I have heard this concern from the Member and other people in here. In the long term, we don't allow that, but in the present, what we are encouraging people to do is to actually apply for residential leases besides the commercial lease for the land so that they can live beside the land right now. We are in the process of trying to work on it, and the process takes some time.
I don't often like to refer to the Yukon as doing things better than us, but I can tell you what a proper agricultural land system looks like. In the Yukon, if you live on a piece of land for seven years, they give it to you for free in fee simple. It's not a lease; you get to own that land if you're willing to put it to agricultural use. Now, I think this is, perhaps, too much to ask the Department of Lands to look at something like that, but when we are looking at agricultural leases, can we look at the pricing and make this as cheap as possible for those willing to start agricultural businesses?
The Yukon has a great process; we can't argue about that. We also have land claims processes, so we have to remember to respect Indigenous rights as we move forward. However, in hearing the Member speak about this and that, we are actually working on that. We are trying to make that part of the regulations. We are dealing with it. Presently, I would just like to point out that raw land is already low. It's at $800 per hectare for territorial land; 5 percent of assessed value for Commissioner's land. Again, like I said, pricing for the review of this process will be part of our Public Land Act and regulations.
Thank you, Minister. Member for Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I do look forward to the implementation of the Public Land Act and finally having one piece of land. I think it is a huge step that will help us deal with the issues of finally getting the outstanding land claims settled. My question is, though, for the Yellowknife periphery area. I have the Ingraham Trail on it, and I have no shortage of constituents complaining about the Department of Lands and the lack of planning and the mishap way that we have rolled out leases in that area. In regard to agricultural requests that have come from constituents, can the Yellowknife periphery area plan look into agricultural use? Thank you.
Yes, that's part of it. We also have to understand that there is high demand for recreational leases, and that is part of the plan moving forward. We are working on it, and I will keep the Member informed as we move forward. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We know that mental health supports are not one-size-fits-all, so I am wondering how the Northwest Territories Health and Social Services authority educates Northerners about their mental health treatment options. Thank you.
Thank you, Member for Kam Lake. Minister of Health and Social Services.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Information available for our mental health supports and services can be found on our department's website. The department also uses social media, including the Northwest Territories Help Line Facebook page, which promotes health and mental well-being as well as service options. All Health and Social Services professionals can also refer individuals to mental health supports and services. We know that we need to do more and use more different approaches. The department's Mental Wellness and Addictions Recovery Action Plan commits to engaging with residents to ask them about how they want to receive information about mental health and addictions services and supports. The engagement is ongoing, and the results will be used to inform new approaches. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I hope that front-line staff will be part of developing that action plan. GNWT employees receive health through something called the Employee and Family Assistance Program. This program allows employees to access legal advice, financial advice, and it also allows them to access mental health support. I am wondering, given that this is something that is exclusive to GNWT employees or employers that have the funds and the means to supply their staff with this type of programming, does the Minister agree that the general public has a lower level of access to mental health supports in the Northwest Territories than GNWT employees?
We all agree that we need to do a better job in providing access to mental health services. It is a priority for this Assembly, and an issue that my department takes seriously, and we are currently working on.
I am happy to hear that. Will the Minister of Health and Social Services look into broadening their mental health support network to include private counsellors to reduce wait times and increase consistency of care for Northerners suffering from mental health challenges?
Currently, at this time, our department is not looking at including private counsellors into the service delivery model. We had looked at it, and using private counsellors would be extremely expensive; for example, two, possibly three, times the cost for employing our own counsellors. Our approach to reducing wait times is the Seamless Care Pathway, that we are making sure people are matched with the right level of service to ensure more timely access. What I am aware of, in reading my briefings and meeting with staff, is that the wait times for counselling do not exist in most communities. Wait times are mainly an issue in Yellowknife and Hay River.
Wait times are tracked in communities where they exist and follow up with people on the wait list every three weeks to ensure that they still need the counselling and that their level of risk has not changed. I do want to expand that a main part of this work is to improve access to counselling by adding same-day walk-in appointments, as well as other options, like e-mental health access. These types of efforts have been shown to have dramatic impacts on wait times in other areas of the country. This work is underway as we speak and is on track to be implemented this spring 2020.
Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary, Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am trying to think of how to reduce this to one question. I feel that I have acknowledged that the cost is high to work with private contractors, but when you have a high suicide rate like we do in the Northwest Territories, that cost is much higher. The risk of losing more youth to suicide in communities or in Yellowknife is, you can't put a number on that. I am thankful that the department is looking at it, but I feel that I disagree with the Minister here, that we do have wait times and having a child identify that they are suicidal and waiting three weeks to three months is not okay to receive mental healthcare. I'm wondering if the Minister will commit to working with NTHSSA to identify a responsive triage mechanism that allows us to see Northerners in a much quicker manner and would potentially review that process with collaboration from Members on this side of the House. Thank you.
Counselling requests are triaged based on risk. If a person is at a higher level of risk, for example, suicidal, they are not subject to the wait times and they are seen within a day or two. Our approach to reducing wait times in the Seamless Care Pathway, we are working to make sure that people are matched with the right level of service to ensure more timely access. The goal of this is to improve access to mental health services, but it's also focused on how we match people to their services. The Seamless Care Pathway approach is about offering the service that best meets the needs of the person. This program is overseen by the Department of Finance; oh, sorry. No. It's our department. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Hay River South.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. These questions will be for the Deputy Premier. We know that COVID-19 has been declared a pandemic. We know that it's affecting the health of the people, and we know that there is going to be a cost to our healthcare system, but there is also a cost to the economy, as well. I'm wondering if this government has considered how it can support businesses during this period. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Hay River South. Deputy Premier.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Okay. With my colleague's support here, yes, the Government of the Northwest Territories will be looking at some of those options. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I didn't really want to put the Deputy Premier on the spot, there. I didn't give her these questions up front, but will the Deputy Premier relay to the rest of the Cabinet the importance of addressing any potential impact to business and determine how we can lessen any impact?
