Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, over the past 15 years the Government of the Northwest Territories has worked in partnership with the federal government to help meet the infrastructure needs of community governments. These efforts have helped community governments access federal funding, in accordance with our current mandate commitment in this area.
Mr. Speaker, federal investments in community government infrastructure have been significant. Since 2005, the federal government has provided over $170 million in gas tax funding, supporting a total of 293 projects in our communities. As well, through the capacity building component of the gas tax funding, we have also been able to assist with the development of community capital plans and implement the current Asset Management Strategy.
Since 2014, under the Small Communities Fund of the New Building Canada Plan, a total of $38.7 million in infrastructure projects have been approved, supporting a total of 33 projects. This includes investments in recreation facilities, road upgrades, and the construction of water treatment plants.
Since 2016, the Clean Water and Waste Water Fund of the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Plan has seen a total investment of $51 million toward 29 water treatment and sewage system projects in communities across the Northwest Territories.
Most recently, in March 2018, the Government of the Northwest Territories entered into an integrated bilateral agreement with the Government of Canada for Phase II funding under the Investing in Canada Plan. Through this agreement, a total of $119.2 million in federal funding over 10 years has been allocated to support community infrastructure projects.
The funding allocated to community and Indigenous governments under Phase II of the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Plan will be provided through five programs. These programs include $37.5 million to assist communities in developing solid waste facilities, including fencing, cell development, and waste reduction initiatives such as composting and recycling infrastructure; $37.5 million to support community road upgrade and development projects within community boundaries; $15 million to support energy-efficient upgrades to community buildings and facilities; $8.2 million to the City of Yellowknife to develop public transit infrastructure; and finally, $20.5 million to develop or improve existing facilities to increase accessibility and create spaces for cultural activities and displays.
Mr. Speaker, in early January 2019, Municipal and Community Affairs released an initial call for applications for Phase II funding to community governments for the solid waste, road upgrades, and energy-efficient programs and to Indigenous governments for the cultural spaces program. Applications for the initial call must be submitted by March 1, 2019. Municipal and Community Affairs will review and process the applications received before submitting to Canada for final approval.
Municipal and Community Affairs will work with the NWT Association of Communities to ensure the application and selection processes are fair and consider the federal eligibility criteria along with territorial priorities.
Mr. Speaker, the Government of the Northwest Territories is helping to address the infrastructure needs of Northwest Territories communities. The Municipal Funding Policy Review completed by the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs in 2014 helped quantify the infrastructure needs of each NWT community government. We have increased the annual funding support provided to community governments for community infrastructure by $2 million, beginning in 2019-2020. We administer federal infrastructure programs, and we support community governments in asset management and capital planning so they can make the best possible use of the funding available. I look forward to working with Northwest Territories community and Indigenous governments to continue the administration of these critical federal infrastructure agreements, as well as moving forward on important initiatives such as the Asset Management Strategy. By working together, we will be able to meet more of our communities' needs for the benefit of all our citizens. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I want to do a Member's statement on a winter road to Lutselk'e. I had just been thinking about it and thought I would talk to the Minister briefly and advise him that I would like to talk about the benefits of a winter road to Lutselk'e.
I recognize that we are getting late into this season to be able to construct a winter road. I think most of the winter roads are already constructed. A little bit different here, if there was an opportunity to put a winter road in next month, the situation is a bit different than other winter roads in that the majority or all of the entire road into Lutselk'e would be on the ice, on the Great Slave Lake.
I also recognize that there is a shorter time frame because of the size of the lake. We had looked at this previously, Mr. Speaker, and there are pressure ridges that do become created. Once the ice freezes, and because of the size of the lake, there are pressure ridges. At that point, it becomes unsafe to continue. For a period, Mr. Speaker, for a short period, maybe two, three weeks, maybe even as long as a month, there is a possibility to open up a winter road.
I wanted to speak to that, about the benefits to tourism. In fact, I find that, if there was a winter road into Lutselk'e and there were people who wanted to use that winter road, like the local community or even tourism, to drive down that road. The other factor would be that at some point, if this becomes part of the process, part of the winter road construction by the Department of Infrastructure, Thaidene Nene Park, once approved, there would be a good opportunity for a gateway.
There are many economic factors. There is the cost of air freight and also the large infrastructure, like the health centre, trying to get the foundational materials for the health centre in this winter so that there would be less to haul in on the barge going into Lutselk'e. Mr. Speaker, thank you.
