Thank you, Madam Speaker. My questions today are for the Minister of Health and Social Services. I appreciate the Minister's opening statement in regards to the oral health strategy, and I'm wondering if the Minister plans to table an official report of where we are with the oral health strategy. Thank you.
Thank you, Member for Kam Lake. Minister of Health and Social Services.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. The Oral Health Action Plan is currently in place, and it's in place until the 2020-2021 fiscal year. The outcomes are updated as the work progresses or completed. As this work progresses, and some of the work that's completed, as Minister, I am updated. Thank you, Madam Speaker.
Will the Minister have her department undertake an assessment of the feasibility of allowing dental hygienists to practice without the oversight of dentists so that our small communities have better access to preventative oral healthcare?
Under the current legislation, the dental hygienists are allowed to practise independently with only indirect supervision. Professional oversight is required. The direct supervision is not required, just the indirect supervision. Yes, we can look at the legislation.
I am very happy to hear a "yes" in response to that one. I am wondering if the Minister has an idea of a timeline in regards to that type of a feasibility study?
Apparently, I need to go back here and just talk about the -- I'm going to go back to the Member's original question because I think I might have gotten confused here. We have an action plan. The action plan is currently in progress until 2021. The Member had asked if the dental hygienists can go unsupervised. They can go, somewhere around the question. The dental hygienist does not require direct supervision. They do require indirect supervision. The action plan that the Member is referring to that I receive updates, yes, we can provide the updates if that is what the Member and all the MLAs are requesting.
Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary, Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. I am going to go back, as well, then. I completely understand that the act stipulates that there is a requirement that there is indirect supervision from a dentist. However, that means that a dental hygienist who wants to practise in northern communities needs to find a dentist who is willing to take them on under their wing, so to say, and that prevents people from being able to just go to communities on their own as a business owner and provide dental hygiene appointments or preventative healthcare to people who live in these small communities. What that will end up doing is driving up costs of dental care to people who live in Tuktoyaktuk or who live in Deline.
In order for us to be able to provide cost-effective, preventative oral health care in small communities, being able to remove that stipulation and expect that dental hygienists who are accredited and who are trained professionals can work without the supervision of a dentist is required. I am wondering if the Minister is willing to do a feasibility study to look at removing that from the act. Thank you.
I can see some of the Members are pretty happy over there. I am not sure about a study, but it is something we will look into. Oral health in the communities, like I said in my Minister's statement, is very important. There was a question in the House by Inuvik Twin Lakes asking me last month: will the department look at establishing a territorial chief electoral health officer role? That is something our department is looking into. We need a position in place to be able to go. We look at some of our health centers, and the hygienist chairs are empty. I recognize that. Our department needs to go in and have a look at the system and see what is required within the legislation or perhaps make changes to it. Thank you, Madam Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. There has been quite a lot of talk about the Arnica project over the last weeks in this House. I am happy to hear that there has been a meeting, and it seems there is still some hope for this project to go through, although I am still a little confused on some issues. The Minister had previously clarified that they had not seen the CMHC report and, in fact, relied on CMHC. My question to the Minister responsible for the Housing Corporation is: has the Housing Corporation seen the CMHC application, and are they aware of the defects in that proposal?
Thank you, Member for Yellowknife North. Minister responsible for NWT Housing Corporation.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. As of to date, we have not seen the Yellowknife Women's Society application. The application that the Member is referring to is a federal land application, and it is for federal funding. NWTHC is working with CMHC to work towards clarification on this funding that is available to the residents of the Northwest Territories. Right now, the application, I can't even confirm if it actually has been submitted. We have been meeting with the Yellowknife Women's Society, and we recently just met last week. Thank you, Madam Speaker.
It appears, despite multiple meetings and no shortage of questions here, there still appears to be some breakdown in communication. Will the Minister responsible for the Housing Corporation ask CMHC and the women's society to get a hold of that application and the response and make sure that they are aware of all of the shortfalls that were in the application so that we are all on the same page?
