Absolutely. As things change and as things develop within this COVID-19, our department is frequently updating our website. We are providing information through media, through a variety of radio, the list continues. Our department continuously provides communication as things come up, and that is important. People in the Northwest Territories would like to know when things are happening, when changes are being made to different orders, how we're moving into different phases. It's very important that communication continues. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister of health. I know that we have some great homecare and home support staff, and I'm sure they're providing as much information to the seniors and elders in my community that are on their homecare list, but not all seniors in my community are on that list. I want to know if the department can make sure that, if, or when, we have this second wave, some information packages can be put together so that we can have them in the public, even for constituency office, so we can deliver this information out to seniors to help them what they need to do to be safe during the pandemic. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes. Minister of Health and Social Services.
Absolutely. Right now, we are going through this first wave of COVID. We are learning from some of the things that we are doing, therefore, allows us to better inform residents of the Northwest Territories. It is important and communication is key. Especially if we are moving into the summer months, the fall, and the flu pandemic is coming. Information will be provided on vaccines and that is important. We are currently having discussions with the federal Ministers on perhaps having a flu vaccine available earlier so that we can have protection for our seniors.
Can the Minister maybe have her homecare staff or some other staff within the community that really work with a lot of the elders and boots-to-the-ground frontline staff to gather more lists of names, especially if we do go into the second wave of this pandemic? This is just to make sure there is someone checking on them, even though now they may not have that need, but during that, they may need that.
Another absolutely. It is important that our home and community care workers work hard in the communities. We are looking at extending hours. We will be talking about the home and community care review after rise of the House today. There are some recommendations in the review that Members will be happy, and they'll be supporting because some of the work that is in the review, in the recommendations, we're already doing. I think our home community care in the communities work hard. Right now, we need to look at some of their hours, because I have been hearing that elders don't go to sleep after 5:00, or they don't wake up at 9:00. We recognize that, and I think that is important.
Thank you to the Minister for that. I always want to protect the elders because we know that they're vulnerable, and they're immunocompromised, and they're our elders. We were raised to protect them once we got older. That was what we do. I understand the reason behind closing the visiting to long-term care area like when there is an outbreak of flu, and now with the pandemic, but a lot of our elders don't have long to live in some of our long-term care facilities. Can the Minister explain if there is a process for immediate family that can visit their loved ones now during this pandemic? If there is, can you explain that?
We watched what was happening across Canada and where seniors were passing on as a result of not tightening up rules. That really sent a message to us here in the Northwest Territories, so we acted really quick to make sure that we restricted some of the access to our long-term care centres. We put measure in place where basically the visiting hours were really quite restricted. That was done for the safety of the elders, that was done for the safety of our workers.
I look around now within social media and you see innovative ways of how people are visiting their elders. They're taking pictures through the windows of the long-term care centres. They're visiting that way. Even some of the elders are wanting Facebook and just to find ways to communicate, FaceTime. There are so many different ways that we can communicate with our elders that are in care with the family. There are ways that are safe for both. That's our primary concern right now.
Thank you Minister. Oral questions. Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, I appreciate that the department is taking that serious and I know that the workers in the long-term care really care for the elders. We don't want them getting sick, but it is hard to see that when they can't connect. We have to do what's right and that's the thing, the highest population in Canada that we're losing to COVID is seniors. I thank the health department for that.
What I would like to know is: what needs to happen during this pandemic or after the pandemic? Have you thought that far ahead yet on what needs to take place to start lifting these measures? Again, I'm not saying we're going to put them at risk right now but so families can start to kind of get a sense of, "This is what needs to happen before I actually can sit and hold my mom and my dad or my grandparents."
Like I mentioned, we are still in the first wave. We are looking forward to a second wave. We're easing up wisely. We're loosening some of the things. We'll do a big announcement tomorrow that some folks might be happy with, some folks might not be happy with. Can't please everyone, but we're going to do the announcement anyways.
