Thank you, Mr. Thompson. Mr. Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. The discrepancy is because I jumped back a page. The outofterritorial hospitals, the forced growth doesn’t appear on page 181, but it is included on page 180. This whole area in total did get an increase of about $2 million in those areas, the ones I outlined previously.
Thank you, Mr. Minister. Does that correction, notification, suffice there, Mr. Thompson? Go ahead, Mr. Thompson.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.. That’s forced growth for this area. Is that correct? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Thompson. Mr. Minister.
That is correct, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Minister. Mr. Thompson.
Thank you very much. That clarifies it.
Thank you, Mr. Thompson. Mr. Blake.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Just under home care and support services, as the Minister knows, we’re shortly going to be completed the elders’ home in Fort McPherson.. What’s the process of getting the home support workers set up, and when will you be advertising and preparing for that? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Blake. Mr. Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I’m a little confused. What line is the Member referring to? I don’t think homecare falls under this section. Actually, homecare doesn’t fall under this section. What line is the Member referring to?
Okay. It’s just been pointed out to me that that item is in the next summary. If it’s okay with Mr. Blake that we can defer that to the next summary? Thank you, Mr. Blake. Anything further, Mr. Blake?
No, not right now.
Thank you, Mr. Blake. Questions on page 181? Seeing none, back to the expenditure summary, Health and Social Services, ambulatory care services, operations expenditure summary, total activity $62,694,000. Agreed.
Agreed.
Moving on to page 183, Health and Social Services, community health programs, operations expenditure summary, total activity $152,585,000. We will defer that and move to detail. Starting with page 184, Health and Social Services, community health programs, grants, contributions and transfers, information item. Questions. Mr. Blake.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I believe we are supposed to be on page 182. That’s the part I was going to ask questions on. Is it okay to proceed?
Okay. Before we move on to page 184, we’ll recognize page 182 and address it. Mr. Blake, go ahead.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Sorry I got ahead of myself on page 181, there. The homecare and support services I was referring to a little earlier is kind of in partnership with Housing Corp. I would just like to know when this position will be put out to the community of Fort McPherson, just so we’re not rushing around when the actual facility is completed. Is that part of Health? I believe, in Aklavik, the Housing Corporation actually put out the notice and everything, but I’d just like a little information on that. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Blake. Mr. Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, Health and Social Services and its authority are responsible for home care in the Northwest Territories. We do know that the Housing Corporation has gone out and, recognizing the need for seniors’ housing, has moved forward with independent living units, including those independent living units in Fort McPherson. They have also, you know, incorporated space within those independent living units where some day program and other services can be provided, whether it’s by home care nurses or home care support workers. Much of that’s going to depend on the size of the community and the capacity and the needs. We are looking at our complete contingent of home care support across the Northwest Territories in light of the work we’re doing with Our Elders: Our Communities to ensure that we are providing adequate home care services across the Northwest Territories.. We’re working to quantify what that means. I don’t recall off the top of my head what the makeup of home support positions in Fort McPherson is, but I will commit to getting the member a bit of a summary on what we’re providing by way of services in Fort McPherson and where we need to be going over time.
Thank you, Mr. Minister. Mr. Blake.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, as the Minister may recall, the last couple years I’ve been bringing up the need for more home support workers in the community of both Fort McPherson and Aklavik. They did hire another person in Aklavik, which was great, but there’s a big demand in Fort McPherson. We have over, I believe it’s 170 elders in the community, and we have one home support worker.. There’s a big demand there. There’s clearly a need for another person to, whether it’s stay in that facility, like we have in Aklavik. It should be a similar arrangement. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Blake. Mr. Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. This is exactly why we’re moving forward with the home and continuing care action plan. It’s going to help us identify what we currently have, where the demands are, where the draw is, and what we need to do to meet the ongoing demand for home care services across the Northwest Territories, including small communities such as the ones the Member has described.
Thank you, Mr. Minister. Mr. Blake.