Just to confirm with the Member that my staff did reach out to CMHC. They did have a conversation, and they did encourage Yellowknife Women's Society to submit the application. CMHC will be going through the application with them thoroughly so they would be able to address the concerns that CMHC had identified on the letter that was sent to them February 18th. Unfortunately, the Housing Corporation, we don't have the funding. We are not the main funding source, so we don't see the application at this point. Going forward, that relationship and that communication will start to improve.
I am a little perplexed that, at this point with such a close deadline, the Housing Corporation has not seen the application and isn't aware of the shortfalls. I heard the Minister responsible for the Housing Corporation previously discuss not wanting to set proponents up to fail, wanting to make sure, if we are going to provide our funding for any housing project, that we know that it is sustainable. I do not understand how the Housing Corporation is capable of doing that without looking at the response from CMHC and without knowing the shortfalls in the application. My question is: is the Housing Corporation, then, fully relying on the judgment of CMHC to commit their money? Have we done any review of the application?
Going forward, we are looking at the process. I don't want to sound as if the Housing Corporation is discouraging the application. I would really want to stress that the application is a federal application, and it is federal funding. The Housing Corporation did have a conversation with the Yellowknife Women's Society. We did come to a conclusion in that we are here to work with them going forward. I really don't know how much further to comment, but the application does sit as a federal application. The decision is based on what the Yellowknife Women's Society is asking. The project, I believe, is $4 million.
Going forward, I need to see what it is that they have been approved for so that we can work together going forward. I would like to encourage that the application that was completed, it was completed by consultant. I have encouraged the Yellowknife Women's Society to involve us in the process. The application belongs to them. It is a CMHC funding process, but we are here. We have supported them. We have met with them and, just going forward, want to improve their communication.
Thank you, Minister. Member for Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. The Yellowknife Women's Society has reached out to the Housing Corporation throughout this process. They have reached out to almost everyone in this House. There has been nothing but attempts to reach out to the Housing Corporation and work with them. My concern is: on one hand, the Housing Corporation Minister is talking about not wanting to set people up for failure, wanting to make sure we have a strong investment, which I support. Yet, on the other hand, they are saying they are not even part of the application process. There is a deadline on here. I do not want the Housing Corporation, once the CMHC has provided their funding, to all of a sudden raise some new concerns that should have been raised months ago. My question for the Minister responsible for the Housing Corporation is: can we set out a guideline of what our role is in making sure we can successfully get the co-housing federal money from the federal government? Thank you, Madam Speaker.
I could hear the frustration in the Member's question. Going forward, looking at the process, I do find it very complicated, myself. I look at the project; it looks like it is almost simple to go forward, but it is the paperwork that is in between. It is federal money, territorial money, and looking at co-investment, co-investors, and to work with this project going forward. Right now, the Housing Corporation is engaged, and we are working on a process going forward and looking at how are we going to deal with projects like this and making sure that they are set up for success. Right now, I do have a meeting that's scheduled with CMHC to clarify a lot of the justification that they identified on the application, but going forward, I understand, and I hear the Member that the communication needs to be clarified.
Going forward, the Northwest Territories does have access to this co-investment fund that is sitting there. We do have other interested parties going forward, but we really need to be clear on the process. I understand that the Member has expressed that there is a deadline for this project to go forward. I really want to stress that the Housing Corporation is not holding up that deadline, that there are requirements that are needed on that application. It needs to be completed, and I would really advise that, whatever the CMHC has included in their details in their letter and their conversation, that it needs to be met. The requirements need to be met. As the Housing Corporation, we are there to support the application. I hear the frustration, but, as the Housing Corporation, we are trying to work and figure out a strategy of how we are going to be working with the co-investment fund going forward. Thank you, Madam Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Nunakput, round two.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. It's a good day today, Madam Speaker. The Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation is going to make changes for us in regard to our T4 system. Can we try to work with the Minister to get a timeline and using her Minister's directive in telling her staff before April 3rd, before this House is convened, that we have something in place where the LHOs could just start utilizing the income verification by cheque stubs in the communities instead of a T4 system or make it optional? Thank you, Madam Speaker.