Masi. Members' statements. Member for Nahendeh.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it is with great joy and sadness that I have learned of Carl Lafferty's retirement, the regional superintendent of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. His dedication and service throughout the past 16 years as an employee with the Government of the Northwest Territories has been greatly appreciated by myself, along with all residents of the Deh Cho.
Prior to his work with the Department of ENR, Mr. Lafferty worked as a park warden with the federal government for 12 years. Mr. Lafferty felt the need for a change, as being a park warden involved a lot of travel. Once he received a call to accept a position with ENR, he accepted the opportunity.
From April 2002 to October 2009, Mr. Lafferty worked as a renewable officer, too, as well as the manager of wildlife and environment. In late October 2009, Mr. Lafferty was asked by the deputy minister to take on the role of regional superintendent. With Mr. Lafferty's operation and field experience, accompanied by his First Nations status, a direct appointment to regional superintendent was offered in November 2009.
Upon completion of the past 16 years, Mr. Lafferty stated that his best times were conducting highway and river patrols and interacting with and meeting new people. What he will miss most is working with the GNWT staff and public. What really drives the work? Dealing with complaints and resolving issues to provide satisfaction to community members. When I asked Mr. Lafferty what his greatest accomplishment was, "I'm still here," meaning you need to have tough skin, as it is a difficult position to be a leader.
With his retirement date fast approaching, Mr. Lafferty has begun the process of obtaining his heavy equipment operator's ticket. His goal is to have an opportunity to work on a few big projects around the community, such as the Mackenzie Valley Highway, while doing small jobs around the community.
I want to thank Carl for his years of experience in the Nahendeh communities, the Deh Cho region, and the NWT. Carl will be sadly missed. Carl has set an example for all of his colleagues and staff throughout, with the exemplary work ethics, dedication, and commitment that he has shown in his career. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Members' statements. Member for Sahtu.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Health and Social Services spoke yesterday on the Regional Wellness Council and their continued efforts in shaping and improving our healthcare system. Mr. Speaker, I totally agree with this administrative structure. Who better to include, as community, parents, and public members, to improve healthcare but the people who reside in small, remote, urban communities?
Mr. Speaker, it is not expected of RWC members to possess medical qualifications, but as mentioned by the Minister and the roles and responsibilities as identified within the members' handbook, it is preferred. However, Mr. Speaker, there is always continuous room for education on the various systems and services available for healthcare. One suggestion is allowing routine Regional Wellness Council sessions in the surrounding communities that they represent.
Mr. Speaker, a campaign and positive initiative taken by the Sahtu Dene Necha Ko Long Term Care Facility in Norman Wells is sponsoring ASIST, or Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training, an excellent suicide first aid development course advertised for March 12th and 13th of next month.
Mr. Speaker, later I will have questions for the Minister of Health and Social Services on future operational campaign strategies. Mahsi.
Masi. Members' statements. Member for Yellowknife Centre.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the 2019 NWT Community Survey is now under way, and many residents around the NWT will either be getting a survey request in the mail or a knock on the door. The household survey covers topics such as housing, employment, education, and language, and I want to encourage everyone who is asked to participate in this valuable data collection event to do so.
The survey is being carried out by the NWT Bureau of Statistics. It will include a sample of households from the six largest communities, Yellowknife, Hay River, Fort Smith, Fort Simpson, Inuvik, and Behchoko, and a census of all households in the other communities.
In Yellowknife, Hay River, Fort Smith, and Inuvik, letters were dropped at selected households, requesting them to complete the survey online or to arrange an in-person interview or a phone interview. Outside these four communities, interviewers are conducting the survey in person.
The survey intends to collect data from 8,000 of the 17,500 households in the NWT, a formidable slice, and the Bureau of Statistics hopes to have preliminary results at the beginning of November.
Why is this survey important, Mr. Speaker? It will yield valuable information than can be used for planning programs, identifying emerging issues, and monitoring progress on issues at the community level. In other words, this is the evidence for evidence-based decision-making.
This data is available for use by anyone; NGOs designing or evaluating programming and businesses doing market analysis for business planning. All levels of government, that is, federal, territorial, municipal, and Indigenous, can use the information to design and improve services for their constituents and clients, and this kind of high-quality detailed community data is vital for our access to federal funding.