The Member is asking: when will we start to lift restrictions for our elders and for our seniors? My quick answer would be: let's find a vaccine, then we can start to look at lifting some restrictions. Right now, it's not safe. There are some exceptions that our department is doing in order to ensure that we have family somehow visit or somehow interact with the elders that are in care. One of the things we have asked people to do is to be outside. Start utilizing the outside. Hopefully, that's in our phase 2, tomorrow, we'll see. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Merci, Monsieur le President. My questions are for the Minister of Finance. Please provide a list and amounts of all current financial obligations to the Government of the Northwest Territories and subsidies provided to the Dominion Diamond group of companies that includes the following:
an itemized listing of and outstanding amounts due to the Government of the Northwest Territories for payroll taxes, property taxes, corporate taxes, mining royalties, carbon and fuel taxes, land lease rents, water use fees, Worker's Safety and Compensation Commission assessments, and any other financial obligations;
an itemized listing of amounts and type of any subsidies provided to the Dominion Diamond group of companies, including land lease fee holidays, wage top-ups, loan deferrals, mining fee reductions, or any similar reductions, deferrals, or forgiveness; and
an itemized listing of amounts spent by GNWT in connection with the Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act proceeding in relation to the Dominion Diamond group of companies including outside legal counsel, consultants, staff time and related costs.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Frame Lake. Written questions. Member for Nunakput.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On June 10, 2020, I asked the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment if he could confirm whether payments of claims beneficiaries, per Section 20(4) to the Income Assistance Regulations, has been considered "unearned income" when determining "net monthly income" to the purpose of calculating Income Assistance payable to the applicant, whether the payments and claims in the beneficiaries were exempt from being considered unearned income under the regulations prior to 2007. Quoting from unedited Hansard, the Minister replied, "I'm not up to date with what happened in 2007, so I can't confirm what the status of the program was in 2007." I also asked the Minister how much the inclusion of this provision saves the Government of the Northwest Territories on Income Assistance payments, to which he did not receive a direct answer. Consequently, I have the following written questions:
Since the 1990, inception of the Income Assistance Regulations pursuant to the Social Assistance Act, is "money, or the value of goods, in excess of $500 per year, received by a person under a self-government agreement, a land claims agreement or an impact benefits agreement" always considered as unearned income for the purpose of determining an applicant's net monthly income, or the provision included in the regulations at that point subsequent to their coming into force?
What is the rationale for including claims beneficiary income, the calculation is "unearned income" when Residential School Settlement payments were not included in that calculation?
If the Government of the Northwest Territories were to exempt claims of beneficiaries in land claim groups income from being considered "unearned income" when determining the applicant's net monthly income for the purposes of calculating Income Assistance payable to the applicant, how much extra would it cost our Government of the Northwest Territories in social assistance payments, applicants for the current fiscal year? Put another way, how much money will the GNWT save on Income Assistance payments in this current fiscal year by including claims beneficiaries income as "unearned income" when determining the applicant's net monthly income for the purposes of calculating Income Assistance payable to an applicant?
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following six documents: "Grants and Contributions Results Reports 2018-2019"; "Annual Report 2019-2020 of the Northwest Territories Office of the Regulator of Oil and Gas"; "Follow-Up Letter for Oral Question 52-19(2), Grants and Contributions to Commercial Fishers"; "Follow-Up Letter for Oral Question 75-19(2), Impact of Coronavirus on Northwest Territories Tourism"; "Follow-Up Letter for Oral Question 112-19(2), Northwest Territories Commercial Fishing Industry"; and "Follow-Up Letter for Oral Question 249-19(2), Small Business Grants." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. WHEREAS the population of elders in the Northwest Territories is the fastest growing sector of the population;
AND WHEREAS this population is expected to increase by 56 percent to 9,400 people in the next 15 years;
AND WHEREAS 40 percent of seniors and elders have income of less than $25,000 per year and thus live in poverty;
AND WHEREAS this 19th Assembly agreed in its mandate to enable seniors and elders to age in place with dignity;
AND WHEREAS there is a need for a whole of government approach to provide and co-ordinate services and programs that respond to the complex needs of elders;
AND WHEREAS there are gaps in current programs and services such as accessing financial assistance for home maintenance and providing suitable, affordable housing;
AND WHEREAS there is a need to revamp homecare programming for elders across the territory by providing a broader range and more client-centered services;
AND WHEREAS most communities need programs and transportation for elders to combat their social isolation;
AND WHEREAS the National Elders Strategy is not designed to meet the needs of the Northwest Territories, and the Northwest Territories' "Our Elders, Our Communities" strategy needs updating;
NOW THEREFORE I MOVE, seconded by the Member for Thebacha, that the Government of the Northwest Territories develop a strategy by engaging Northwest Territories elders that provides a whole of government approach to enhance and coordinate programs and services to elders going forward;
AND FURTHER, that the Government respond to this motion within 120 days.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Yellowknife Centre. Member for Yellowknife Centre.
