Debates of October 26, 2004 (day 28)

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Supplementary, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Supplementary To Question 304-15(3): GNWT Medical Travel Policy

Mr. Speaker, this student is at home, in their home community, in Hay River -- this is so to make it not hypothetical -- and they have a doctor’s appointment and it is determined at that appointment that they need further medical attention, which is not available in their community or in the Northwest Territories. So a referral is made to a southern doctor, but in the meantime the student goes off to their post-secondary education in Grande Prairie. Now, is there medical travel available for that student to go from Grande Prairie to Edmonton for the procedure, as it would have been if they were in Hay River when they traveled? Thank you.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The question is, I guess, borderline whether it is hypothetical or not, but I’ll give the Minister a chance to answer maybe if the policy does address that particular situation. Mr. Miltenberger.

Further Return To Question 304-15(3): GNWT Medical Travel Policy

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Member is asking me for a technical, detailed question very specific to a certain circumstance, and not being an expert on the medical travel detail I am not able to answer that. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Supplementary, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you. Maybe I could inform the Minister of his policy for medical travel within the Department of Health and Social Services. If the medical travel to a southern institution does not originate from the Northwest Territories, then it is not covered and people understand that when they go on vacation, that’s why they buy medical travel insurance, but these students are normally residents here and are out for a very specific purpose: to pursue their post-secondary education. So does the Minister feel that that policy is comprehensive and adequate to address the needs of students attending post-secondary school? Thank you.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Mrs. Groenewegen, I’ll give you a chance to maybe rephrase your question so that you are actually asking the Minister for his opinion on something. Would you care to rephrase your question, Mrs. Groenewegen?

Supplementary To Question 304-15(3): GNWT Medical Travel Policy

Okay. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, would the Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Miltenberger, revisit the medical travel policy of this government to ensure that students who are attending post-secondary education outside of the Northwest Territories are covered by medical travel? Thank you.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Mr. Miltenberger.

Further Return To Question 304-15(3): GNWT Medical Travel Policy

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Member has raised an interesting question; one, obviously, that I must become more conversant on. So, yes, I will review the issue.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question will be to the Minister of Health and Social Services and I will refer back to my Member’s statement as I’ve said earlier with my concerns about the waiting period. Mr. Speaker, my question to the Minister is what is the Department of Health and Social Services doing about waiting times and what are they doing to supply reasonable tools for those staff who work there in the emergency room and I consider, at this time, human resources important tools to get the job done? What is the Minister doing about this problem? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Return To Question 305-15(3): Emergency Room Wait Times

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, back in the 14th Assembly there was, I think, over $8 million voted by this Assembly as interim health professions to allow us to better staff our health professions. The majority of that money went into Yellowknife with the nurses, doctors, more specialists. We currently have 29 GP positions in Yellowknife and 22, I believe, are specialist positions. We are also working at better coordinating our referral processes, our medical travel. We are adding nurse practitioners. So we’re investing significantly across the board to deal with waiting times, not only in Yellowknife, but I want to point out we also have significant challenges in small communities where oftentimes we have trouble getting a full complement of nurses where communities are reduced to emergency services because of the inability to get qualified community nurses. So there are challenges across the system and we are making efforts on all those fronts. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Supplementary, Mr. Hawkins.

Supplementary To Question 305-15(3): Emergency Room Wait Times

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I can appreciate the fact that the Minister gave me a little bit of a history lesson on the 14th Assembly, Mr. Speaker, but we’re a year into the 15th Assembly and I can appreciate that the 14th had priorities as well. Mr. Speaker, I’m talking about real life waiting times. I’m talking about where people have to wait six or eight hours. If you are a mother with a child who has to go get them fed, you just can’t sit there and wait; or you’re a senior, you can’t sit there forever. Mr. Speaker, I’m talking about dealing with the six or eight-hour service delivery. What is the Minister specifically doing to address those problems? This is the same Minister for the past four years. Could the Minister answer that? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Mr. Miltenberger.