Data collection is on now and continues into March, and I want to encourage all NWT residents who are asked to take part. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Members' statements. Member for Frame Lake.
Merci, Monsieur le President. Education, Culture and Employment offers a number of programs to support our residents in several ways. These programs include income support for post-secondary students and seniors and income assistance for low-income families and children, with additional amounts for people with disabilities. Many recipients of support programs say that accessing them can be difficult, discouraging, and demoralizing. The processes for income assistance, in particular, are very rigid and prescribed in regulations providing very little flexibility in response to client needs.
The Minister of ECE has committed to an administrative review of income security programs. Discussions with non-governmental organizations have begun. My understanding is that the review is to be completed and changes implemented before the end of this Assembly. To be clear, I support this approach.
One of the most significant issues with income support and income assistance programs is that the amounts offered to recipients do not keep up with the cost of living. Regular reviews of the amounts linked to the Consumer Price Index or some other method of automatic adjustments for the cost of living would be a far better approach.
A major issue that surfaces for me in my constituent work is the treadmill of debt that traps some recipients. In some instances, income assistance recipients work, then lose their jobs and are penalized with reductions in their rent, food, and other allowances. Recipients are left between benefit periods with nothing to live on and often fall behind in their rent. Structurally, the system fails these people and builds desperation and worse.
Some jurisdictions have tried a basic income guarantee approach. There are various ways to structure basic income guarantee and different ideas on who should receive these sorts of payments. One of the major benefits pointed out in these initiatives is the elimination of the clients' endless application and reporting requirements and a reduction in the bureaucratic superstructure required to administer all of this monitoring.
We need to look at a pilot project on basic income guarantee in the context of our overall efforts to reduce and eliminate poverty consistent with the Anti-Poverty Strategy. I will have questions for the Minister responsible for Income Security later today. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Members' statements. Member for Hay River North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in Hay River, there is an eight-month wait list to see a mental health counsellor. That is completely unacceptable. During my time as MLA, I have raised concerns about the availability and accessibility of mental health services in Hay River at every opportunity, but those concerns seem to be falling on deaf ears.
An eight-month-long wait list is ridiculous. It shouldn't be allowed to happen. The wait time to see a counsellor in Hay River is more than two-and-a-half times longer than in Yellowknife; it is eight times longer than in Behchoko; and it is 20 to 30 times longer than in Fort Smith, which is just down the highway. How is that even possible, Mr. Speaker? It boggles the mind.
I understand that, for very urgent situations, there are at least some same-day appointments available, and those experiencing mental health emergencies are supposed to receive appointments within four weeks. However, Mr. Speaker, it can be hard to ask for help, and many people resist seeking help until their situations become emergencies to them. Making them wait another eight months is inhumane. Who knows what could happen in those eight months? People's mental health issues could cause them to lose their job, damage relationships, develop addictions, and worse.
From what I have heard, the staff at Community Counselling in Hay River are good at what they do. They strive to deliver the best service possible, and they have even undertaken some new initiatives to help the community, like offering an eight-week, mindfulness-based, cognitive therapy workshop to help adults prevent recurrent episodes of depression. They are providing services that I would argue pay for themselves. I cannot imagine being a counsellor is easy, and I am sure the lack of resources makes it even more difficult. We need to support these people, or else we will lose them and we will foster a revolving-door environment, which is a terrible thing when it comes to client care. We need to address this situation now, before it gets worse.
Mr. Speaker, I hear lots of talk from the government about the importance of good mental health, so I want to know why this situation was allowed to get this bad and what is going to be done to fix it. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Members' statements. Member for Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We have all been glad to see how tourism has grown in the Northwest Territories in recent years. Being a world-class tourist destination is not only great for the economy, it's also a point of pride for us Northerners, who love the splendour and beauty of the people, cultures, lands, and waters of this place we call home.
This came about from strong initiative and vision from some of the original tourism operators, people who struck out on their own when the idea of tourism marketing was in its infancy. Government shared in that vision and offered significant support for marketing the NWT as a spectacular tourist destination. Now, it's a reality, and you can't go anywhere in this town without tripping over herds of royal blue and bright red parkas.
