Debates of May 30, 2005 (day 4)

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I would like to ask questions today to the Minister of Health and Social Services, Michael Miltenberger. I would like to know what the current disposition of the sleep centre at Stanton Territorial Hospital is and I am wondering if the Minister can tell me how much it costs to operate that centre and how many patients it treats per year. Thank you, Madam Speaker. Three questions.

---Laughter

Well thank you, Mr. Ramsay, for helping me with that observation. The honourable Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Miltenberger.

Return To Question 38-15(4): Status Of The Stanton Sleep Centre And Its Clients

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, this program is under a lot of growth pressures. I can't tell the Member specifically what it costs. I can tell him that there is work being done to make sure that we can cope with the demand, that we can modernize equipment and make sure that the staff we have are trained. We are working with a doctor from Calgary to come up with a good plan; this Dr. Remmers has had experience in other jurisdictions, so we are looking at this area very closely. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister Miltenberger. Supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.

Supplementary To Question 38-15(4): Status Of The Stanton Sleep Centre And Its Clients

Thank you, Madam Speaker. That didn't really get to the exact disposition. Is the sleep centre actually going to close or is there a study? It sounds like there is a study at play here that will see something happen. I am just wondering if the Minister can tell me how the current and future clients of the sleep centre will be looked after. What portion of care will be at the individual's expense? Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. That really was two questions, but we can stretch this out. Mr. Miltenberger.

---Laughter

Further Return To Question 38-15(4): Status Of The Stanton Sleep Centre And Its Clients

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, this is a program and a service that is required, and we are going to take the steps necessary to ensure that we can provide the service required with as much of the service as possible delivered in the North in terms of full-scale testing, all that can be done as well as the follow-up that is needed. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister Miltenberger. Supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.

Supplementary To Question 38-15(4): Status Of The Stanton Sleep Centre And Its Clients

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I guess we have an hour here. We are asking questions here for an hour, so I will ask more questions and then come back again. I am just wondering, because I did not hear the Minister say yes or no, is the sleep centre open or is it closed. What is happening with it? I need a definite answer and by the sounds of it they really don't know what is happening there. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Mr. Miltenberger.

Further Return To Question 38-15(4): Status Of The Stanton Sleep Centre And Its Clients

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, they know what is happening. Unfortunately I don't have the current briefing note in my book, so I am unable to provide the level of detail that the Member would like. I have the staff looking for the most current information that I received from Stanton and will be happy to share that with the Member when I get it. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister Miltenberger. Final supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.

Supplementary To Question 38-15(4): Status Of The Stanton Sleep Centre And Its Clients

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I am wondering if the Minister can also tell me if he is at least considering making these CPAP machines part of the NWT insured services for clients that require them. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Mr. Miltenberger.

Further Return To Question 38-15(4): Status Of The Stanton Sleep Centre And Its Clients

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, there is a working group currently reviewing this issue and will be looking at all the recommendations. I am sure that they will be giving us suggestions on the best way for this program to be covered. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, I support the goals of the Department of Education. I believe that education should be within reach of every child and family in the Northwest Territories. Madam Speaker, it is somewhat different in the smaller communities that I represent in the Sahtu. I would like to ask a question of the honourable Minister. Generally on the education part in the Sahtu, what type of support is he giving the educational boards in terms of retaining good, qualified teachers in the Sahtu? For example, we have heard in the past of the teachers' housing situation that has been an ongoing issue in the Sahtu. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Dent.

Return To Question 39-15(4): Teacher Recruitment And Retention In The Sahtu

Thank you, Madam Speaker. There are a number of initiatives that the department undertakes to encourage the retention of teachers. One of the first and the most important is the mentorship program that is supported by the department. This is to help new teachers gain experience in the system with an experienced teacher and to call on when they need advice or mentoring.

The Member specifically asked about housing, as well. Last year the Housing Corporation installed market houses in a number of communities in the Sahtu. I met with the board chairs of all regions, including the Sahtu, and asked them to provide me with some information on housing needs, which I could then pass on to the Minister responsible for the Housing Corporation. That was provided in some detail by the Sahtu Divisional Education Council and that information has been passed on to the NWT Housing Corporation. They are taking that into account as they plan for the delivery of market housing. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.