Further Return To Question 305-15(3): Emergency Room Wait Times

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Actually, it’s only three years, just for the record. Mr. Speaker, I’ve articulated and tried to lay out some of the things we are doing. The other thing we are also doing is we’re looking at right now planning for a major midlife upgrading renovation at Stanton. One of those key pieces being looked at is the emergency room and how it’s structured in terms of the actual physical layout. Mr. Speaker, we’ve also, over the last number of years, put out a book, “Do I Need to See a Nurse or a Doctor?” and it was sent to every household in the Northwest Territories. Plus we’ve also instituted the 1-800 number to give 24-hour-a-day access to qualified medical advice for anybody in the Northwest Territories in most official languages, should they need an initial point of call to get an assessment of what the circumstances may be that they think requires medical attention. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Supplementary, Mr. Hawkins.

Supplementary To Question 305-15(3): Emergency Room Wait Times

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Minister raises a couple good points about the book and the 1-800 number and he’s probably very right that they do serve a purpose, because I’ve even used the book and I haven’t had the pleasure of using the 1-800 number yet, but they are services. But, Mr. Speaker, the book has been out for at least two years and the 1-800 number service has been out since the spring of this year. Mr. Speaker, we are still dealing with six and eight-hour waiting periods. Mr. Speaker, I can’t refer to it too much, but there is a survey being done by this hospital at this time and it doesn’t talk about waiting times. It talks about satisfaction, cleanliness, politeness, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera, but it doesn’t talk about waiting times. Mr. Speaker, will this Minister address the waiting times that people have to go through sitting in the waiting room and then in the examining room to get services? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Mr. Miltenberger.

Further Return To Question 305-15(3): Emergency Room Wait Times

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I believe we are making all reasonable efforts to do just that. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Third supplementary, Mr. Hawkins.

Supplementary To Question 305-15(3): Emergency Room Wait Times

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My apologies, I didn’t hear that, but I will go into my last one. Will the Minister be willing to commit to looking into the problem of waiting times, as well as possibly addressing this problem directly by putting another doctor in this emergency room because the nurses need a doctor to do the job that they do? So would the Minister commit to looking at that problem today? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Mr. Miltenberger.

Further Return To Question 305-15(3): Emergency Room Wait Times

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as we have this discussion and question and answer period in this House there are staff making note of the concerns, and I will make note of the concerns and I will assure the Member that I will be talking about them with the public administrator and the CEO of Stanton to make sure that we are covering and making all reasonable efforts, covering all our bases and if we’re not, if there are gaps, then, yes, I will look at how to address and have those filled. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Health and Social Services. I am very concerned about a problem an elder in my constituency is having with the health care system; more particularly with the long-term home care in Fort Simpson.

He was recently informed that he now owes approximately $4,000 as rent for staying in the long-term care facility. Setting that aside for now, the question for the Minister, Mr. Speaker, is why is an aboriginal elder paying to stay in a long-term care facility? Is this truly a policy of our health care system today? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Minister of Health and Social Services, the Honourable Michael Miltenberger.

Return To Question 306-15(3): Long-Term Home Care In Fort Simpson

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the policy is that there is a rent or a cost billed to all those who require and move into long-term care third-level facilities where there is 24-hour supervision. It is a maximum, I believe, of around $700. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Supplementary, Mr. Menicoche.

Supplementary To Question 306-15(3): Long-Term Home Care In Fort Simpson

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. My concern is that the maximum amount is $700. It is approximately equivalent to what they receive in old age pension, Mr. Speaker. My thought on this is that this is pretty much their last stop on earth. I was just wondering why we are charging our elders to sit out their remaining life. Particularly, for me, I believe that what is going on here is a treaty right. I am just wondering if the Minister cares to respond with regard to that. Why are we offering a service when it should be classified as a treaty right?

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Mr. Miltenberger.

Further Return To Question 306-15(3): Long-Term Home Care In Fort Simpson

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, first, I would just like to point out that we have some of the best long-term care facilities that I have seen anywhere. They come at a cost that will not be bettered in any jurisdiction in this country. The reality is that there was a decision made, I think in the 13th Assembly, that there would be a modest charge for that high level of service in those specialized facilities. That has been the policy that has been in place. It is the one that we continue to follow today. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Supplementary, Mr. Menicoche.

