Thank you, Member for Monfwi. I will just take that as a comment. Are there further questions to this section? If there are no further questions, please turn to page 167. Health and Social Services, administrative and support services, operations expenditure summary, 2020-2021 Main Estimates, $52,038,000. Does committee agree?
Agreed.
Thank you. We will move to Health and Social Services programs, beginning on page 170, with information up to page 174. Questions? Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you very much, Madam Chair. I have a couple of questions for this page. It's a very expensive page in our book. It's very obvious that health has a lot of fabulous health and social programs, and one of the ones we've heard the most about in the last few years has been the child and family services program. I notice that the increase for the child and family services program in the budget this year is just under half a million dollars. I'm wondering if the Minister can speak to whether or not that is enough money for this program to cover what they would like to achieve with child and family services?
Thank you, Member. Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Right now under the child and family services, we do have the quality improvement plan that we are looking at, and we are also looking at innovative ways to be able to meet what our standards are. We continuously try to improve where we can. If the Member is asking: do we want more money in the budget line item? Of course, we do, if we can. This is where we are at right now with the child and family services. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. Member.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I would be curious to know if the Minister can speak to what it would cost for them to be able to address the issues raised in the Auditor General's report? Thank you.
Thank you, Member. Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. That is a big question. We looked at the Auditor General's report, and there were a lot of actions. That is something our department can go back to have a look at. Maybe I'll turn it over to Mr. Cooper.
Thank you, Minister. Mr. Cooper.
Thank you, Madam Chair. The department has developed a three-year plan to essentially answer the question of what staffing is going to be required to meet the workload and caseload demands, part of what was operating behind some of the OAG issues and findings. What you see in this particular budget line is the continuation of our first year of that three-year plan, with some of the UNW increases. We do have a plan, a costing. As the Minister referenced, the quality improvement plan is very much in line with the spirit of that plan, which is to implement new measures, monitor, evaluate, and then shift. What we have done, we did do a costing of a three-year trajectory for getting new staff and new resources to be able to meet the call to action OAG report. It is very much a living document and something that, as we go, we are learning and making changes. What is not showing up this budget is other planning that we've done for year two, which I believe would be part of the consideration of the sub-process.
Thank you. Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you very much, Madam Chair. I very much believe that child and family services is, given the changes that health and social services wants to implement, a form of preventative care because we've all seen research that says, when you invest in kids, when you invest in families, the benefits that come back to communities and the benefits that come back to your society are huge. I think my colleague from Yellowknife Centre once said, and she can tell me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure, she once said, for every dollar you invest in kids, your return is $13. I believe that was actually from UNICEF that that was pointed out. I definitely think that this is somewhere where we need to put our energy and put our money. My second question is for the family violence line that is in here, that this hasn't changed from the previous year. Does the Minister consider health and social services a lead on family violence prevention? Thank you.
Thank you, Member. Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Earlier today we had our meeting in Cabinet where we talked about family violence and the multi-departmental approach. You're looking Department of Health and Social Services, Department of Justice, and Department of EIA. That is something that our government is looking at because we don't want to be pointing fingers at different departments. Family violence is very important here in the Northwest Territories, and everybody seems to be turning a blind eye and pointing at departments. That is not what this government wants. This government, Madam Chair, wants to be able to have a go-to at a very senior level so that they can work within the departments to be able to take some action. That is where we are at right now. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. Member.
Thank you very much Madam Chair. Yes, this was a conversation that the Minister of Justice and I had during our last sitting that was cut short. I have let her know that I am coming back around to finish that conversation during this sitting. I appreciate that answer, and I agree that it does need a lead. My next question is in regard to the antipoverty fund and the day shelter fund that is on the next page. Over the course of the last 10 weeks, the day shelter showed up in media quite a bit, and the conversation was around does the day shelter go back to being a day shelter because it turned into an isolation centre over the course of COVID. They supplied MLAs with some research that showed some of the great work that they were doing. My question became: how do all of these levels of care fit together, and who has the oversight of that? I'm wondering if the Department of Health and Social Services does have somebody that looks at levels of care for day shelters or transitional homes, and who has that oversight, and how does that work? Thank you.
Thank you, Member. Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. That is a really good question. Here in the Northwest Territories, we a variety of different services that we provide to vulnerable populations, the day shelters, we also have the NWT disabilities; we have a variety of different service providers that we partner with. I think that partnership is key. We, as a department, look to help fund different NGOs here so that they can provide the services where we're not able to. I agree that partnership is ideal and is key to be able to make successful progress.
