Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have questions today for the Minister of Lands regarding the transfer of Commissioner's land within municipal boundaries. One of the issues that has ran up is that a number of municipal boundaries are in dispute with land claim negotiations as if the land is claimed by an Aboriginal government, and rightfully so. In the case of the City of Yellowknife's request, can I just confirm with the Minister of Lands whether that includes any of the land in the Akaitcho interim land withdrawal?
Thank you, Member for Yellowknife North. Minister of Lands.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Government of the Northwest Territories is not contemplating transferring any of the lands to the city that are current with withdrawal. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I appreciate that answer because I just want to make it clear: when the City of Yellowknife is requesting the municipal lands in their boundary, they are not requesting the land that the Akaitcho is requesting. That is a separate issue that the City of Yellowknife is not requesting that land. My next question is: I am concerned that we underfund our municipalities, and they have been asking for this land. I am concerned that the Department of Lands is then going to make the city pay an arm and a leg for it. My question is for the Minister of Lands: is there an intention to charge the city for this land?
This land has value. However, when we are working with the municipal governments, there is a fee of $1.
Despite the municipal funding gap, I believe they could probably afford $1. My next question is: I believe that there have been some concerns about surveying the land exactly, in that Commissioner's land is in large parcels and is not exactly surveyed into smaller parcels that a city would often use. I was hoping the Minister of Lands could speak to any issues, if any, that require surveying before we could transfer the land to the City of Yellowknife.
When we talk about surveying the land, that actually belongs to the city. That is their responsibility moving forward. It is their responsibility.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Can I just clarify whether that surveying that is the city's responsibility must take place before we transfer the land, or can we just simply transfer the land and then leave the city's responsibility to survey it and divide it into parcels accordingly up to the city? Is there an order in which surveying has to occur?
I apologize to the Member. Prior to transferring a fee simple title to the city, legal surveys must be done. It is the city's responsibility. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On December 11, 2019, the Minister of Health and Social Services stated that the department received a full and final report on the Home and Community Care Review on September 16, 2019, and she also stated it had 22 recommendations. Will the Minister provide this document as promised by her to us MLAs by this session? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes. Minister of Health and Social Services.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Let me go back and have a look at what was committed at that date. If it's possible to share, then absolutely, we will share the document.
Just to clarify, that was the Home and Community Care Review. Will the Minister tell us if the review provides recommendations to bring our out-of-province NWT placements home?
Repatriarchy is very important to our department. If and where necessary, if we can provide services closer to home and bring our patients back to the Northwest Territories, that is very important to us. It is also a cost saving. I can have a look to see what's in the report again just to refresh my memory and get back to the Member.
After receiving the stats of the out-of-territory, by the number, I think we have 109 adults out-of-territory. Thirty-nine of them are in the Yellowknife area, and 27 out of that, those are the top two, but with the population of the Beaufort-Delta, we have 27 out-of-province placements for adults. Will the Minister look at finding a way to try and repatriate these clients from Alberta, wherever they are, to the Beaufort-Delta and, if not the Beaufort-Delta, at least to the NWT?
I think that is kind of the same question that was asked. Let me just re-answer it to say that I will get back to the Member. Repatriation is, again, important. The reason why we send some of our patients out is because we don't have the complex services that other provinces are able to offer. That is why we send them out. If there is ability to bring them back, then, absolutely, our department will look into that.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Just a final question, the Minister may not have the answer, but if she could let us know what the total amount is -- if we can't get that today, we can get that at some point -- of how much we're spending on these 109 adults out of territory? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
In the next couple of weeks, we'll be coming to committee to review our budget items, and, in my briefings, I've gone through my department's budget items. You know, we have a big budget, and I understand the Member is asking for the total amount. I've seen the amount; I just can't recall it offhand. I can have a look at it and get back to the Member. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife Centre.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have a few more questions for my friend, the Minister of Justice. I just want to go back to the workplace safety assessment. Can the Minister tell us who is doing this assessment and who the results will be reported to? Thank you.
Thank you, Member for Yellowknife Centre. Minister of Justice.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I had confirmed quite specifically that it was an external contractor, external to the Department of Justice, but I don't have the name. I will have to confirm that. I would expect that it would come back to me. As far as releasing it thereafter, I would first of all need to know the extent of it. To the extent that it's a specific HR matter, I would be hesitant to release names that are involving HR. To the extent that it's a broader assessment, I expect that that can much more generally be released to the relevant committee. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I appreciate the answer from the Minister. I just want to inform the Minister that, in times gone by, we have received reports confidentially as a standing committee, and we've committed to keeping those reports confidential. I am concerned, in the meantime, about the safety of the staff in the North Slave Correctional Centre. The findings from that report into the incident last May suggest that the guard may not have been aware of the protocol he wasn't following, and he put himself into a very unsafe situation. My question for the Minister is: what specific additional measures can Corrections management take to keep their front-line staff safe?