Thank you, Member. Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. Thank you to the Member. I am not familiar with policy changes and how fast we could make this happen. The policy that is in place currently, right now, I feel that it has been accommodating consistent income. Right now, we have changed, and we are recognizing that we do have seasonal workers. Going forward, I need to be very strategic and very specific on making these changes, so, unfortunately, I cannot commit to the April 1st date. I need to make sure that how the assessment was completed at first, that included the changes to the policy that we currently work with right now, what were the changes, what did they engage, what did they consider.
Looking even at the cost of living and what does it honestly take for our units to be maintained and for them to be administered, I want to take those into consideration, as well, because, as the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation, we do spend $30,000 annually on the units; we do take care of the sewer, the fuel, the property taxes, the lease payments. I just need to make sure that, when we are calculating these rental incomes, it does accommodate the seasonal workers, just as we have made the adjustments to accommodate the consistent income earners.
In regard to that, policies can be changed anytime. Once the Minister has directed and once the Minister makes that decision to go forward with it, she can make change. Change will happen when she tells her staff to make it happen. In regard to it, I appreciate all the work and what she is saying to us and stuff like that, but again, we have to realize that, the housing units, we get $45,000 a year, per person per year. That is every man, woman, and child, babies, everybody. The thing is, the housing, they are substandard housing in my riding, anyway. They are 30-plus years old. We have some new ones but not enough. We are short about 300 houses in my riding.
Madam Speaker, this Minister could make change by April 3rd if she gives a Minister's directive. Would the Minister commit to me about making change and using no more T4s or make it optional? Even making it optional, you are still doing the same thing, the department, but you are making it optional for the person to come in every month to show you that slip, and you will get the exact amount, what you are doing, instead of ripping them off.
I would encourage the clients in the riding of the Member to get into the LHO offices right now, do a rent assessment. Looking at the T4s, if they feel that they are paying a lot more and too much for the current public housing units that they reside in, that is an option. We do use the T4 slips annually to calculate their rent, to be consistent, but also there is the option to do the rent assessment. That can be done month by month, and it does not have to be based on the T4 for the rest of the year. We do recognize that we do have income earners who are not consistent throughout the year. I would really encourage the Member to speak with his constituents to get into the LHO offices in his riding and have a rent assessment completed.
I thank the Minister. Everybody in Nunakput, go get reassessed, in public housing. That is what I want you to do, please and thank you. It's going to help you. In regard to that, like I said before, the reassessments, not everybody has government jobs to go off T4s. All the jobs are taken in our small communities, and people are hurting; so if the Minister would come up and just say, "Yes, by this day, you can use your T4 or your monthly cheque to get assessed," would that be possible?
That is exactly how the program works. Bring in your monthly income, month to month, and get reassessed for that month, and bring those T4s forward -- sorry, bring those income slips forward into the LHO offices so we can reassess those rental incomes.
Thank you, Minister. Member for Nunakput, final supplementary.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. Will the Minister commit to making this policy more flexible so that the documents used for income so that, again, I really want to make it clear for everybody, the T4 or a pay stub, to go and get reassessed every month? Are they allowed to do that?
I see that. You know I hear this throughout the Northwest Territories, that it's something that needs to be discussed a lot more. I think advertisement on the programs that the Housing Corporation currently has, but, right now, if the Member and their constituents are to get into their LHO offices with their T4s and their pay stubs, they are eligible for rent assessments, absolutely. Thank you, Madam Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Monfwi.
