Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To actually get an accurate count on homelessness is something that is a huge challenge, because you can just look at the shelters. You can get numbers from there. You can actually get numbers from the RCMP, but there is a whole population of hidden homelessness that is unmanageable or unrealistic to be able to count, and those include people that are youth, that are sleeping on couches, a lot of families sharing accommodations. Unless people identify as being homeless, then it's really hard to get those numbers. To get an accurate figure, I'm afraid that that would be a real challenge. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I’d like to thank the Minister for her reply. Three out of 27 communities are part of the Northern Pathway to Housing. Is the department contemplating expanding the plans to include all of the communities in the NWT, and at what point?
At this point, yes, the Northern Pathways to Housing is putting in seniors' facilities into Behchoko, Fort Simpson, and Aklavik. Actually, Fort Providence is the next community on the table. I can't guarantee whether they will be able to put homeless shelters into every community, but we will be looking at putting a homeless shelter into every region. That would be the goal at this point.
I would like to thank once again the Minister had indicated that it's actually unrealistic for us to come up with a true figure for homelessness. We've seen other jurisdictions across Canada, including the city of Medicine Hat, that set out a goal to eradicate homelessness, and they are pretty close to that reality. Is it the goal of this government to eventually eradicate homeless in NWT?
I am certain that it would be the goal of the GNWT to eradicate homelessness and to provide housing for every person in the Territories. However, would that goal be realistic would be the other problem to do. This will take time. It took a lot of time to get here. It's going to take a lot of time to fix. We are hoping that the federal government will follow through on its promise to invest in social infrastructure funding, though.
Masi. Oral questions. The honourable Member for Frame Lake.
Merci, [English translation not available]. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Earlier today, I talked about the catastrophic decline in the Bathurst caribou herd, and I would like to ask a question of the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources. It appears that the burden of the management responses to the decline of the Bathurst caribou herd have fallen on the resource harvesters. Can the Minister tell us what concrete actions have been taken in terms of habitat protection for the Bathurst caribou herd? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Minister of Environment and Natural Resources.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As the Weke'ezhii Renewable Resource Board has started public meetings on this process, starting tomorrow, I will have to take the Member's question on notice. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. The question has been taken as notice. Oral questions. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh, Mr. Beaulieu.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As is in our mandate, I would like to ask the Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation if she has had any discussions about changing housing repair programs to accommodate aging in place with her staff. Thank you.
The Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, actually. The NWT Housing Corporation is actually looking at all of our programs to see if we can make access to the programs easier, to assist in things such as land tenure. That's been an issue within the communities, so we are looking to see if we can take that out. As well, just to give notification that the NWT Housing Corporation will be sending out, in April, a survey to all of the LHOs, to all community workers, or to people that are using public housing to see what programs are working well and what we need to change, and then we will develop a plan going forward based on that information. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I'm interested in aging in place as a concept or idea. So, specific to that, I recognize that there may be a need to change many of the housing programs. However, I was particularly interested if there have been any discussions beyond just conceptual, but discussions to a point maybe the staff are looking at some money that may be put into aging in place. Has the Minister had any discussions monetarily about how much money could be put in the budget for aging in place?
On March 10th, I will be meeting with the federal housing Minister to talk about the social infrastructure money that may be coming to the Territories. Once the federal budget is defined, then we will be able to put forward cases to look at that issue.
There was going to be a question of mine on the federal commitment. However, after March 10th, after the Minister meets with her federal counterpart, what type of plan is there in place to roll up the communications for people, so people understand what is available from the Housing Corporation in the area of aging in place?
Part of the process that we will be looking for consultation from the communities on changes to the Housing Corporation will include a summary of all of the programs, a two-page summary, very basic, very plain. Within that, we are looking to help people understand what we have and what we need to change. After we get award from the federal government, at that point we will be looking at doing a communication strategy so that people understand what programs are available.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm not sure that we had ruled out our mandate relying on federal commitments on social infrastructure in order to move forward with our mandate. In our mandate, we say aging in place is a priority. I gave some of the numbers here on why it should be a priority, the amount of money we would save even in the capital construction or just in the people who are in long-term care now versus what it would cost to keep people at home, the health of the individuals, the elders that remain in their own homes, and so on. I am interested in that. Have there been discussions on aging in place, not all the programs on aging in place, with the staff from the Minister? Thank you.
