I commend the work that the Department of Education, Culture and Employment is doing in addressing the issues from the Auditor General’s report. The Minister made reference to it, but he did mention the inspections of daycare facilities and making sure that all daycare facilities are up to code. I was wondering if the Minister can provide us with a specific update on how many of our daycare facilities in the Northwest Territories are exactly up to code so that we can provide the adequate services in a safe and healthy environment for our early childhood children and staff as well. Thank you.
Mahsi. I definitely will provide detailed information of the childhood inspection licensing action plan and also the schedule. We do have a schedule in place as of this month, October, until early next year, spring. We want to follow through with each and every recommendation that was brought forward according to the Auditor General’s report. It is a very serious issue, especially dealing with early childhood. So I will be providing that detailed information to the Members. Mahsi.
Thank you. The main concern here is we want to provide services and programs for the families out there in terms of early childhood programming. I want to ask the Minister in terms of space, cost in the NWT. We already have a very high cost of living, and in a community such as Yellowknife, there are a lot of facilities out there, but there are also high costs associated with it. So when we have a doubling of incomes sometimes, in some cases one of those incomes goes to child care fees. I want to ask the Minister if there are any subsidies in place for the high cost of child care for some of these day programs, if there are any subsidies for the city of Yellowknife or any of the regional centres as well. Thank you.
Yes, there are various subsidy programs for early childhood development programming, whether it be an early childhood program for start-up and operation contribution funding through the Department of Education, Culture and Employment, which also offsets the cost of operations and contributions towards items such as groceries, equipment, and material purchases. Also, in 2007, we established a rent and mortgage subsidy program that would offset the cost of basic rent and mortgage expenses. Those are just some of the subsidies that are being offered to the communities throughout the Northwest Territories.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Final supplementary, Mr. Moses.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank the Minister for providing that information in terms of daycare facilities and anyone that’s wanting to start up a daycare facility.
The question I was kind of referring to in my last question was particular for families. Families that need those subsidies to make a comfortable living but also have a safe and healthy environment, and to be able to put their young children in these daycares. Is there a subsidy for families that will offer them an easier life and way of living with early childhood development programming?
When it comes to early childhood development, the program and community initiatives, there are all kinds of different initiatives and attached to that would be subsidies. I can provide the Members with the subsidies available to whether it be the young families or larger families, that they can access the various subsidy programs through our Department of Education, Culture and Employment and also with Health and Social Services. We can provide that detailed information on the actual subsidy program that may be available.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Member for Deh Cho, Mr. Nadli.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Earlier in my statement I kind of gave an overview in terms of having two elder facilities in my riding, both in Hay River and Fort Providence. My question is to the Minister responsible for Seniors. I just want to understand what level of seniors’ care is offered at the facilities both in Fort Providence and Hay River.
Thank you, Mr. Nadli. The honourable Minister responsible for Seniors, Mr. Beaulieu.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Both of those facilities are right now independent living facilities. The programs that can be offered for the tenants in those two facilities are home care. That would be independent living and home care.
What other programs and services are available for elders in the Deh Cho communities?
Depending on the level of need, after independent living we can offer supported living, which is more home support, home care programs, going into people’s private homes, or into public housing, or into senior citizens’ homes. Also, there is assisted living, which is like people that are in some of the seniors homes where there are people supporting them to live in the home. Then from the assisted living, if need be, there’s an opportunity for individuals on a need basis to go into long-term care and extended care and so on.
We all know that here in the Northwest Territories we have an aging population of mostly seniors. Has there been a needs assessment done for programs and service for seniors in both rural and remote communities across the Northwest Territories?
We are currently looking at what we’re referring to as a continuum of care for seniors. That is looking at all the programs, and a priority is to try to keep seniors in their private homes to provide supports, perhaps making their units barrier free, working with NWT Housing Corporation or seniors friendly. That’s another level also, below barrier free, and so on. Right to where they’re starting with individuals attempting to keep them in their home as long as possible, right through to extended care and trying to fit the seniors into all of those supportive programs, and trying to keep them in their home as long as possible, and try to keep them out of long-term care and extended care as long as possible.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Final supplementary, Mr. Nadli.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I just wanted to see if the Minister would look at the idea of trying to increase the independence of elders to live in their own homes as long as possible. Would the Minister commit to look at ways to localize more services for elders in small communities?
Yes, we are prepared to look at that. We are looking at that very closely. We think it’s very beneficial to the government and the seniors across the North, if we were able to provide supports for individuals to remain in their home.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following document, entitled Northwest Territories/Nunavut Agreement: Legislation and Regulation of Northern Employee Benefits Services Pension Plan.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger.
Pursuant to Section 99 of the Legislative Assembly and Executive Council Act, I hereby table the Northwest Territories Conflict of Interest Commissioner’s Annual Report, 2011.