Masi, Madam Speaker. [Translation] I want to ask a question regarding children. They go through difficult times. They have a lot of problems. I want to talk about the treatment. [End of translation] It's been brought to my attention on the territorial treatment centre here in Yellowknife. We have a treatment for clientele ages eight to 12, for those who have emotional, behaviour, or psychiatric difficulties. Madam Speaker, it has been brought to my attention that, at the facility, the centre does not currently have a full-time psychologist on site at the treatment centre, and it has been almost five years or just over five years since they had one full-time at the site. When there was one full-time at site, it was well utilized by these high-risk clientele, these students or these children. Are there plans in place to have a full-time psychologist at site in the near future, similar to what they have had in the past? Masi, Madam Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Monfwi. Minister of Health and Social Services.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. The Member is referring to the Territorial Treatment Centre, which was formerly known as the Receiving Home, and the psychologist services are available to clients, but there is not a resident psychologist on site, so clients are driven to appointments with a psychologist. Thank you, Madam Speaker.
That's the very concern that was brought to my attention, that the psychologist is not there on a frequent basis. Very rarely, a psychologist goes to the site, and by the same time the children are not assisted at the centre. The children have to be taken out of the centre. Those are just real concerns that are brought to my attention by parents and by Northerners in the Northwest Territories. How often is a qualified psychologist on site on any given basis, on a yearly basis? I'd like to know how many times that individual or that psychologist visits the centre.
That's a great question; something that I can't get back to the Member right now, but I do want to say that the Northwest Territories Health and Social Services, the Yellowknife region holds the contract with the UP Community Services, and this is something we can work with the contractor on to have a look at.
This particular facility holds most of the Aboriginal clientele throughout the Northwest Territories and a lot of them came from my region, as well, the Tlicho region. I'd like to know: what kinds of programs are available to these high-risk clients with respect to Aboriginal programming from a northern perspective?
The Territorial Treatment Centre provides specialty services for up to eight children. Currently, there are four in attendance at the facility. Right now, the programming we deliver to the clients daily includes recreation, cultural, and therapeutic activities, and these are scheduled throughout the week.
Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary. Member for Monfwi.
Masi, Madam Speaker. I believe we need to do more work in this area, improvements, so I would like to suggest one area. So far, from what I've heard, I'm voicing concerns for these individuals who cannot speak for themselves. Their parents, their family members came to me, so I'm raising that issue. We are currently being dictated to by a southern firm, I believe it's called Bosco Homes, on how to run this centre. After all these years, why haven't we got a northern contractor providing these valuable services to our children, to provide northern perspectives? Masi, Madam Speaker.
I get what the Member is saying and, to be honest, this Territorial Treatment Centre is something that I have just been recently briefed on; as far as this morning, actually. It is something that, if we have children in care, I think it's important that we design some of our programming that is culturally relevant, that we improve services, and that we have a look at what are some of the culturally relevant services that are applicable to those clients who are in care right now. I understand that the age group is quite, you know, young ages that are in the facility.
In regard to the contract, this is something that I'm not fully aware on the length of the contract or what are some of the rules or any of the stuff that is in the contract. I'm sorry, Madam Speaker, but it's something I can look into, and I understand the frustration from the Member. I can get back to the Member on some of the details. Thank you, Madam Speaker.
Mahsi cho, Madam Speaker. I have some written questions on educational facilities directed toward the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment:
What standards or methods do the Department of Education, Culture and Employment have or use to assess whether educational facilities meet the physical requirements for existing educational priorities and teaching methods?
Has the Department of Education, Culture and Employment conducted an audit of the existing learning space at Kalemi Dene School to determine whether the present-day educational priorities and teaching methods are being met for both the community at large and the Department of Education, Culture and Employment?
What plans, if any, including design documents, is the Department of Education, Culture and Employment in possession or aware of for future expansions to Kalemi Dene School, i.e., classrooms and a gym, in Ndilo?
Ecole Allain St-Cyr in Yellowknife was granted approval to for a new gymnasium, despite not meeting the Department of Education, Culture and Employment's Capital Standards and Criteria subsection 4.3, which determines when a school is considered in need of a new gym based on the number of student enrolees, based on charter-protected language rights. Will the Department of Education, Culture and Employment, in tandem with other departments, consider putting similar language safeguards in place for schools that teach Indigenous languages in the Northwest Territories, given that our territory has 11 official languages in total?
Mahsi cho, Madam Speaker.