Thank you, Minister. Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you very much Madam Chair. I absolutely agree that NGOs are crucial in that sense. As you mentioned the NWT Disabilities Council, they end up being the ones actually delivering the programming. My question is: who provides the oversight of all these NGOs? Because sometimes they end up administering the same programs, whereas, really, we could be working together to make sure that we're offering different levels of care throughout our system of partnerships. Thank you.
Thank you, Member. Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. That's the key. It's the communication. Although the department does fund a portion of some of these programs, the key is the communication, to be able to get everybody together on an ongoing basis to be able to provide some communication and support is ideal. I don't want to say that department has the official oversight. For us, the key is partnership. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you very much Madam Chair. I'm just looking at the time, so I'm going to move on from this one a little bit. I'll come back to it with the Minister at a later time. My next question is in regard to the mental health and addictions line item in the budget. Within COVID, we've talked a lot of mental health and addictions and how the increase in need for mental health supports is huge. Does the Minister foresee that line item going up or them coming back for the need for additional monies because of COVID in relation to mental health and addiction?
Thank you, Member. Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. We are in a situation now of a pandemic. You look at a lot of the programs that have delayed because we don't have the one-on-one with the mental wellness. We do access a lot of the virtual care, and that is something the department will continue to do as we get through this pandemic. In terms of the mental wellness and addictions, we've been asked from a lot of residents to have more addictions here in the Territories. I can see this as something that we will have to have a look at and get back to the Member, unless, Mr. Cooper, you have anything to add?
Thank you, Minister. Mr. Cooper.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Yes, we certainly have implemented a significant number of new things in relation to COVID, like managed alcohol, some of the sheltering-in-place options that have happened. Some of the expansion of the use of virtual care has essentially eliminated our wait times for community counselling. There has been a cluster of things that we have done that we are taking a look at, to basically answer the question: how do we need to change going forward, and is this something we can do by reprofiling, or is this something that we're going to need to make other changes to be able to fund, or is it something we need to come back and seek funding for?
Thank you, Mr. Cooper. I'm going to move on to Member for Thebacha.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I just would like clarification on page 171, community clinics and health centres. That $73,936,000, an increase of probably about 2.5. I just want to see, what does that include, and then I'll ask for another line after that. Is that the health centres in all of the communities?
Thank you. Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. The community clinics healthcare, the majority of the budget is going towards the grants and the actual budgets. It's all going to some of the different health authorities is the majority of the community clinics and healthcare centres, so yes.
Thank you, Minister. Member.
Madam Chair, I just want clarification. Community clinics and health centres is the $73,936,000. I need clarification on that. That's everything in the communities outside of Yellowknife; right? Am I correct?
Thank you, Member. Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Let me just find it here. The community clinics and health centres, this funding is for primary care services, which is considered the first level of contact for individuals within the health system. These are going towards the Hay River Health and Social Services Authority; also, some of the other hospitals, the Stanton hospital. Yes, they are going to regional health authorities. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. Member for Thebacha.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Then there's a line there, hospital services, for $134,607,000. There's an increase in there of about $14 million. That would be the two designated hospitals, which is Inuvik and Stanton. Am I correct, Madam Chair? Just wanted clarification.
Thank you, Member. Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I will ask Ms. Mathison to respond back to that. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. Ms. Mathison.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Yes, the hospital services line does include Stanton, Hay River, and Inuvik hospitals. The line that's called community clinics and health centres, that includes all the health centres across NWT, including also physician clinics and public health clinics.
Thank you, Ms. Mathison. Member for Thebacha.
I need more clarification, Madam Chair, for the $134,607,000. That includes the Hay River, considered a hospital, the Inuvik hospital, and Stanton, and then I want to see the breakdown. I would like clarification on the breakdown.
Thank you, Member. Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Hospital services includes our UNW collective agreement increases and also some of the supplies. Sorry, maybe I'll ask Ms. Mathison if she can help me here. I'm not finding it on the page. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Ms. Mathison.
Sure. Thank you, Madam Chair. Yes, hospitals services includes Hay River, Inuvik, and Stanton. I don't have the breakout as to how much goes to each authority with me, but the increases in that area are mostly related to collective agreement impacts for the new collective agreement that was settled within the past two years. Thank you, Madam Chair.
