Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, homecare services that are provided to individuals are based on clinical need or direction from a physician on the types of services that an individual will require. Conceivably, those can change over time. Without knowing the details of the individual case, I certainly can't answer why one individual might have a reduction in their services.
I would encourage the individual who has had the reduction to talk to their practitioner to see what can be done and whether or not the homecare that's provided is meeting the clinical needs of the patient. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you to the Minister for that answer. It was more than one person, and the frequency seems to be decreasing. All these particular constituents of course are aging. So I'm wondering if this drying up of services is a permanent situation or is it simply a matter of staffing?
Mr. Speaker, we have made no financial reductions in the area of homecare in the Government of the Northwest Territories. It's conceivable that we do have some staffing changes from time to time that may have a temporary impact. But I come back to my original statement, at the end of the day the homecare that's provided to an individual is based on clinical needs, those clinical needs can change. I would encourage the patients to deal with their practitioners to ensure that they're getting the level of support they need to ensure that they're meeting their clinical needs.
I'm glad the Minister referenced the work on the continuing care plan. My understanding from the responses that were given to my colleague, the Member for Tu NedheWiilideh, yesterday is that the plan will not be available until the end of the current fiscal year, and so I'm wondering, then, when funding would come into place to put that plan into operation because, if it's not in the current business plans, then the wait could be up to 18 months.
Mr. Speaker, when spending public funds, it's important that we make sure that we're spending funds effectively, getting bang for buck, that we're getting maximum benefit for every penny that we spend. We need to look at how we're spending the dollars today. We need to make sure that we're spending them appropriately. If possible, we need to reprofile our funds within the existing home care services to make sure that we are getting those benefits.
I can't say when we would be asking for additional funds because I don't know what degree or amount of funds are needed at this point. The normal process would be we will have something done here at the end of the fiscal year, as I've committed and promised; we'll have an opportunity to have discussions with Members through the next business planning process; and, if money is required, hopefully, we can build it into the mains for the following fiscal year.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife Centre.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to say I'm aware about evidencebased decisions. The evidence at this point shows that our population is aging and the need for home care is just getting greater and greater, so I just can't get my head around the idea that there could be a delay of 18 months in finding new or reprofiling existing funding to meet the needs of people who want to age in place. I guess I'm looking for the Minister to make a commitment that there will in fact be a response to this plan by attaching money to it sooner than 18 months. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I mean, I've said it once, I'll say it again: until we do the analysis, we won't know if we are spending our money wisely and effectively. We might actually be able to get significant benefits for our residents with the existing money if we change the way that we're doing business. I think this is practical and responsible. The Member is absolutely correct, we have an aging population here in the Northwest Territories, and there are some more demands. Does it require more money? Does it require us to change the way that we're providing home care services and reprofiling money from other areas to help us enhance what we're doing in home care?
Mr. Speaker, we need the data. We need the information. I will absolutely commit to sharing that with Members. If there's an opportunity to expedite, we're certainly looking at that, but we need the data. I need to share it with Members. We need to have a discussion on how we want to move forward together. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Nahendeh.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yesterday, my colleague was asking questions of the Minister of Education, Culture, and Employment, and the Minister talked about 513 seniors accessing the seniors' heating subsidy. Can the Minister explain if this number has gone up or has it decreased from last year? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Minister of Education, Culture, and Employment.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It's roughly about just over 500 every year. The more information and more awareness that we get out there to seniors in our communities, we can expect to see possibly numbers rising. As I also mentioned, we're doing a review of the Senior Home Heating Subsidy, and we're looking at thresholds, we're looking at zones, we're also looking at fuel allocations. When that review is done, there's potential that we might even see even more seniors who can actually access that program, so it's a benefit to our seniors' population throughout the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I thank the Minister for that answer. It's great to hear that we're helping our seniors and we're looking at that. The Minister talked about this review going on, and he's made that commitment to committee and they're working on it. Does he have a timeline when this review will actually be done and we can be looking at this review?