Supplementary To Question 39-15(4): Teacher Recruitment And Retention In The Sahtu

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I am very glad to hear the Minister mention the mentorship of the teachers. We have a number of local assistants, as I referred to, in the teachers’ program. What specific types of programs are there? Can the Minister advise this House of promotions that would help these assistants get into a job that would be permanent in the smaller communities because of the hiring of northern teachers? We want to keep our teachers employed in the Sahtu region. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. Dent.

Further Return To Question 39-15(4): Teacher Recruitment And Retention In The Sahtu

Thank you, Madam Speaker. There are people who have an interest in the education system who should consider, first of all, becoming teachers, taking the Teacher Education Program and getting a diploma and then moving on, hopefully, to take the Bachelor of Education Program. The college has put a lot of effort into making sure that people across the Territories can access that program.

As well, for those who are classroom assistants, it might be useful for them to consider taking the Aboriginal Language and Cultural Instructor Program. ALCIP is a program that is offered, when requested, by the college. We expect the divisional education councils to request the program, but the college is prepared to offer that to help people who may be working as classroom assistants be better prepared to work in classrooms, particularly in delivering language and culture programs. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.

Supplementary To Question 39-15(4): Teacher Recruitment And Retention In The Sahtu

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, the students and teachers really work well together in the Sahtu. The prime example of education is the small pilot project in Fort Good Hope where they have a shop program where there is a young Grade 5 fellow, Bradley Kelly, who makes pens. Different organizations contribute to the Fort Good Hope school and in the vision of the Education department, I want to ask the Minister when he foresees types of homemade shops that would be available for other schools in the Sahtu in terms of improving the students and the trades that can be improved in the smaller communities for future potential jobs that may be coming. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. Dent.

Further Return To Question 39-15(4): Teacher Recruitment And Retention In The Sahtu

Thank you, Madam Speaker. The Member has identified an area where we have a critical shortage of facilities across the Northwest Territories. That is in shops and opportunities for young students to gain hands-on education experience. We are hopeful that true partnership, which that’s exactly how the project got going in Fort Good Hope that the principal and community was able to strike with businesses in the region. They were able to outfit that shop and get materials for the program. We are hoping that we are going to see more and more of that. We have good examples in the Beaufort-Delta. We have some here in Yellowknife and in the South Slave, as well. It’s a situation where right now we are relying on partnerships to deliver that kind of programming. We have, as part of the Northern Strategy discussions, proposed that we be funded for a number of mobile shop units. We would use those then to travel around to the various communities to provide some hands-on training in those communities, in particular, where we don’t have the ability to put a room in a school and provide a shop service. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Final supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.

Supplementary To Question 39-15(4): Teacher Recruitment And Retention In The Sahtu

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, a lot of our students in the small communities have a talent for hands-on programs and the shop program is one of them that could be a success in the small communities. Would the Minister consider other facilities that may be used in the communities to enhance the shop programs for our schools? MACA, DPW and other organizations sometimes have shops available for students. Would he consider that in the time frame before launching into a different program that would see these types of shops in schools permanently? Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. Dent.

Further Return To Question 39-15(4): Teacher Recruitment And Retention In The Sahtu

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I think that’s a great idea. We should find ways for schools to take advantage of other facilities that might be in communities. It’s certainly something that we welcome. So it’s already a possibility. We also encourage young people in school to get involved in apprenticeships and through the Schools North Apprenticeship Program, young people can gain hands-on experience and get credits towards their CTS courses, as well as time put in towards an apprenticeship. So we do have a number of different opportunities. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. My question today is for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment and it's with regard to the Member’s statement that I made earlier. Madam Speaker, I know the Minister is very well aware of the issues I outlined in that statement, and that has to do with the fact that the Income Support Program that we have now is engineered and oriented for those who are in need of temporary help from the government, in between jobs or for whatever reason they need some social assistance until they get back on their feet. Some of them take longer than others.

Persons with disabilities have a completely different set of requirements and we know that some of them may never be able to get back to work and they shouldn’t be subject to the program that is oriented for some other need. I know that the department and the government are reviewing its policies and I would like to know where the Minister is with that review. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. The honourable Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr Dent.

