DeLancey, deputy minister of Health and Social Services. To my right I have Jeannie Mathison, director of finance, Health and Social Services.

Yes, I do, Madam Chair. I am pleased to present the Department of Health and Social Services’ main estimates. The proposed operating budget for 2013-2014 is $363.856 million which represents a 4 percent increase from the current fiscal year.

This budget includes $9.1 million in forced growth and $4.6 million in new initiatives. Like other provinces and territories, we are facing cost increases in areas such as staff compensation and investments in new technology. The budget also includes forced growth to address compensation and other inflationary pressures.

I would like to report our budget...

If an emergency shelter was started in the Sahtu, then the O and M to operate that shelter would come back to the Assembly. There would be a determination of which department would support the shelter and then that decision would come back to the Assembly on how much support would be needed and what type of support would be issued to such a shelter.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, the organization that is responsible for the day shelter here in Yellowknife tracks where the individuals are from. I don’t, unfortunately, have the breakdown with me in the House today of where each of those individuals are from.

Thank you. We can begin the work on this. It would probably be outside of this current budget process that we’re engaged in, but we can begin the work. Like I indicated, we can begin the work through the Minister that’s responsible for the social envelope, the Minister of Justice, and then at the end, I guess, also present it to the Regular Members to ensure that it’s in line with what they see as a good solution to addressing these issues. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I will commit to having the discussion. I think we’re a ways down the road with this, but again, there are certainly pieces of the puzzle that have to be put together in this whole area. I will commit to discussing this with the Minister of Education, Minister of Justice and also to, I guess, present this possibly as a supplementary or a budget item that will be presented to the committees in the Legislative Assembly.

Within the action plan, as the Member referred to, we are promoting understanding, awareness and acceptance of mental health. Those types of things are in the very initial steps in order for us to potentially intervene, if necessary, in the schools. But again, prior to intervention there’s a lot of other work that has to occur. Like the Member indicated, there are things in the action plan, yes, I agree, they’re there, we put them there for a reason and these are the very initial steps to understand it. This is an issue that is becoming quite a huge issue right across most communities, and we...

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I guess the first thing under the total umbrella of a chronic disease strategy is mental health. As we develop that strategy, we are looking at all aspects of mental health. As we have travelled to the communities, it was apparent that there needs to be some counselling at the schools and so on, targeted to mental health. Also, when the addictions forum is travelling they have indicated that they would like to look at some wellness in the communities, and they are going into the schools to talk to the students there and target also mental health. Thank you.