Mr. Speaker, this boom has a result. The number of tourism operators is growing rapidly, and our government is appropriately supporting this new sector. For example, we have opened up Loop C at Prelude Lake to provide operators with a new place where their clients can take in the aurora. That is great for new operators, but it does raise some concerns, Mr. Speaker. When does support for industry become an unfair subsidy? Operators who years ago made huge investments and built this industry from scratch may be legitimately upset that up-and-coming competitors are being subsidized by public money. Then there is the question: with all of this new interest, so many operators here, how do we spread the wealth outside the capital? How could we take advantage of the increased interest in this industry to encourage new opportunities in other spectacular parts of the NWT?
Mr. Speaker, this new successful sector capitalizes on the wonderful qualities of our unique location in the world. We need to take steps to protect our world-class Northwest Territories brand. The industry must be managed to make sure that the people selling and marketing the NWT as a destination are doing so with respect for our land, our cultures, and our people. That way, we can assure that success continues for future generations. Mr. Speaker, at the appropriate time, I will have questions for the Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Members' statements. Member for Nunakput.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, 2019 is the International Year of Indigenous Languages. I would like to continue the discussion of how government can support our Indigenous languages across the territory.
Mr. Speaker, recently I looked at the analysis of federal funding for languages in Nunavut that broke it down to dollars per person. Based on their first language, the funding for a French student was around $420 per student, and for Inuktitut it was, ballpark, around $4.30. Mr. Speaker, this gap demonstrates that our government must do more to invest in Inuktitut.
Mr. Speaker, I wondered what that would look like here in the Northwest Territories, so I pulled out the current four-year federal funding agreement between the Government of Canada and the Government of the Northwest Territories and did the math. Mr. Speaker, the good news: this particular agreement will bring us almost $20 million in federal funding for Indigenous language services over four years. The not-so-good news: a resident who speaks French as a first language is funded more than four times as much per year than a resident who speaks an Indigenous language. Mr. Speaker, that is four times more.
Mr. Speaker, I know that there are reasons funding typically shakes out this way. I know that only English and French are recognized nationally as official languages, but we have nine official NWT Indigenous languages. I know that this is just one funding agreement and that the GNWT itself funds languages in a variety of other ways. I know that we have junior kindergarten-to-grade 12 French first-language and French immersion schools, while we do not have the same for Indigenous languages, but just because that is the way things are, Mr. Speaker, it does not mean that it's adequate or equitable.
Mr. Speaker, we need to close this gap, not only to fulfill our commitment as a government to language revitalization but to meaningfully pursue reconciliation.
Mr. Speaker, when the next federal funding agreement is negotiated, that is what we need to push for. We also need to walk the talk on our own budgets, and, above all, we need to keep working with Indigenous governments and community groups when we do it. Quyanainni, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Members' statements. Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Frame Lake, that Minister's Statement 151-18(3) be moved into Committee of the Whole for consideration. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. The motion is in order. To the motion.
Question.
Question has been called. All those in favour? All those opposed? Motion carried.
---Carried
Marsi cho, Mr. Speaker. Today, I would like to recognize our interpreters, Mr. Tom Unka, interpreting in Denesuline Chipewyan language, and Maro Sundberg, in Wiilideh Tlicho language. I would also like to recognize two Pages from Wiilideh, Joshua Drygeese and Ben Colas. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is my pleasure to announce my in-laws, Thomas and Denise Manuel, celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary this past February 20, 2019. The celebrations were held in Fort Good Hope and enjoyed by the family, community of Fort Good Hope, and the guests from the surrounding communities. Here's wishing you many more years of happiness together. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Further to my Member's statement, I have questions for the Minister of Health and Social Services about the eight-month-long wait list in Hay River to receive mental health counselling services. How many staff are allocated to the Hay River Health and Social Services Authority community counselling office, and how many of the staff are actually in the office? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Minister of Health and Social Services.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to thank the Member for his statement. I agreed with pretty much everything that he said, that this is a problem, this is something we need to be fixing, and it's unacceptable to have these kinds of wait times. I do take a little bit of a disagreement with his comments that these issues have fallen on deaf ears. I do not believe that to be the case, and I think the staff in the authority and in the territorial authority are working hard to resolve some of these challenges and to improve services to the residents of Hay River, so I do take offence at indicating that these issues have fallen on deaf ears.