We should have something early on in the New Year. If anything, by the end of this fiscal year, we should have something ready to present to committee and share with all members of the Assembly. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I thank the Minister for that answer and look forward to that report. So what happens when the seniors are not eligible for that? Is there a process that the Minister can explain to this House? What happens if the seniors are not eligible for this support? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We have many programs within our department. Seniors could also get assessed under the Income Assistance Program, where they might be eligible for a full tank of fuel twice a year or a cord of wood twice a year. Those options are available for the seniors that might not qualify. But, if any seniors don't qualify, I also encourage them to do a reassessment to make sure that they're assessed properly and that they might actually make the needs. If they don't make the requirements under the Senior Home Heating Subsidy, then they can also apply under the Income Assistance Program. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Nahendeh.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I thank the Minister for that answer. It's good to hear that we're able to try to find avenues to help our seniors. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister please advise this House what happens if the seniors run out of fuel or wood subsidies when they're looking at during the middle of the winter? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
We work it on a casebycase basis, Mr. Speaker, and we try to inform our seniors to try to lengthen out their fuel subsidies throughout the winter months. But, because some of the concerns that were brought up at the end of last winter with some of our seniors that were running out of fuel for their homes under this program, that's why we're doing the review and we're going to be looking at threshold levels, we're going to be looking at the zones. Hopefully, it'll address that need so that seniors won't run out of fuel during the winter months. As I said, we should have that review ready by the end of this fiscal year. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Tu NedheWiilideh.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have questions for the Minister of Health and Social Services. With the new health transformation right now, four communities that I represent all go through the Yellowknife Health and Social Services Authority. However, Fort Resolution is in close proximity to Hay River. Right now, people have to go from Fort Resolution to Hay River, get on a plane early in the morning, come here for appointments, possibly overnight and then back to Fort Resolution.
Masi. Minister of Health and Social Services.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As we finalize all the details needed to move forward incorporating all the different components of the health system into one authority as part of health transformation, residents will be able to go anywhere in the Northwest Territories that they choose to go for health services. So, if we have residents in Fort Resolution who wish to see a doctor in Hay River, there's nothing stopping them from doing that.
We do encourage people to go to their local provider first. For example, somebody in Fort Resolution, if they're looking for health services, should obviously go to their Fort Resolution health centre. If they're referred out, they could be referred to a large number of places, depending on what it is that they're trying to get. If it's MRI, we're going to refer them to Edmonton. If it's a specialty physician they're going to likely go to Yellowknife; unless it happens to be one of the specialty services that is not provided in the Northwest Territories, at which point they would be referred to Edmonton. If they're looking to see a GP, there's no reason why we couldn't refer them to Hay River.
We do need to make sure that those memorandums of understanding and agreement between the territorial authority and Hay River, which we are working on; Hay River is participating and working with us to develop those memorandums of understanding. I will find out where we are with respect to allowing or supporting a referral from Fort Resolution to Hay River for the services that happen to be in Hay River, but where there aren't services in Hay River, they are going to have to be referred to somewhere else. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I thank the Minister for that response. I guess I am just looking for a bit of a timeframe on that. I know that many of my constituents, unofficially, do go to doctors in Hay River, when the doctors are in Hay River, or see the local, if there are local doctors. I am wondering, when this all becomes official, anybody from anywhere in the NWT can see any doctor anywhere in NWT; I am wondering when that would be in full effect?
We are in Canada. Regardless of where you go, as a Canadian citizen, to receive health services they are covered through reciprocal billing. In the Northwest Territories, if somebody from Fort Resolution made the personal choice to go see a practitioner in Hay River today, there is nothing stopping them from doing that.
When the system kicks in, whether or not somebody is going to get support, say through something like medical travel, it would have to be based on a referral. There is nothing stopping residents from Fort Resolution going to see a doctor in Yellowknife or going to see a doctor in Hay River. If they receive a referral to go out for services outside of their community, that is when something like medical travel would kick in. If you are making a choice to go to Hay River or making a choice to go to Yellowknife to see a practitioner that would be on your dime, not on medical travel. I am not sure if that is what the Member is getting at, but that is the way it is set up.
That is sort of what I am looking for. Right now, if a patient presents in Fort Resolution at the health centre then the referral is to Yellowknife. My question was that if a person presents at the health centre, is it an easy possibility for them, today, if their medical travel would be covered today to get referred to a doctor if there is a general practitioner in Hay River?
I really want to say yes, but it really depends on the nature of the condition on which the person is presenting. If it is a condition where they need to see a GP, but they don't need to see a GP today or tomorrow or even next week, it could be rescheduled for their own community, for when the GP is coming in. If the individual is presenting with a more serious condition that needs immediate attention, it could be that they are referred to a specialist or a particular type of practitioner in Yellowknife. If that particular type of practitioner exists in Hay River, conceivably they could be referred there, but it really depends on what the condition of the individual is.
