Mr. Speaker, during the election I heard a lot of comments and concerns about crime in Yellowknife. It has been over a year and those concerns still exist in my riding. Specifically the number of B and Es is up. I’ve had constituents tell me they have witnessed drug deals on the streets in front of their homes, and I’ve even had one constituent assaulted in his own yard after interrupting a potential B and E. Solutions, I believe, are going to require a solid, dedicated partnership between the DOJ and the Department of Health.
Today I would specifically like to ask the Minister of Justice some questions. I would like to thank them for the work they’ve done with respect to auxiliary police and special constables, but there hasn’t been much change on the street. There is still a lot of crime occurring. I think it’s going to take some creative thinking to solve some of these problems. We need some eyes on the street. One group in Yellowknife that is doing that is the Yellowknife Community Wellness Coalition. I was wondering if the Minister of Justice could tell me what level of financial support they have provided to that organization this year and how that compares to funding they provided in previous years, specifically last fiscal year.
Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. The honourable Minister of Justice, Mr. Lafferty.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Certainly, it would take a partnership between the Department of Justice, Health and Social Services, and the community, whether it be the City of Yellowknife or the coalition the Member is referring to. Funding has been allocated through my department and also through homelessness funding. There is certain funding provided to organizations to deal with these, whether it be for the break and enters or to assist the RCMP officers at the ground level. We as the 16th Assembly did make a commitment. It’s one of the priorities of the 16th Assembly to deal with those issues at hand. Community policing was a big issue, which we need to deal with.
We will continue to be vocal with the federal government and also with my counterparts, the Cabinet and also the Members during the business planning process. I can certainly provide the Member with a detailed outline of the program dollars that are being transferred or committed to this coalition group. Mahsi.
Thanks to the Minister of Justice for that information. I was wondering if he could tell me if, in fact, the Department of Justice provided any financial support to the Yellowknife Community Wellness Coalition for the 2008–2009 fiscal year.
Mr. Speaker, I need to get that further detailed information for the Member. I don’t have it in front of me today, but I would certainly be more than happy to provide that detailed 2008–2009 contribution to the coalition if there has been some in the past.
I look forward to seeing that information once the Minister of Justice provides it to me.
In a similar line, would the Department of Justice consider core funding to the Yellowknife Community Wellness Coalition so that they would be able to hire a coordinator to provide further training to their membership and promote their organization? It would benefit not just Yellowknife. If this organization is established, they’d certainly be able to provide the best practices to some of the other larger communities in the Northwest Territories — Fort Smith, Hay River, Inuvik, Simpson — which may be able to benefit from their expertise and put in similar organizations within their own communities.
Mr. Speaker, we need to review all the contributions we made to organizations in the community. There is the John Howard Society; there is the City of Yellowknife, which is also in partnership with this particular initiative; the Yellowknife Community Wellness Coalition; and other sectors that we do provide contributions to. We have to keep in mind that we are going through the business planning process. We’ll be discussing the importance of community safety, so this could be one of the topics of discussion.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Final supplementary, Mr. Abernethy.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and once again thanks to the Minister of Justice. Given that one of our mandates is to increase safety and security in our community and that falls under the responsibility of one of our new strategic investment committees, I could see this as being part of one of our new initiatives, one of our new strategic directions we could take. I would encourage the Minister and I’d like him to commit to talking to the Minister responsible for that strategic investment committee to work with these organizations and provide some longer term funding so that we can actually see some results on our streets.
Mr. Speaker, I will commit in this House that I will continue to work with my colleagues on the importance of community policing, because we’re here to prevent things from happening, such as the crimes that are in the communities.
Another thing I would like to point out is that we also work with the community justice programs and the community justice committees. I think that’s an important factor we have to keep in mind. They’re the ones who deal with the community’s local issues. Certainly, I will continue to work with my Cabinet colleagues to initiate this process. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Minister of MACA, and it has to do with the lottery funds that I talked about in my Member’s statement earlier today. What would be required to get that reviewed and some of those funds from the lottery program going towards arts and cultural programs, rather than just to sports?
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. The honourable Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs, Mr. Robert McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. MACA is working with the NWT Council of Sports and Recreation partners to review the overall management of lotteries in the Northwest Territories. As the Member pointed out, the money is earmarked for sports, and that’s a good place for the money from the lotteries to be going. I’m sure the arts are another good place for it to go, but right now the money is earmarked specifically for sports and for the youth. That’s an issue that we continue to try and find funding for.
Thanks to the Minister for those comments. I don’t actually disagree that sports is a good place for revenues to go, but there is an additional need, still, for support for our arts and cultural programs.
As I mentioned in my statement, almost every jurisdiction in Canada does do that — provide some of their support to arts and culture. As well, most other jurisdictions provide dollars directly to sports programs. They don’t just rely on the lottery revenues.
I’d like to find out how we can get this done. How can we modify this program? This is input from the public. It’s not something I’m coming up with by myself. I’m sure you’ve heard the same. How can we get a review of how this can be done and start thinking about how we can dedicate some of those revenues to arts and cultural programs?
