I thank the Minister for his answer. I’m a little bit concerned with the answer. My challenge is: How can the North Slave District really manage this section of the highway? I understand the great work the Fort Providence staff do, but management based out of Yellowknife have no real vested interest in this highway if they don't drive down it. Will the Minister commit to looking to have the Fort Providence to Redknife section of the road transferred to the Fort Simpson District for more efficiency, or if that is not possible, can the Minister have his staff post on their website and on signage along the highway section between Redknife and Fort Providence Junction, and tell the users where they can raise their concerns to about the road conditions?
All highways in the Northwest Territories are of great concern to the Department of Transportation and we take maintaining and looking after them very seriously. If the Member, or any resident of the Northwest Territories, has a concern with our highway system, they can always get hold of the department or myself personally.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as I spoke earlier, athletes from the NWT, including many from my own constituency, will be competing in the upcoming Arctic Winter Games. It's evident that we are giving the necessary support for athletes competing in these games, but what about other athletes throughout the Territories who have not been so fortunate as to gain entry into these games?
Cynthia Simmons, a proud Northerner and an amazing speed skater, is competing for a chance at gold at the Special Olympics Canada Winter Games this week in Corner Brook, Newfoundland. In fact, she is the sole athlete competing in these games from the NWT. I for one salute her courage and tenacity for being our ambassador at the Special Olympics and hope that she will return with a gold medal on her shoulders and a warm welcome from a proud territory. My question for the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs is: What programs and funding are provided to our athletes, and how will those programs work to send future athletes to games such as the Special Olympics?
Masi. Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs.
We were very disappointed in the six sports that were excluded from the 2016 Arctic Winter Games, and we tried very hard to get an alternative event planned. Unfortunately, one of the jurisdictions backed out and we were unable to pull that together. We have given the excluded sports an option to find an opportunity to find a development opportunity, a tournament that they can go to as they would if they were competing in the Arctic Winter Games. We have a very strong, healthy support system for all of our athletes. We have the $650,000 that we use for multi-sport events, and we continue through many of our programs to have opportunities for athletes to compete not only at a territorial, but at a national level as well.
I know that the Minister is very keen on sports and a real champion. In fact, recently he committed almost $25 million to build the athletes' village for the Canada Winter Games.
---Laughter
Given that, will the Minister commit to allocating some of those funds and improving our programs for sport-oriented training and healthy community initiatives, in particular for youth development in the Northwest Territories?
We were quite disappointed that the 2023 Canada Winter Games were not bid on by the capital city. I think it would have been a fantastic opportunity for not only the athletes in the Northwest Territories, but all the people involved in sport across the Northwest Territories, so we were quite disappointed. The $25 million that the Member spoke of, that was a commitment that was made to help facilitate the games and provide an athletes' village, and then be used for some much-needed housing afterwards. We have a very strong, robust support system for our athletes and our youth across the Northwest Territories, and we will continue to provide that support.
Well, if it's not about spending new money, maybe we can ask the Minister if he will commit to avoiding any cuts to our already excellent support for youth and sport in the Northwest Territories.
---Applause
We value the input of all of our youth across the Northwest Territories. There have been no decisions, as the Member well knows, that have been made yet, and we will debate all aspects of the main estimates during the business planning process that is upcoming in just over a month. We will have that opportunity to debate and have feedback from committee as we move forward.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I definitely did not get a commitment, but I look forward to working with the Minister on these discussions going forward. I do think, as a champion of sport and youth, though, this should be an area that he finds easy to support, so I'll ask again if he’ll remain committed to sport and recreation in the Northwest Territories through enhanced funding, or at least keeping funding the same.
I am committed not only to the development of our athletes across the Northwest Territories, which I think has been clearly demonstrated in my time as the Minister responsible for sport in the Northwest Territories, and I remain committed to that. I would like to see not only to the athletes, but to the health and wellbeing and the physical activity of all our children across the Northwest Territories, all of our athletes across the Northwest Territories, and I will continue to do what I can on my part to see that level of commitment carried on. Again, as I said before, no decisions have been made, and we have an opportunity to debate this further. If there are opportunities somehow to enhance any of the funding that we have in the Northwest Territories, then we will seriously have a look at that.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife Centre.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today my questions are for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. The story of the rental assistance client being forced to make her children homeless because four people in the two-bedroom trailer is considered overcrowding. My first question is: what is overcrowding? Can the Minister inform us if universal uniform standard numbers are used to define overcrowding as it relates to eligibility parental assistance? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In terms of speaking to individual cases due to privacy laws that protect personal information, we cannot speak to personal individual circumstances or caseloads that are within our department. However, in terms of overcrowding, I don't have the exact number that the department does go by. I can inform the Member, though, that the department does currently get its guidance from sources like the National Occupancy Standards and the Residential Tenancies Act in assessing the appropriateness of housing of clients.
Thank you to the Minister for his answer. I'm looking for two things now. I'm looking for a commitment for the Minister to provide that information about what the standard is for overcrowding that the department uses, and my second question is: who enforces these standards?
