Thank you, Ms. Green. Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, there was a bit of a summary and a report done on a review of the day program that was offered at Avens, which is no longer available. We're trying to build upon that report to meet the needs of different individuals here in Yellowknife. We don't see it necessarily the same as some of the day programs in some of the other communities, which are mostly drop-in and anybody can come. We are trying to provide a support to residents of Yellowknife who have family members who are high-needs, or their family is working and they need to make sure that they're not alone for a certain amount of time, and it may change on a day-to-day basis. We have to be flexible on anything we do on this particular one. Frankly, I want to be a little cautious about saying what it's going to look like, because we haven't received any RFPs at this point. So I know it sounds vague and I apologize, but I want to be cautious about overstating it until we actual see some of the RFPs. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Ms. Green.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I guess it would be helpful to know whether this program is going to serve both of these cohorts; the people with the cognitive issues, the people with the frailty issues. Is this program for both of them? Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Green. Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I believe the RFP says, "frail elders." So I think that's where the priority is being placed, but I accept the need for flexibility and we'll see what kind of proposals we get. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. Ms. Green.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I realize that the previous program attempted to serve both populations. We have seniors in both populations. So a program that serves only one group of needs and not the other group of needs is necessarily going to be incomplete. I caution the Minister that, if he chooses to serve one group and not another group, there will be lots of questions from myself and others about why one group has been left out. I don't know if he wants to respond to that? Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Green. Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I appreciate the Member's point, and I accept what she's saying. When the assessment was done, it was felt that the highest need was for frailty, and we wanted to make sure that we nailed the highest need. I take the Member's point and we'll certainly continue to have those discussions with the deputy and the department to make sure that they're considering that. Like I said, we haven't seen any proposals yet, and if we find that we have missed something in the future, we're certainly willing to explore it again. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. Ms. Green.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I just want to turn now to some questions about the proposed new caregiver program. I know a colleague of mine asked some questions about this the other the day, but I just want to clarify a few things. First, the Minister mentioned that there was vision screening and hearing testing available; and I just wanted to know where and when these services are being offered. Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Green. Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair; and I hate to do this, but I'm not sure I understand. What specific area or what specific section are you making reference to, again? Just for clarity.
Thank you, Minister. Ms. Green.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I'm talking about the caregiver program. Is this not in this section? Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Green. Minister.
The paid caregiver program? Okay. So, Mr. Chair, the paid caregivers is one of the action items within the action plan that is put together for the Youth Mental Health and Addictions Action Plan. We do have some federal money that, obviously, doesn't appear in this budget, that we've been able to obtain from the federal government to do some design and some piloting on those paid caregivers. Now, it could be one of a number of things: one of them would be family support; one of them could be different people in the community. We are using those federal dollars to develop some different pilots, so that we can go out and test them over the coming years, so that we can make informed decisions on how to invest future money in this area. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Ms. Green.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, during the business planning process, the committee was informed the options to consider and recommendations for program development will be determined by April 30, 2018. Is that still the schedule? Thank you.
Thank you. Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, we're still tracking towards that date; that's our hope and our expectation. I accept that weirder things have happened. If we have any difficulties or any challenges that we are not going to hit our targets, I will certainly let committee know.
Minister.
Mr. Chair, I understand that some of the bilateral money has actually been included in here, so it is shown right on this page. I apologize for the misunderstanding.
Thank you, Minister. I just remind you to let us know when you're done talking so the sound technicians can switch the mics. Ms. Green.
Thank you. I'm looking forward to more detail on that. Now, I have a couple of questions on homecare services. We have been told that there is a homecare study that's been undertaken. Could the Minister please update us on the progress of that study? Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Green. Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, the RFP for that work has just been released. The intention is for a review to be done of the scope and needs across this territory, in comparison to what we currently have, so that we can have some informed discussions about where future, if any, resources need to be employed to meet homecare needs in the Northwest Territories. So the RFP has just been released. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. Ms. Green.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I'd be interested to know when this work is supposed to be complete so that we know whether to expect the results to be incorporated in the next business plan. Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Green. Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, the work we anticipate is going to take a bit of time. It's going to be done by a private contractor. We really have to dig in right at the base community level. At this point, it's not expected that work will be done in time for business planning, but it will be available for future decision-making in the Assembly. I will say that we do appreciate that, in the last budget round, we did have some additional money put into this area and we were able to hire and create some homecare and home support positions throughout the Northwest Territories in the areas where there was a clear and obvious need. We accept that this work needs to be done, but it won't be done in time for business planning. We're anticipating the work will be done closer to the end of the upcoming fiscal year.