Supplementary To Question 306-15(3): Long-Term Home Care In Fort Simpson

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am very pleased to hear that we do offer the best service and one of the best facilities to provide for our elders that do have to end up in long-term care facilities, Mr. Speaker, but I still don’t understand why we have a treaty right and our aboriginal elders are having to pay for it. If the Minister could comment on that again, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Mr. Miltenberger.

Further Return To Question 306-15(3): Long-Term Home Care In Fort Simpson

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I will commit to the Member to give him the background on the rationale and reasoning for the $750 and the issue of how the issue of treaty rights was interpreted in this particular case.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Final supplementary, Mr. Menicoche.

Supplementary To Question 306-15(3): Long-Term Home Care In Fort Simpson

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Just the fact that, here again, there is an inconsistency where some seniors or elders that do have the benefit of insurance to cover their stay in these homes, and now we have aboriginal elders who depend solely on fixed income of their old age pensions and we are taking almost all of it away. I would just like to get that commitment again from the Minister that he will closely review this policy of ours and address it as soon as possible. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Mr. Miltenberger.

Further Return To Question 306-15(3): Long-Term Home Care In Fort Simpson

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, first I want to point out that, when this fee was instituted, it was clearly anticipated and it was planned to leave the elders sufficient amount of money that they would not be left without any means to have looked after some of their personal needs. So I made a commitment to the Member. I would also like to point out that, under the federal government, it has a fiduciary responsibility for aboriginal and treaty people and Inuit people, so this $750 would be, if they are treaty, covered through the federal government.

I will commit once again in this House to give the Member the information and the background on this particular area and the work that was done leading up to the decision to institute a $750 fee. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions today are to the Minister of Housing. It is in regards to the market housing initiative. I have been thinking and reread the notes of Hansard yesterday. I must tell you, Mr. Speaker, it is a complete outrage that, in last March, the government told us that the sky will fall if we do not waive BIP and if we do not order 22 mobile homes from somewhere in southern Alberta, Las Vegas 1-800 number, because we had to house the teachers and nurses. The Minister tells us yesterday that only 14 have been taken and they have no idea what went wrong. How are we ever to accept when government comes and says the sky is falling, we have two weeks to do it and you have no control whatsoever to say yes and we are going to make it happen? Nothing has happened and nobody is responsible. I need to hear more from Minister Krutko. Exactly what is going on? Why are the 22 units not installed? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. The Minister responsible for the Housing Corporation, the Honourable Mr. Krutko.

Return To Question 307-15(3): Market Housing Initiative

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I tried to explain yesterday to Members, there have been problems in regards to logistics and in regards to damage to these units in transportation. The damage has been fixed, but that was one of the main delays of the project. It was because the trailers were damaged being unloaded off the barges in Lutselk'e and also in Fort Good Hope. Those are the two communities that have not been occupied today because they are behind on the schedule. The whole project has not been delayed in regards to the people that are applying. Right now, as of today, we have 16 applicants for 22 units. So, technically, we are short. If 16 people take up those units, we will have six units that are still out there. There are two communities that are still not going to be concluded until November. Hopefully, that helps the Member understand the program as it sits as of today. So we are still looking forward to a completion date and doing a review. Hopefully, that answers the Member’s question.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It appears that the Minister is picking out only one of the problems. He said yesterday in Hansard, page 2196, and I quote, “we did have some logistical problems by way of transportation, barging, looking at sites for these units, gravel was a problem…and power hookup.” Mr. Speaker, I say that they had problems at every corner and every aspect. I have to ask the question, this decision was made in the previous Assembly. This was not a surprise. The Housing Corporation had at least two years to prepare for this. If they can’t figure out how to hook up power, how to do the gravel, how to even have the lots available, how could we have any confidence that they could deliver anything in the Housing Corporation? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I didn’t hear a question there. Did you want to reframe your question? Ms. Lee.

Supplementary To Question 307-15(3): Market Housing Initiative

Mr. Speaker, my question is if the Housing Corporation can’t do any of these areas, power hook-up, gravel, lots, I think those are pretty essential items of building a house. If the Housing Corporation can’t do that, how can we have confidence that they can carry on with the other phases of this marketing initiative program?

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