Wendy Bisaro

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move we report progress.

---Carried

Thank you, Mr. Chair. We wish to continue consideration of Tabled Document 115-17(5), Northwest Territories Capital Estimates 2015-2016, with the Department of Health and Social Services.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask the Minister, in terms of funding, I know it certainly has been an issue for the board when they discuss this plan that they need to get a guarantee of use of their new facility in order to get the backing that they need from the bank, and it’s my understanding that the Avens board of governors, board of directors, can find mortgaging, can find funding for the facility, but they need to get a guarantee from the government that they will actually use the facility once it’s built.

So I would like to ask the Minister, why is it that I haven’t yet heard that the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to follow up on my Member’s statement and ask some questions of the Minister of Health and Social Services around the infrastructure needs for seniors in the NWT. I mentioned some statistics in my statement, and the numbers of seniors that will be increasing are really quite scary, particularly here in the city of Yellowknife where we can expect the number of seniors to triple in the next 10 or 15 years. Yet it seems to me that Health and Social Services is ignoring the results of their own studies and the recommendations from their own reports. We see very...

I’m very concerned that the badly needed Avens expansion and renovations will not get the government support it needs to begin construction in earnest next year.

The government needs to find a way to support the Avens project. It’s imperative that they assist them to find the necessary funding so that Avens can advance their vision for seniors and their expansion project. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I’d like to speak about a young, made-in-the-NWT, well-known mental health program for youth; specifically, FOXY, which stands for Fostering Opening eXpression among Youth.

FOXY is a participatory action research project. Big words which means that youth are involved in all aspects of the project, from its development to its implementation and then evaluation. The research component involves looking at the effectiveness of FOXY and empowering NWT youth, and facilitating dialogue about sexual health issues in the NWT.

The NWT has one of the highest rates for sexual...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move we report progress.

---Carried

Thank you, Mr. Chair. My comments are quite similar to those of my colleagues, but as I’ve said before, I think they bear repeating.

I too am pleased with the work that the Housing Corporation has done over the last number of years. There have been a number of changes that have been made. I like to think that the Housing Corp is thinking beyond the box a bit, that they are analyzing where need is and they’re responding to that need. I think the changes have been very positive on certainly the government but also, I think, on the people that are in public housing and the people that are...

Thanks, Mr. Speaker. My last question has to do with – it is kind of a timing question again – the city will have an upgraded and adequate dispatch system by quarter one of 2015 they’re telling us. So the technical capabilities will be in place for 911 for dispatch, the technical capabilities are there from NorthwesTel’s perspective, as far as I am told. So once this study is out, I’d like to ask the Minister how soon will we be able to move forward on this. The technical stuff is there, we simply need the will of the government. Thank you.

Thanks to the Minister. I understand, as well, that Municipal and Community Affairs did a survey of attendees at the NWT Association of Communities AGM in May, I guess it was, of 2014, earlier this year. I’d like to know from the Minister, if there are results from that survey, are those results public, would he commit to share them again with Members and the public? Thank you.