Absolutely. Yes, there have been discussions on aging in place. The GNWT is really supportive of our seniors and supportive of them living within their communities and within their homes and families as long as possible. That is a priority for us. We have talked many times about the incidence of seniors increasing, and so we will be developing a plan to be able to support aging in place as long as possible.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This question is for the Minister of Health and Social Services. In the planned mandate for this government, we plan to have seniors age in place. I'd like to ask the Minister of Health and Social Services if he has begun any sort of planning at all with his staff on increased spending and homecare to accommodate aging in place? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The Minister of Health and Social Services.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we have an Aging in Place Strategy that we're following here in the Northwest Territories. Actually, in the previous Assembly, we had already agreed to go out and do some work to review homecare services in the Northwest Territories. That review is currently underway. Once that review is done, I have an opportunity to speak to committee on how we can actually enhance homecare services here in the Northwest Territories, whether it's through new programs or whether it's through modified programs, but it needs to focus on providing services in communities. Once that work is done, I will be in a better position to have a conversation with the public and with committee on how we can enhance and improve homecare services for all of our residents here in the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I'd like to ask if the Minister has had any discussion with federal counterparts in the area of increased homecare support from the federal government.
I did have a meeting with a federal Minister when we were at the most recent federal/provincial/territorial meeting. We did talk about seniors. We did talk about aging in place. We do understand that there is going to be some dollars available through the federal government, but we haven't got clear indication of exactly how those dollars can be spent and what they can be spent for. But there is certain going to be money available for social infrastructure through the federal government at some point. We will certainly keep committee and Members apprised of our discussions with them, so when we know something, they know something.
I'd like to ask the Minister if there will be more education and training for homecare workers in the NWT, should the money roll out? I don't want to make it a hypothetical question. I want to ask the Minister if there will be more education and training for future homecare workers in the NWT.
The homecare review that we're doing right now isn’t dependent upon the federal government. We're doing that work because it's necessary. Once we complete that work, we’ll be in a better position to actually have a conversation with committee and the public about how or what needs to be done around homecare. I wouldn't think it's too much of a stretch to assume that we need to look at our programs and provide different, maybe alternate training, than we currently do, so that we can help people age in their communities, which we know is better for patients and residents and clients to stay in their homes and age in their homes for as long as they can until it is no longer safe. I anticipate there will be training, but I can't say at all what that might look like today.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm trying to avoid a hypothetical question. Has the Minister and the department talked about the use of homecare nurses? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Homecare services that we provide are a wide range of services. Not of all of it is nursing services. We do provide homecare nurses in a number of communities and regions throughout the Northwest Territories, but we do provide home support workers in every community in the Northwest Territories, with the exception, I believe, of two. We actually have contract relationships with those communities to provide some of those services. It may not be practical to assume that we'll ever get to a position where we can have a homecare nurse in every community of the Northwest Territories, but we are certainly looking for ways to enhance our services, whether that's additional home support workers, or maybe nurses in some regions where appropriate and where practical.
Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document entitled “2016-2017 Marketing Plan, Northwest Territories Tourism.”
Tabling of documents. Minister of Finance, Mr. McLeod.
Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document entitled “Public Accounts 2014-2015.”
Tabling of documents. Member for Frame Lake
Mr. Speaker, earlier today, I talked about the document “We Live Here For Caribou: a Cumulative Impacts Study on the Bathurst Caribou Herd.” I'd like to table this document.
Whereas Tabled Document 1-18(2), Proposed Mandate of the Government of Northwest Territories, 2016-2019 has been tabled in this House;
And whereas the Proposed Mandate of the Government of the Northwest Territories, 2016-2019 requires detailed consideration;
Now therefore, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, that Tabled Document 1-18(2), Proposed Mandate of the Government of Northwest Territories, 2016-2019 be referred to Committee of the of the Whole for consideration.
Motion is on the floor. Motion is in order. To the motion.
Question.
Question has been called. All those in favour? All those opposed? Motion is carried.
---Carried.