When a client comes to the office, our CSOs, I believe, do a great job. Within the last government, a lot of changes and improvements and developments have been made, compliance and audit of the files have been developed, our regional managers actually do a monthly compliance of the workloads that their CSO's do. We have increased the staff training, as well as development. We also got to understand that in some cases, with some of our clients, they also need to live up to what is in the lease agreements with their renters as well, when going through this. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you to the Minister. My questions the Minister is: Can he make a commitment to inform this side of the House what overcrowding is in terms of rental assistance and who enforces these standards.
As mentioned earlier, we do take guidance from the National Occupancy Standards, as well as the Residential Tenancies Act. That was reviewed in the last government, but we don't have a specific policy related to overcrowding. Obviously, we do want to provide the best possible outcomes for families and those that are in need of being housed, but it is a shared responsibility of individuals as well as the social departments within the governments. If that's something that we do need to set as a policy or standard, like I mentioned, we'll have to look at what the National Occupancy Standards do have and maybe also bring it before committee to see any recommendations that they might provide as well.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife Centre.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker, and thank you to the Minister. What I heard the Minister say here is that there are no specific standards for overcrowding as it relates to rental assistance, and so I'm wondering on what basis any standards are enforced in terms of how many people live in one dwelling. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
As mentioned, when clients do go on income assistance or need that top up for market rental rates, the clients also have to adhere and still need to live up to the elements of what's in the lease agreement. When they get income assistance, they have to also abide by what they signed in the forms. Our Client Service Officers are just following policy, following legislation, and the landlords are also following what's in the lease agreements. When we fill out forms, we've got to make sure that we do it in the best way that's going to keep the family in the home.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Nunakput
Quyanainni, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today my question is for the Minister of Health and Social Services. Suicide is a major concern in the NWT and particularly in the Beaufort-Delta region where we have the highest rates of suicide in the territory. Suicide is preventable and most people who die by suicide show warning signs. What is the department doing to prevent suicide and raise awareness of the issue in the NWT? Quyanainni, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Minister of Health and Social Services.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the department does have a wide range of Mental Health Programs available across the Northwest Territories. Specific to suicide prevention, the regional health and social services authorities are funded to offer the Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training. This is often known as ASIST. ASIST is an internationally recognized training program based on best practices in suicide prevention and intervention. It is a two-day workshop that trains individuals to recognize the signs of someone at risk for suicide and how to safely respond to using the ASIST Model. There are upcoming workshops planned in Yellowknife, Aklavik, and Tulita. Suicide prevention and intervention is also a component of the Mental Health First Aid for Northern Peoples Training Program, which was jointly developed by the NWT and the Mental Health Commission of Canada in partnership with the three territories.
I've personally taken the Mental Health First Aid training. It's a fantastic training program, and I'd like to challenge all the Members to actually go out and actually complete this Mental Health First Aid training. It's very valuable, help break down the stigma of mental health and help your constituents, people across the territories, deal with the surge in suicides in the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
There is no single cause of suicide, but one of the warning signs is withdrawal from family and friends. What resources are available to directly support someone who might be thinking about suicide if they are withdrawn from those who might have intervened to help them?
This is one of the things available through the ASIST training, but also Mental Health First Aid, and help is always available through the healthcare providers in the communities whether a person seeks help on their own or whether family or friends bring them to seek care and assistance. It's really important to take warning signs seriously, and anyone who is thinking about suicide needs to know that there is help available.
Another source of support that we have in the Northwest Territories is actually the NWT Help Line, which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The Help Line is actually staffed by trained counsellors who specialize in mental health and addictions and who are able to assist callers with helping them to de-escalate the immediate crisis situation, answering questions on suicide and on mental health issues such as stress management and depression. The Help Line can make referrals to community-based services, including health supports and community counselling programs available throughout the Northwest Territories and it also offers the option to have follow-up calls. Just so everybody knows what it is, the toll-free, throughout the Northwest Territories, Help Line number is 1-800-661-0844. I'd encourage Members to include this in their newsletters and maybe some of the advertising that that they're putting out so that people are aware of this important help line number.
Adding to that, is the department doing anything to build on these programs?
Yes, the department is in the early stages of actually developing a mental health and addictions strategic framework that will aim to address the gaps in current systems, improve services and program delivery across the territories, improve inefficiencies, and ensure that the public is safe. We are seeking advice from nationally recognized experts, as well as within our own system and throughout the Northwest Territories in all of the communities. The strategy will be released in the spring. Specific action plans under the strategic framework will be developed to address the key areas including mental health services, children and youth, and addictions.
In 2016-2017, the department also will be looking at expanding the NWT Help Line services to include live chat, which is a new function; telephone group sessions, which provides more opportunities for different discussions; as well as some work through Facebook pages. Health and social services authorities are funded to deliver the Mental Health First Aid training program and the ASIST Program each twice per year in every region, so Members will have lots of opportunities to get out and attend those training sessions. The department is also exploring partnership opportunities to expand training even further. We're always looking for ways to expand what we're doing in this area.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Nunakput.
Quyanainni, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister provide some examples of things being done in the Nunakput riding to address suicide? Quyanainni, Mr. Speaker.