Return To Question 40-15(4): Income Support Policies For Special Needs Cases

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I agree with the Member’s assertions to how the program should cater to those who have disabilities or, for that matter, people who are seniors. There are different reasons for people participating in the program and the program needs to accommodate those differences.

We are in the process of working through the redesign of the Income Support Program. We are at the point where we are going to be going back to committee very shortly with some suggestions for how our policies could be accommodated to deal with the different people in the different categories. We have committed to go back to the committee, Madam Speaker, to discuss the issue the Member brings up; that is how the program redesign would deal with those who are disabled or those who are seniors. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Supplementary, Ms. Lee.

Supplementary To Question 40-15(4): Income Support Policies For Special Needs Cases

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Absolutely, there is a process on the way but I think it’s good for us to air out our ideas and the process we are following. I would like to ask the Minister where the department and the Minister stands with respect to the possibility of treating those with disabilities differently than those who are on income support in a regular manner. For some public policy reasons, income support is quite low. One of the reasons, whether it’s accepted or not, is to encourage the people to get off the system and get better income options wherever possible. That is not the case and that’s not workable for those with disabilities. Is the Minister considering in his review to increase the assistance available for those with disabilities over what they get now? Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Minister Dent.

Further Return To Question 40-15(4): Income Support Policies For Special Needs Cases

Thank you, Madam Speaker. The program right now already provides increased assistance for people who are on disability. There is an extra $300 a month for people who are considered disabled. So right now, there is an increased allowance.

Having said that, the Member has made a point that I am quite prepared to agree to and that is the purpose of supporting people through the Income Support Program who are disabled is one of providing an opportunity for citizenship. So as we redesign the program, I will be working with my colleagues to try to determine what is an appropriate level of support. That’s absolutely where we are headed with this; to take a look at the levels of support. The next step in this is to take a look at program redesign options. In that process, we will be involving stakeholders. So people like the Council for Persons with Disabilities. We will involve them in this consultative process, as well as other stakeholders. We are intending to try to respond to the different needs that different people have for the program. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you, Minister Dent. Supplementary, Ms. Lee.

Supplementary To Question 40-15(4): Income Support Policies For Special Needs Cases

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I think that is where we should be heading. Madam Speaker, in his work, I wonder if there is any study or research going on as to what numbers we are dealing with. I think there is a very small segment of the population who is severely disabled, whether physically or cognitively, and who are not going to be able to partake in the mainstream working world. They need the help of the government. If the government could help them, with the help of family and friends, they can function relatively well in a situation that doesn’t have to be institutional. I would like to know whether in this review process a study is being done as to what sort of needs we are looking at. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Mr. Dent.

Further Return To Question 40-15(4): Income Support Policies For Special Needs Cases

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Absolutely, we will have that kind of assessment information done as we work through the redesign process, largely because I am going to have to come back to this Assembly for money to pay for whatever program we design. So all of those numbers will be available, yes.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Final supplementary, Ms. Lee.

Supplementary To Question 40-15(4): Income Support Policies For Special Needs Cases

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I know that the Minister is proposing to bring this to the committee. Could the Minister indicate any time frame as to when the stakeholders outside of this Assembly will be able to partake in this discussion? Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Mr. Dent.

Further Return To Question 40-15(4): Income Support Policies For Special Needs Cases

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I am actually meeting with the department tomorrow to update the process and the timelines, but I would expect that we would be ready for the public part of the redesign process no later than the end of June or early July. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. My questions this afternoon are for the Minister of Health and Social Services on the issue of the announced transfer and the decision to move the TTC, the treatment centre for behaviourally disabled youngsters, from Yellowknife to Hay River. The Minister said on Friday, in relation to another issue, that it makes sense to have the services as close to the people as possible. At the risk of taking his message or his intent out of context, I really do believe that in this case there is a very strong similarity. Madam Speaker, 75 percent of the young residents are from Yellowknife and north, yet we are looking at moving the facility to a community that is even further away. If the idea is to have the services as close as possible to the people it serves, how do these two square? Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Braden. The honourable Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Miltenberger.

Return To Question 41-15(4): Relocation Of The Territorial Treatment Centre