Mr. Speaker, as I said on answering the first question, there is a review. They’re working with the Council of Sports and Recreation and doing a review.
As far as earmarking some of the money to sports goes, I mean, that’s something they would have to come up with once they do the review, if the review gets done, and then decide from there how they’re going to distribute the money.
Like I said — and the Member didn’t disagree with me — the money from the lotteries is not that much. As the Member knows, it costs a lot of money to supply supports to youth across the Northwest Territories: bringing them to tournaments and helping fund some of their events. While both are very important issues, I think youth is still where the lottery money should be going unless a review is done and there is an agreement to divide up the funds.
Mr. Speaker, I don’t disagree with that. I just think that what we should be discussing is whether those dollars for youth should be going strictly to sports or whether they should be going to sports plus arts and cultural programs.
Are arts organizations represented in this review that the sports and recreation organization is doing? If they’re not, then it’s hardly surprising what they would come out with. So can we get arts organizations — territorial arts organizations, regional arts organizations — participating with the Council of Sports and Recreation in doing that review?
Mr. Speaker, arts aren’t presently part of the review. It’s a review done with the NWT Council of Sports and Recreation and MACA.
I think the Member is well aware that there was $500,000 recently allocated to enhance arts and culture funding. As I said, arts are not part of the review process. It’s just between MACA and the NWT Council of Sports and Recreation.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Final supplementary, Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My fingernails are still recovering from my work trying to get the government to do that. I’m very well aware of that $500,000. In fact, I acknowledged that clearly in my statement earlier today, and I’m very appreciative of that.
What we’re talking about here is revenue dollars from the lottery. I would like to hear the Minister commit to put some attention into considering that arts be included in the beneficiaries of those lottery dollars, as per the request of people throughout the Northwest Territories. I’m not saying scoop it all. I recognize the importance of our sports programs and that lottery dollars do this. I think, as I mentioned, there could be a big effort on the part of the arts community to help generate more dollars from the lottery revenues.
Mr. Speaker, the money from the lotteries, as I said, will continue to go to the sports groups. The Member has asked if arts could be a part of this review. That’s something we’ll have to take up with the department and see if there is an appetite to have them as part of this review.
Again, I’ll say to the Member that the money that lotteries collect isn’t a huge amount, and it costs a lot of money to run sports programs in the NWT. It costs a lot of money to have arts and culture in the NWT too. But right now the priority is on the youth. We don’t want to generate more revenue by saying, “Play more lotteries.” That sends the wrong message.
I think the fact that the lottery money is going to the youth is a good start for now, but I assure the Member I will discuss with MACA the possibility of having arts at the table if there’s an appetite for it.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is directed to the Minister of Health and Social Services. It’s in regard to my Member’s statement on the lack of services in a lot of our communities, especially core services like health care services such as nurses, mental health workers, alcohol and drug workers.
I think it’s very important that this government take this issue seriously. It is having a direct effect not only on our communities but on this government’s ability to deliver other programs and services, as we can see with the major deficits we’re running in different hospitals in different regions.
I’d like to ask the Minister exactly what her department is doing to deal with these core service issues, where we’re finding that we don’t physically have people in our health centres by way of nurses, mental health workers, alcohol and drug workers. What has the department done to deal with this issue? I’ve raised it here for going on years and years and years.
Thank you, Mr. Krutko. The honourable Minister of Health and Social Services, Ms. Lee.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Specifically to McPherson and Tsiigehtchic, I have committed to the Member to make sure that the mental health and addictions funding for the community is reinstated. I know the community has been in need of that. I made that commitment, and I’ve advised the Member that I directed the department to work with the Beaufort-Delta health authority to see what options we have to extend the nursing coverage in Tsiigehtchic. I was in the community, and that was of concern to the community.
Now, on the larger picture, the Member knows there are lots of things at play in the way we are experiencing the shortage of nurses and doctors in communities. I committed to the Member and the Standing Committee on Social Programs to look at all options available to see how we go forward to enhance the services in any way we can.
Thank you, Ms. Lee. Time for question period has expired; however, I will allow the Member a supplementary question. Mr. Krutko.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This is not only affecting my constituency; it’s affecting other regions throughout the Northwest Territories. We have some 28 communities that are struggling with health care systems. We have ten communities that don’t have policing or in some cases a nurse in those communities. I think it’s important that we realize this is a challenge we have to face. Realistically, it comes down to quality of health care and services to all people in the Northwest Territories.
I know you’re going to go around and have consultations and everything else, but for me that’s just another way of not doing anything. I’d just like to ask the Minister: how soon can the residents in the Mackenzie Delta — Tsiigehtchic, McPherson and wherever else — actually see physical bodies in our communities?