As far as the appointments and having regular appointments in Hay River, I will check where we are with our memorandums of understanding and agreement to see what is available as far as referrals. If the person has a condition that can't be dealt with in Hay River, they would not be referred to Hay River. They might have to fly through Hay River or drive through Hay River to fly to another location, which I know can be frustrating, but we need to send them to where the services are.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, for the benefit of my constituents from Fort Resolution, I want to ask the Minister if he could tell me when he anticipates this coming into effect, and if, in fact, currently, the services in Hay River, if the health and social services medical travel policy could travel individuals from Fort Resolution to travel to Hay River to see a doctor at the services there? Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, with respect to services currently provided in Hay River, I believe those agreements are already in place; I will confirm that for the Member. As far as medical travel, medical travel will cover any of our northern residents if they are referred to a service in a different community. If they are referred to a service that is in Hay River, and it has to be a service that is in Hay River, medical travel would apply obviously. If the service is not available in Hay River, medical travel would apply to the point where it is available recognizing our protocols. Our agreements are with Alberta. At this point, it would require you to go to an institution in Alberta or Stanton if Stanton is where the service happens to be. I will confirm where our relationships are with respect to memorandums of agreement and understanding with the Hay River authority at this point. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Oral questions. Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to return to my line of questioning to the new campus facility here in Yellowknife. I would like to ask the Minister of Education if he will direct his department to put the new campus into the capital planning process so we can start to get underway on this. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As we just finished our capital planning budget, there are a lot of priorities that are out there and needs right from our smallest community to here in Yellowknife. We have 23 learning centres in some of our communities throughout the North. We have three campuses that we feel that the space can be used a little bit better. At this time, I won't direct my department to put it in the next capital budget. We are going to wait for that strategic plan to come before all Members of this Assembly and look at what space and needs are needed here in Yellowknife. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, apart from the strategic plan that will come out of Aurora College, that facility needs serious work and is inadequate for many of the needs that the other two campuses in Fort Smith and Inuvik enjoy. I spoke to science and research development opportunities. This is simply not there. I am not asking the Minister to pay for it. I am asking the Minister to begin the planning process for it, not to commit to spending on it, but to commit to starting to do the work on it. Sometimes it can take five, 10 years to move these projects along. If we start work on it now, we can be better positioned to take advantage of it later. Will the Minister commit to directing the department to put it in the capital planning process?
The department has already done work in terms of how much a new campus would cost. If we are looking to do a new planning study, that has to go through the capital budget as well. Money needs to go in to develop the schematic design. Moving forward, as I mentioned, we are not going to know what kind of space is needed until we see what that strategic plan looks like. We are waiting for that to be completed before we make any decisions that are going to cost this government and the taxpayers millions of dollars.
Can the Minister indicate how much this new campus will cost?
Under the work that has been done by the department in terms of looking at Yellowknife campuses, somewhere in the amount of over $60 million. It will change as we move forward because costs for building supplies usually go up, somewhere around those figures. Like I said, it has to go through the process. It is in the 20-year needs assessment, as well as looking at the strategic plan, waiting for that, to see what space and needs are required.
Oral questions. Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is nice to know that we do have a ballpark figure for this. I appreciate that there are many needs across the territory. At the same time, if we are going to invest in post-secondary education, we need the right facilities to do it. A new campus facility could be a strategic investment to support local economies in our capital. It can create jobs. It can create new opportunities and allow students to stay within the North to achieve their educational aspirations. Again, can the Minister start working on a feasibility for this and reaching out to partners in the federal government and in the private sector and private citizens to look for endowment, to find money for this project, which would be of crucial importance to supporting our people here in the Northwest Territories? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. That's exactly what we're doing. When we look at any kind of strategic investments in our infrastructure we've got to put it up against what other needs are in the communities. We have some small communities. For instance, in the last government we had one of our smallest communities that just had a running toilet/washroom. I don't know if the Members remember that. So when we're looking for a new campus, we've got to look at our needs assessment right from our smallest communities and put it up against what's already existing in some of our big communities and regional centres here in Yellowknife.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I have three written questions. First one.
My questions are for the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Intergovernmental Relations. Regarding the co-management boards governing the Mackenzie Valley and the Inuvialuit Settlement Region, what progress has the Government of the Northwest Territories made on ensuring that all vacancies on the co-management boards are filled; and could the Minister provide background information on the current state of vacancies, including:
the current number of vacant positions on each of these boards;
how long each of these currently vacant positions have remained vacant;
the nominating authority for each of these vacant positions; and
which, if any, of these boards lack quorum owing to the vacancy of positions?
Second set of questions, Mr. Speaker:
My questions are for the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Intergovernmental Relations. Regarding the co-management boards governing the Mackenzie Valley and the Inuvialuit Settlement Region, what steps have been taken to track and publicly report on the status of co-management board appointments and vacancies, and:
What measures have been put in place to forewarn of co-management board vacancies;
What measures have been put in place to avoid the occurrence of co-management board vacancies resulting in the loss of board quorum;
What discussions have taken place with the federal Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs on improved processes for the prompt appointment of co-management board members; and,
What future actions are planned in cooperation with our federal counterparts to improve the timeliness and efficiency of co-management board appointment processes?
Third set of questions, Mr. Speaker