Thank you. No further questions right now. Thanks.
Thank you, Mr. Blake. Moving on. Mr. Thompson.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I’d just like to follow up with Mr. Blake’s questioning. With homecare workers, is there part of this plan, are you guys looking at communities providing this service? In the past, there was in Fort Simpson the band used to run it. Now the authority took it over. If you’re looking at expansion, would the communities be given that opportunity to provide that service? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Thompson. Mr. Minister.
Mr. Chair, we have a consultant who is working with us on the development of this. We’re open to possibilities. I am a strong believer that communities have great ideas and great solutions and that it’s important to have partnership where appropriate. We’ve demonstrated that we’re prepared to think outside of the box in some of our relationships with, you know, the Inuvialuit and the Sahtu, I mean, I don’t know what the model would look like that the Member is describing, but, you know, it’s about providing services, and we’re open to creative solutions.
Thank you, Mr. Minister. Mr. Thompson.
I find that the band that was actually in Fort Simpson was actually doing a strategic plan, and that was one of their concerns, that it was taken away for whatever rationale. I don’t know when it happened. It’s just that we used to provide… They had a contract providing homecare for the elders and that, and the department took it over. The workers are good. Don’t get me wrong. It’s just that the band was trying to figure out what it was. I’m hoping that the consultant can discuss that with the band and see how it can be addressed.. I’m hoping the Minister can get the consultant to go see the band or talk to the band about it. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Thompson. Mr. Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I’m pretty sure that the situation the Member is describing didn’t happen while I was here because I certainly don’t remember it. It must have been a long time ago that it actually happened. The piece that I said after the mic went off was: Anything we do still has to be within standards, so it has to meet certain criteria. We’re open to that. I’m happy to have discussions with the communities, with the regions. I’ll be travelling with the Member to visit his communities at some point. I’m sure we’ll have an opportunity to have that discussion and hear what the leaders are thinking.
Thank you, Mr. Minister. Mr. Thompson.
This is, hopefully, my final question on this, regarding this page here. When we talk about homecare, we have a new facility going into Fort Liard. Is it going to be Health and Social Services staff being hired to look after these people, or is it existing staff? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Thompson. Mr. Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I’m assuming the Member is talking about the independent living unit that’s being developed for or put into Fort Liard. The facility is an independent living unit. It will have some program space dedicated for some day programs and whatnot that can be delivered by home support workers or other staff that exist within the community.
Thank you, Mr. Minister. Mr. Thompson. Recognizing Mr. Testart.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Earlier today, the federal government announced $70 million in new funding over three years to address the health and suicide crisis involving Indigenous people living on reserve and in the Territories. It does appear that most of these, the largest parts of this funding, are going to be addressed towards Nunavut. I’m wondering if the Minister has been in touch with Ottawa about this and if we know some of this money is going to be Northwest Territories to help with our mental health problem. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Testart. Mr. Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I saw the same press release that the Member did. I had a quick conversation with the department and staff are getting in touch with Ottawa to figure out what those dollars are, how they intend to allocate them, and what, if anything, may be available to residents of the Northwest Territories. It does not mean that the dollars would go to the GNWT. They might go to the Inuvialuit. They might go to different groups. They might come through us. We don’t know. The department is trying to figure out those details right now.
Thank you, Mr. Minister. Mr. Testart.
Thank you, Mr. Chair, and thank you to the Minister for his answer. Is suicide prevention encompassed in this line item, this community mental health and addictions, are suicide prevention programs? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Testart. Mr. Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, yes, it falls under this area. You’d find some of it under community mental health and addictions, health promotion and community wellness. It’s certainly within this area.
Thank you, Mr. Minister. Mr. Testart.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I note that our colleagues in Nunavut have taken some action on suicide prevention in their territory. I wonder: When is the last time the Department of Health and Social Services studied our suicide rates and the efficiency of our prevention programs and kind of drilled down into the information? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