WHEREAS Section 2(1) of the Electoral Boundaries Commission Act prescribes that an Electoral Boundaries Commission be established within two years after the day fixed for the return of the writs for the 2011 general election;
AND WHEREAS Section 2(2) of the act requires that the commission shall be composed of a chairperson and two other members appointed by the Commissioner on the recommendation of the Legislative Assembly;
AND WHEREAS the Legislative Assembly is prepared to make such a recommendation;
NOW THEREFORE I MOVE, seconded by the honourable Member for Kam Lake, that the Northwest Territories Electoral Boundaries Commission, 2012, is hereby established;
AND FURTHER, that the Legislative Assembly recommends to the Commissioner of the Northwest Territories that the Honourable Shannon Smallwood be appointed chairperson, and Mr. Charles Furlong and Mr. Ian McCrea be appointed members, of the Northwest Territories Electoral Boundaries Commission, 2012.
Thank you, Mr. Blake. The motion is in order. To the motion.
Question.
Question has been called.
---Carried
The honourable Member for Hay River North, Mr. Bouchard.
WHEREAS the Legislative Assembly has established and appointed members of the Northwest Territories Electoral Boundaries Commission, 2012;
AND WHEREAS Section 9(k) of the Electoral Boundaries Commission Act enables the Legislative Assembly to establish guidelines or criteria that shall be taken into consideration by the commission;
NOW THEREFORE I MOVE, seconded by the honourable Member for Monfwi, that the following guidelines be set out for the NWT Electoral Boundaries Commission, 2012:
The commission shall review the existing electoral districts using the most recent and accurate census and other population data available;
In keeping with Canadian constitutional conventions and the notion of effective representation, the commission shall make recommendations to achieve relative parity between electoral districts while balancing community of interest considerations;
For greater certainty, relative parody means that the percentage variation between the number of persons in a riding and the average mean should be within plus or minus 25 percent, except where special circumstances warrant exceptional deviation;
The commission shall recommend how electoral boundaries should be drawn if the Legislative Assembly comprises (a) 18 members, or (b) 19 members, or (c) 21 members;
The commission shall prepare an interim report with proposed electoral district boundaries for review by the public and discussion at public hearings;
The commission shall establish a website or other publicly accessible mechanism(s), in addition to public hearings, to receive submissions on the existing and/or proposed boundaries;
All submissions to the commission shall be considered public documents;
Simultaneous translation of official languages shall be available at public hearings where the use of an official language in a particular community or region is sizable enough to warrant the employ of translation services;
If the commission is not in a position to accomplish its mandate within the existing budget allocated, it may return to the Legislative Assembly for additional funds;
The final report of the commission, complete with recommendations, shall be submitted in English and in French to the Speaker and the Clerk of the Legislative Assembly no later than seven months after the Commission is struck; and
The Chief Electoral Officer shall serve as secretary to the commission.
Thank you, Mr. Bouchard. There is a motion on the floor. The motion is in order. To the motion.
Question.
Question has been called.
---Carried
Item 16, notices of motion for first reading of bills. Item 17, motions. Item 18, first reading of bills. Item 19, second reading of bills. Item 20,, consideration in Committee of the Whole of bills and other matters: Tabled Document 64-17(3), Northwest Territories Capital Estimates 2013-2014; Bill 2, Miscellaneous Statute Law Amendment Act, 2012; and Bill 8, An Act to Amend the Securities Act, with Mr. Dolynny in the chair.
Good afternoon, colleagues. I would like to welcome you to Committee of the Whole and call to order. What is the wish of the committee? Mr. Menicoche.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The committee wishes to deliberate Tabled Document 64-17(3), NWT Capital Estimates 2013-2014, with a continuation of Health and Social Services, Justice, and perhaps get into Education, Culture and Employment.
Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Is committee agreed?
Agreed.
We’ll commence that after a short break.
---SHORT RECESS
Welcome back, committee. We are in 2013-14 Capital Estimates. We are currently on page 6-4, Health and Social Services, activity summary, health services programs, infrastructure investment summary, total infrastructure investment summary, $31.181 million. Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I just had a couple of questions on the plans for Stanton Territorial Hospital. This is my sixth year as MLA and we have been planning for this facility every year that I have been here. I am wondering what exactly we are proposing to plan in 2013-14, our sixth year of planning. What plans are completed? What plans are left yet to be done before we actually start to put boots on the ground to give this really keystone health facility for the NWT health system the comprehensive renovation that it so clearly and desperately needs? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Before we get that question answered, I will turn it over to Minister Beaulieu. Minister Beaulieu, do you have witnesses to bring into the Chamber?
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Yes, I do.
Thank you, Minister Beaulieu. If I can get the Sergeant-at-Arms to please escort the witnesses into the Chamber.
Thank you. Mr. Beaulieu, if you care to identify and introduce your witnesses to the Chamber, please.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. To my right is Deputy Minister Debbie DeLancey, Health and Social Services. To my left is the assistant deputy minister, Derek Elkin, Health and Social Services.