In Hay River, Health and Social Services has three vacant community counsellor positions, and full staffing complement is six, so we are down a number of positions in Hay River. There are three mental health and addictions counsellors, two community counsellors, community wellness workers, and one clinical supervisor. As the Member indicated in his statement, the clinical supervisor position is currently vacant. The mental health and addictions counsellor and community wellness worker positions are also currently vacant. We are actively recruiting for a clinical supervisor as we speak. We are actually intending to do interviews for the position next week. We just completed hiring the one vacant mental health and addictions counsellor position, and we expect that that person will be starting in March.
I did not mean any offence, but when I bring these issues up, I know the Minister listens, I know the department listens, I know the authority listens, but I need to see some results. Otherwise, I have to make those kinds of statements. It's good to hear that some staffing is occurring. What are the challenges to staffing? Why did we get down to this skeleton crew? I know it's been going on a long time, so what are the challenges with staffing this office?
When somebody says the issues are falling on the deaf ears, usually to me that means that he is suggesting or somebody is suggesting nobody is listening. I am happy to hear that the Member does acknowledge that we are listening and that work is happening in this area.
When it comes to staffing, the Hay River Health and Social Services is currently reviewing the job descriptions for the mental health and addictions counsellor positions to make sure that the required qualifications that are identified do not create any unintended barriers to staffing those positions. They are also exploring the possibility of a mentorship model with applicants who are either recent graduates or have experience but don't necessarily have the academic criteria.
They have also been actively recruiting for these positions, both territorially and nationally. They have posted positions on the website for the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association, national organizations, Longwoods, Indeed.com, Facebook pages, websites. They have gone to university job boards that offer the programs. Staff are also reaching out to colleagues for who might possibly be interested. I know that they are also reviewing the current program delivery model in order to improve wait times, service delivery, and staff retention.
Just to be clear, and I think I said this in response to another Member's question, these are what would be considered non-emergent cases. I do acknowledge that cases evolve over time, but emergency cases are triaged and they get supports right away.
Yes, as I mentioned, emergency cases are heard. They receive appointments within a month. That is a pretty fast and loose definition of "emergency."
I know that the health authority is a separate legal entity, but they receive their money through an allocation through the Department of Health and Social Services. We are ultimately responsible for them. Can the Minister reallocate some resources from the public service, from his department, to help with this backlog in Hay River?
Although Hay River Health and Social Services is technically outside the public service at this time, we would still like to bring them in, which I believe may actually help with some of our recruitment challenges in that area. We do consider them part of the team, and we do work closely with them.
The territorial authority has reached out to other NWT regions for assistance in Hay River. Fort Smith has agreed to accept some of the referrals to help with the wait times. Fort Simpson has agreed to offer some level of clinical supervision until such time as we can hire somebody. Unfortunately, the rest of the NWT, when it comes to community counselling programs, are facing significant shortages as far as staff, as well, so this is a territorial issue. Hay River certainly has the longest wait times and they are certainly feeling the brunt of this, but we are working hard to address that, and the territorial health authority is working closely and offering expertise and support from other regions.
Oral questions. Member for Hay River North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Minister has mentioned a lot of the things that are happening. I have spoken with the CEO about this and the public administrator, and I know some of the things they are doing. I know there is work going on behind the scenes, but when can we expect this situation to be solved and put it behind us, and when can we know that we are going to go forward and people are going to be able to receive the services they need in a timely manner? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
When it comes to providing services through staff in positions that have high turnover, we can never say with certainty that this problem will be gone. We may be able to resolve it with a full-stocked complement of staff, but if turnover occurs again, we could have some blips. That is why working with the other regions is so important.
Community counselling services in Hay River, as the Member said, at 35 weeks is inappropriate, and we need to work together with our partners to bring that down. There are apparently about 55 clients on the wait list. The authority is managing the wait list based on a priority or a risk assessment process and offering programming from group programs, which keeps clients connected with the community counselling services and provides them with the tools that they need to manage some of their situation.
There has been lunchtime and evening mindfulness group sessions, as one example of the types of things that are happening. Hay River has entered into a contract with a licensed psychologist until March 31st to assist with the clinical supervision to support staff, assist with the wait list, assist with the recruitment and review of current programs and delivery models. They have also been referring eligible clients to take advantage of the employee assistance program available through the GNWT. There are also Health Canada programs that referrals are being made to, and the health authority is recommending that anyone who needs mental health support and is not able to be seen through the existing counselling program to come to the health centre or go to emergency if it is an urgent situation.
There are a number of things that are happening. We are working hard to close this gap, and we will continue to do so.