Thank you, Minister. Ms. Green.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I know there are going to be people who are disappointed to hear that. The needs for homecare are needs I hear often from my constituents. I have a lot of elderly people in my constituency, and what they ask me is: how have homecare services improved and how will they improve? So what does the Minister suggest I say in response to those questions? Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Green. Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, we did have a $2.5 million dollar investment in the last Assembly, which is base funding and has resulted in the creation of a 11.5 -- I think it's 11.5; it might just be 11 -- 11.5 or 11 home support positions across the Northwest Territories.
We do have a continuing care action plan that includes a number of activities that we are undertaking to support aging in place and help our residents stay in their homes for as long as possible. It isn't just home support workers, but it is pilots like the community caregivers, family care pilots that were working. There are a number of items within the action plan that don't necessarily need new money, but require us to do things different or better.
I would encourage the Member to encourage her constituents to look at the Continuing Care Action Plan, to make sure that their voices continue to be heard, and work with us as we roll out the different initiatives. Not everyone is about homecare workers. There are other things that are in that report. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Ms. Green. Your time has expired. Next, I have Mr. McNeely.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'm going to rely on the Minister's previous experience in looking at, I'm referring to page 179 on the allowance there of $1.1 million for the On the Land Healing Fund. Has there been in previous years looking at the Department of Justice for reintegration of clients? Looking at this department, On the Land Healing Fund, there are some similarities for clients there. Has there ever been a cost-shared pilot On the Land Program by both departments for these similarity clients, if you want to refer to them as that? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, these dollars were identified and put in place as a result of the Mental Health and Addictions Action Plan that identified the need for options. The majority of this money flows directly to Aboriginal governments who run different On the Land Healing Programs designed by them for them. We always indicate that we're happy to provide some human resources or expertise if they require it.
In addition to that, Mr. Chair, there is the NWT On the Land Collaborative that exists in the Northwest Territories. That's where departments like Health and Social Services, Justice, but also third-party funders are coming together to support different On the Land initiatives available in the Northwest Territories. In short, the answer is yes. There are tools and mechanisms and avenues for us to do that collaborative work. Really, I think we need to really pat the organizers of the On the Land Collaborative and the partners on the back for the work they're doing in that area. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. Mr. McNeely.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I take it there has been a past pilot project between Aboriginal governments, the Department of Justice, and the Department of Health? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. Minister.
Mr. Chair, I don't know how specifically Justice has engaged. I know we participated in some that included ENR and third-party funders, philanthropist groups. I know that Justice does have some budget for On the Land programming that they run through the corrections division, or I don't know if they fully do. Justice has, if I remember correctly, been to some of those meetings of the On the Land Collaborative, but I do not know what specifically they've done. Our relationship has been more with ENR and our philanthropist groups. Thank you.
Thank you. Mr. McNeely.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I just want to see if there's some common ground and understanding from previous experience, if we can maximize both departments and both funding initiatives here towards that, if there would be an openness and a willingness by this department. Taking a lead on a pilot, we have some discussions on concerned individuals or individuals interested in providing that service in Tulita and Fort Good Hope. I welcome the information and I'll share that with my constituents to see if they want to develop a proposal to access this funding source. Thank you.
Thank you. Minister, would you like to respond?
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, we've really seen the benefits of pooling some of our resources as part of the On the Land Collaborative and getting larger, more comprehensive programs out there. I know Justice has been involved in different programs in the past. I'll absolutely endeavour to make sure that that information is shared both with the Minister and the deputy of Justice. Should they see an opportunity to come in and benefit from that collaboration, I'm sure they'll certainly explore it. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. Next, Mr. Thompson.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Just a quick yes or no answer from the Minister first: child and youth mental health is in this section here? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