I was not suggesting that I was going to engage in any consultation. The fact is that McPherson has a nursing station and residence and nurses there. Tsiigehtchic has nursing service. It’s just that the nurses visit, I believe, once a week or every second week or so. We are working with Beaufort-Delta to extend the nursing coverage in Tsiigehtchic. I have asked them to give me all options possible, and I have committed to the Member that I will have an answer for him by the next business plan meeting, which is in November.
Again, that is not health service that would improve the quality of life in communities. Having someone go into a community for a couple of hours once a week, in some cases once a month, is not medical service. I don’t know which part of that picture the Minister doesn’t get, but that, to me, is basically not services. I want to actually physically see a nurse operating out of the health centres in our communities. We have built health centres throughout the Northwest Territories, health centres that should be managed by a health professional in that community.
When can we expect to actually see the health professionals working out of those health centres that this government has spent millions of dollars to establish in our communities? When can we functionally see our health centres operating in our communities?
As the Member is well aware, the health centres and health care programs are being delivered by Beaufort-Delta health authority. The department is working really closely with them to look at all the funding available and see how we could help, from the department level, to enhance the nursing services in Tsiigehtchic. We do have a shortage of nurses everywhere. I know the Member wanted me to see if the visiting nurse at Tsiigehtchic could spend more time there. I am looking at that option, and I will get back to the Member as soon as I can.
Thank you, Ms. Lee. Final supplementary, Mr. Krutko.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s been six years since the community of Tsiigehtchic has had a nurse in that community. Six years. If you pulled that off anywhere in Yellowknife — shut down one of their clinics for a week — you’d have a protest on your hands. It’s been six years since a nurse has been based in that community for any long period of time. For me, that is the issue we’re dealing with here today.
I’d like to ask the Minister: do you have any idea when they can physically see a nurse in the community of Tsiigehtchic, since they’ve been waiting six years?
I understand that there was a nurse about five years ago, and that nurse moved to Hay River. Since then Tsiigehtchic has had a visiting nurse. The Member has been keeping me informed of the situation from day one. I am absolutely doing everything I can to extend the nursing coverage there. I have directed the department to work with Beaufort-Delta to enhance the services in Tsiigehtchic. That is a commitment I can give. I cannot give an exact date of when that’s going to happen, but I’ve committed to the Member to get back to him on that.
Thank you, Ms. Lee. Item 8, written questions. Item 9, petitions. The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I request unanimous consent to return to item 7, oral questions.
The Member is seeking unanimous consent to go back to item 7, oral questions.
Unanimous consent granted.
Return to Item 7, oral questions. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The other day Mr. Richard Nerysoo was here, and I had a chance to speak to him. He’s the president of the Gwich’in Tribal Council. It’s always a pleasure to speak to him, because he always has a lot of wisdom and experience that he brings forward. I learn a lot when I speak to folks like him.
In our discussion this year we had a talk about the Gwich’in Wellness Camp, and I posed a question to him: would the Gwich’in folks be willing or interested if some type of discussion could be created between the Department of Health and them about having a treatment centre located at that fine establishment they’ve created just outside of Inuvik?
My question to the Minister of Health and Social Services is: would she be willing to open up some type of dialogue with the Gwich’in Tribal Council to maybe pursue this type of initiative so that we could have a treatment centre in the North where our money is invested back into our people in the North? Would she consider that type of dialogue and discussion with Richard Nerysoo and the Gwich’in Tribal Council?
Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The honourable Minister of Health and Social Services, Ms. Lee.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Absolutely, and I have been having that dialogue and discussion. I’ve had a meeting not only with Chief Nerysoo but also with a former president of the Gwich’in Tribal Council, Fred Carmichael. I’ve also met with health reps of the Gwich’in Tribal Council. I had a meeting with the staff at Gwich’in Wellness Centre when we were there. We do have an active proposal on my desk and in the department. We are working through to see how we could assist with the wellness centre in the next upcoming business plan.
Mr. Speaker, I was going to leave it at that, but just one thing did pique my interest when I talked to Mr. Nerysoo. He didn’t seem to portray that any dialogue was actually happening to that effect. So I would ask the Minister if she’d be willing to recontact President Richard Nerysoo on this matter just to make sure that everyone’s in the loop on this matter and that this initiative is going forward. Because as far as I’m concerned, helping people is the primary goal here, not where we’re helping people, and that’s why it’s important.
Yes, and I have been communicating also with the Member for Mackenzie Delta on this issue. I’m not sure if the wellness centre is looking for treatment programming. They have lots of creative ideas about how they want to use that facility, and the department is certainly there to assist them in any way it can.
Thank you, Ms. Lee. The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have a couple of questions for the Minister responsible for the Housing Corporation. In the Northwest Territories the impediment to a lot of first time home buyers is a down payment. I know that we do have programming at the Housing Corporation that helps people in that regard, but oftentimes people have monies locked into pension plans, such as superannuation and whatnot. I’m wondering if the Housing Corporation has ever given any consideration to looking at implementing a program where people could access or…. They can’t get this money, but they could use it as collateral toward a down payment and then pay it back over a set period of time.