In addition to the items that I've already described specific to the Nunakput Region, in Ulukhaktok the ASIST training, it took place in November last year, from November 24 to 25. The Suicide Awareness Event Workshop was held in September 2015. It included a community feast, a sharing circle, discussions, and addressed impacts, prevention, supports, and resources available in the community. National and territorial hotline numbers were also shared with the community members during that event.
In Paulatuk, Mental Health First Aid is scheduled to take place March 8 to 11, 2016, so in a week. In Sachs Harbour there was a community presentation by a counsellor in August 2015. The presentation included discussions of suicide risk in the context of substance abuse in youths, and recognizing an individual's pattern and behaviours, trying to create awareness within the community. Supports or programs available within the community were discussed, emphasizing the use of health centre staff, RCMP, and counselling, as well as continual reference to the 1-800 lines that are available. All of the suicide hotline numbers were provided at that time. In Tuktoyaktuk, once again, the Mental Health First Aid is scheduled for delivery from February 23 to 25, so that was last week.
A counsellor is working in the school twice weekly with children and youth providing individual support for individual children who are struggling. A women's group has also been set up with a strong following that indirectly addresses suicidal ideation and preventative measures in the context of relationships and other stressors. There are a number of things that are actually happening in the region on top of what we're providing at a territorial level.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Hay River North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In Hay River right now, we're in the process of moving the medical clinic to the new health centre, and it's my understanding that, I imagine, in the next year or two the rest of the hospital will move as well. The Minister of Health and Social Services tabled the Long-Term Care Program Review in this House on Monday and it discusses our lack of long-term care beds. Currently we're slated to get 10 new beds built onto the Woodland Manor, and all that does is take the current long-term beds in the current hospital and move them to the Manor. My question to the Minister is: Since we have this shortage of beds and since the all-in capital investment of new long-term care beds is between $800,000 and $1.2 million, and since the cost of operating a current bed is $136,000 a year, why aren’t we continuing to use the current long-term care beds in addition to the 10 beds that we'll be getting? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Minister of Health and Social Services.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm glad the Member has read the report. This is a huge issue affecting us here in the Northwest Territories, and we certainly have to think outside the box to ensure that we are providing the 258 long-term care beds that are necessary by 2016. In the short term, we are staying in the old hospital until we have actually addressed the Woodland Manor expansion, but at the same time, and I’ve had discussions with other individuals who have indicated maybe we should look at a larger project in Hay River to accommodate the 50 beds that will be needed by 2026, we have to look at all options before we can consider a permanent residence in the existing HH Williams. We'd certainly have to have Public Works and Services do a technical review of that building to see if it's even appropriate.
One of the reasons we got out of that building was it wasn't meeting our acute care needs with respect to things like infection control, and we would definitely want to make sure, if that was something being considered, that that building would be suitable, so that assessment would have to be done. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I could probably live with that 50-bed expansion that the Minister mentioned.
---Laughter
I understand the old hospital is not meeting, maybe, today's standards. I know there's an older part of it and there's a newer part of it, and the older part is the issue. That’s the reason, I believe, that we needed to move out. The new part appears to be structurally sound. I know there needs to be some renovation done to it. Will the government look at renovating that building so the newer part of the building can extend its life?
This is a conversation that will obviously have to occur between a number of different departments. I have been in that building and I know if you walk from one end of the building to the other end of the building, at one point you are technically walking downhill, so it does need some significant work. Before we can even have a discussion about whether or not it's a suitable building for this particular discussion, we would need Public Works and Services to do the assessment on the building to find out what kind of mechanical upgrades it might require, and whether or not it is the best use and best value for money, but certainly, as I said, we have to look for all options when we're trying to address this 258-bed problem and we certainly will consider options such as HH Williams, if it were to get a suitable review from Public Works and Services.
I would like to ask: Will the Minister commit to doing that review with Public Works and Services so we can use this facility?
As we leave to building to move into the new hospital, as well as the expansion of Woodland, the building would get an assessment from Public Works and Services to determine whether there was actually any practical use for this building. We will certainly have those discussions, and I commit to having those discussions with the Minister to see if this is appropriate, but we also want to make sure we get the best bang for our buck and best value for every dollar that we have to spend, given that is going to be a significant expense. Long-term care facilities are a person's home, and we don't really feel that an institutional setting is necessarily the most appropriate, so it may require significant renovations, if the building is even remotely suitable. But certainly, we will have those discussions and I commit to having those discussions as well as additional discussions with the Members from Hay River, who might have other alternatives for consideration.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Hay River North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My grandma has lived in that building for 12 years, and so while it is an institutional setting, it is still a home and she looks at it as a home, so I know people do. It is their home. I would ask that the Minister commit to sharing that assessment with myself and the other Member for Hay River. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
As we are working for solutions to address the 50 beds that are going to be required in Hay River by 2026, I'm certainly going to be working with both Members from Hay River. I think this is a huge undertaking in Hay River, as it is in the Beaufort-Delta, as it is in Yellowknife, as it is in the South Slave, Sahtu, Fort Smith, and Simpson. This is a huge issue that we are going to have to work with all of the Members on, and I am committed to working with the Members to address this significant challenge.