I certainly share the view that making sure that all staff at Corrections facilities across the Northwest Territories are safe is critical. I certainly am aware of the need to do that and aware of the challenges of working in the Corrections environment. I have seen and am aware from just my involvement in the correctional area that this is something that we need to be constantly vigilant about. Leaving aside this specific incident and the specific individuals involved, when I assumed this role, it was something that I was alive to and did, indeed, take action to establish the inter-departmental working group between Human Resources and Corrections in order to ensure that appropriate training is unfolding; that tracking of training, both in terms of the correctional side of training, as well as mental wellness and wellness generally, are all taking place within the facility. There is now a work plan for that working group. They are looking at appropriate training for people within Corrections. They are assuring me that, indeed, tools and resources have been developed and are being developed that look at, within correctional institutions, mental wellness and wellness generally are going to be available and, more specifically, that there is going to be Corrections-relevant training worked in that has a northern context and northern relevance. That is going to be part of all training delivered for new recruits going forward in the Northwest Territories.
I appreciate these questions. It is something that I think deserves significant attention, and I can certainly assure the Member that, as I have said, there have been a number of things changed already and things that are going to continue to change and roll out over the next few months.
I appreciate the Justice Minister's comprehensive answer to my question. To follow up, I wonder how many front-line staff at North Slave Correctional Centre are away on stress leave or are being accommodated because they are unable to do their original job, because of this incident or other like it?
I will commit to getting a specific number to the Member. I don't have it offhand. I can acknowledge that, not only in our correctional facilities but in Corrections across Canada, there have been increases in the number of individuals who are off work as a result of psychological wellness, psychological injury. That is a growing concern. I am assured, somewhat fortunately, although there is work to be done, that Corrections staff are engaged on a national level with their counterparts to consider this issue, to consider what can be done to better support Corrections staff in the Northwest Territories and in Canada generally, knowing that this is something that has become a bigger and bigger issue, and we are going to need to take steps to deal with it.
As I have said, there are some efforts already under way with the inter-departmental working group, looking specifically at mental wellness, and we will continue to be looking for best practices from our counterparts across Canada.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Final supplementary, Member for Yellowknife Centre.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, I thank the Justice Minister for her very comprehensive answer. I understand that the assault last May was unusual in its viciousness, but there are assaults fairly often within the North Slave Correctional Centre and in correctional centres generally, so I'm wondering whether the Minister knows or could find out whether there have been additional assaults since the incident last May? Thank you.
I am assuming that the Member is referencing assaults on staff. Seeing that that is correct, I will find out whether or not there have been any further incidents involving assaults on staff and, in doing so, try to determine what responses there have been or investigations that may have taken place. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have questions for the Minister of Health and Social Services on the provision of virtual care in the Northwest Territories. What does the Department of Health and Social Services consider to be the solutions to the barriers identified in the report by the Virtual Care Task Force Report, specifically Interoperability and Governance, Licensure and Quality of Care, Payment Models, and Medical Education, and:
What is the business case for increasing availability of virtual care in the Northwest Territories?
Will the Department of Health and Social Services develop either a Northwest Territories or Pan-Territorial Virtual Care Framework to provide equitable, timely and cost-effective healthcare in the Northwest Territories?
Mr. Speaker, I have a provisional Return to Written Question 4-19(2) asked by the Member for Yellowknife Centre on February 13, 2020, regarding the Action Plan on Core Housing Need.
A complete return to this written question is not ready, as the information required will be contained in a report titled "Summary Results of Housing Investment" that is still under development. This report is expected to be completed shortly. The Return to Written Question will be provided by April 2, 2020. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today, I would like to table the following two documents, "Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 88-19(2), Alcohol Strategy;" and "Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 105-19(2), Medical Travel Claim Forms." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Tabling of documents. Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table "Virtual Care, Recommendations for Scaling Up Virtual Medical Services, Report of the Virtual Care Task Force, February 2020." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Kam Lake. Tabling of documents. Member for Yellowknife Centre.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the report entitled "An investigation report into allegations of an assault at the North Slave Correctional Complex" dated June 25, 2019. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