The Member is asking questions about money and what the government is doing as a result of that, so I would like to just defer the question over to the Minister of Finance.
Thank you, Deputy Premier. Minister of Finance.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Obviously, this is an evolving issue, but I can certainly assure this House and assure the people of the Northwest Territories that the Department of Finance has been looking both at our finances and looking at the impact on the economy here, and has been involved on national calls with the federal Minister of Finance and my colleagues across the country. It's an issue that is being looked at both here and nationally. We've been involved, and I am confident that, as the federal packages are being rolled out, they are being rolled out knowing what the potential situation and impact would be on the economy here in the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The other question I have is: there are some suggestions here on how to help, and one of them is to reduce our small business tax or eliminate it. It's currently sitting at 4 percent, and we'd like to see it down to at least 1 percent or eliminated. There's one option. The other thing we should be looking at, as well, is: we do have businesses out there who do have loans from government lenders, and we could look at the interest rates. We could also look at deferring the payments during this period. The third one is: we have to make sure that any businesses are being paid in a timely manner. They can't be waiting for payments for the work they've done. I'd just like to get a commitment from whoever wants to answer it, I guess, that Cabinet will look at that.
I think the Member is now stuck with me. Absolutely. As I said in my first response, it is an evolving situation. I think a lot of people are saying that across the territories, across the country, but it's an evolving situation about which all leaders and all politicians and all governments are being very actively engaged. There have been calls between first ministers, calls between other departmental ministers. I know I've had two separate calls with first ministers and ministers across the country, dealing with all varieties of issues, impacted industries, dealing with the health, dealing with emergency preparedness, and Cabinet is engaging every morning on this. There is not only a whole-of-government response, there is a whole-of-governments response.
I appreciate the Member's suggestions. I will certainly commit to taking those and looking at them. I know we have already, at the Department of Finance, started to look at what the impacts could be, modelling different scenarios, in order that we can be able to respond now and now respond after the fact. Yes, I give that assurance and will continue to do that work.
Thank you, Minister. Final short supplementary, Member for Hay River South.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I thank the Minister of Finance for that. I'd just like a commitment from her that she will keep this side of the House updated on the economic side of COVID-19, as well. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Yes. As I've said, the economic impacts of COVID-19 will be determined depending on what happens with the actual virus and as it evolves, as impacts may not be uniform across the country and they might not be uniform across the Northwest Territories. A lot of the governments across Canada right now are introducing budgets right now or are about to do so, so in some ways, it's good timing. We're at the early stage of our fiscal year; we have a lot of flexibility. We have the flexibility to respond, and we will be able to do that. We will be able to keep this House and all the Members appraised of what we are doing and how we are doing it as we become more aware of what the information is and what the impacts are. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My colleague for Hay River seems to be getting some good answers there, and I believe the Minister of Finance has kindly agreed to take questions on behalf of ITI and Infrastructure. My question is: can we remove Wal-Mart from the Business Incentive Program?
Thank you, Member for Yellowknife North. Minister of Finance.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Business Incentive Program is, I expect, going to be part of much larger reviews that are taking place between multiple departments being involved in terms of doing that. I'll take the Member's question forward to the relevant lead on those reviews. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table "Our Climate Our Arctic - Beaufort Delta Declaration, March 8, 2020." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I give notice that on Monday, March 16, 2020, I will move the following motion: I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Hay River North, that, notwithstanding Rule 4, when this House adjourns on Friday, March 13, 2020, it shall be adjourned until Tuesday, March 24, 2020; and further, at any time prior to March 24, 2020, if the Speaker is satisfied, after consultation with the Executive Council and Members of the Legislative Assembly, that the public interest requires that the House should meet at an earlier time during the adjournment, or at a time later than the scheduled resumption of the House, the Speaker may give notice and thereupon the House shall meet at the time stated in such notice and shall transact its business as it has been duly adjourned to that time. Mr. Speaker, at the appropriate time, I will be seeking unanimous consent to deal with this motion today.
Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to deal with the motion I gave notice of earlier today.
Thank you, Member for Yellowknife North. The Member is seeking unanimous consent to deal with the motion with us today. Are there any nays? There are no nays. You may conclude your motion.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I MOVE, seconded by the honourable Member for Hay River North, that, notwithstanding Rule 4, when this House adjourns on March 13, 2020, it shall be adjourned until Tuesday, March 24, 2020;
AND FURTHER, that, at any time prior to March 24, 2020, if the Speaker is satisfied, after consultation with the Executive Council and Members of the Legislative Assembly, that the public interest requires that the House should meet at an earlier time during the adjournment, or at a time later than the scheduled resumption of the House, the Speaker may give notice and thereupon the House shall meet at the time stated in such notice and shall transact its business as it has been duly adjourned to that time.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Yellowknife North. The motion is in order and is non-debatable. All those in favour? All those opposed? Any abstentions? The motion is carried.
---Carried