Mr. Speaker, I have an amendment to the motion. I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Thebacha, that Motion 11-19(2) be amended by changing each reference of the word "elders" to the words "seniors and elders," except where it is the title of a document. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Yellowknife Centre. The motion is in order as amended. All those in favour? All those opposed? Any abstentions? The motion is carried.
---Carried
Member for Yellowknife Centre.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The NWT Seniors' Society has requested this government and the previous government create an NWT seniors' strategy for a number of reasons. I am going to recap some of them today. The first is that the existing strategic framework, called "Our Elders, Our Communities," was published in 2014, and much has changed in that time. It also is a strategy that is specific to Health and Social Services. It doesn't address issues such as housing, transportation, social inclusion, and so on. While this is a good strategy in and of itself, it's not current to our needs at the moment.
There is, in fact, a national seniors' strategy, but it does not address NWT-specific issues. The result of that is that it's helpful, but not specific enough. What we have now in the NWT are 17 programs and services designed for or accessed by seniors and offered by departments and agencies, including Health and Social Services, the NWT Housing Corporation, Education, Culture and Employment, Justice, and Municipal and Community Affairs. What we need is to bring all of these programs together into one strategy and action plan for a whole-of-government approach. This is analogous to the integrated case management-type model, where there is a one-stop shop for all of these programs and services, and that roadmap is included in an NWT seniors' strategy.
Some of the areas that present gaps now that we know about are assistance with home maintenance, yard work, housekeeping, grocery shopping, and other essential activities of daily living. These are not covered by homecare. Homecare is a nursing function, and so this is a gap for seniors who are trying to age in place in their own homes. There will be much more said about homecare when the report is tabled, but we know that homecare is kind of a patchwork approach at this point and needs to be strengthened.
We also know that there is no transportation available to seniors outside of Yellowknife, and yet transportation is key to seniors who want to age in place in order for them to go grocery shopping and to meet their social needs, among other things.
Affordable housing is a huge issue for seniors. People have heard me talk before about how the waiting list at Avens here was six years long, last I heard. I know Avens is interested in expanding their offerings, but even when they do, there will still be a shortage of seniors' housing across the NWT and especially of affordable housing. We know that, for seniors, as for everyone else in the Northwest Territories, housing is their biggest expense, and they need assistance in the form of some kind of a subsidy.
What I am asking for here, then, is that the government create the resources necessary to engage a broad stakeholder group of people who interact with seniors, not only within government, but also within the non-profit sector, so that there is a concerted effort to create a strategy that addresses this huge segment of our population, huge and growing, and that we live up to the commitments of allowing our elders to age in place by creating this coordinated approach to their needs.
Further, to the statement that I made today about elder abuse and the soon-to-be-lapsed strategy on combatting elder abuse, this also should be included in the seniors' strategy.
Mr. Speaker, I want to commend to my colleagues in this House how we can make seniors' lives more functional, richer, and meet more of their basic needs by making a roadmap for how to do that and implementing it. Those are my opening comments. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Yellowknife Centre. To the motion as amended. Member for Thebacha.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It's an honour for me to second this motion with my colleagues on this side of the House. Our elders are our knowledge base in the communities and all over the Northwest Territories. Our seniors have given us a lot throughout life. The journey of leadership, they are all leaders in their own right and they should have the dignity to have a senior's strategy by the Government of the Northwest Territories, and there should be money set aside in the department to ensure that seniors are well looked-after so that they can live with dignity. I truly believe in this motion, and it would be really great if the whole House would have unanimously accepted this motion. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Thebacha. To the motion as amended. Member for Frame Lake.
Merci, Monsieur le President. I stand in support of the motion. There are a growing number of seniors across the Northwest Territories, and I am one of them, or will be soon enough. Part of the issue here, I think, Mr. Speaker, is that the issue of seniors cuts across several departments within this government; Health and Social Services, Housing, Municipal and Community Affairs. Most of our departments have some responsibility, some part of their programs and services that are dedicated and targeted toward seniors, but we don't really have a whole-of-government approach, and I think that's what is really required here, Mr. Speaker.
Often, the issues that seniors face are complex. You know, they relate often to areas around housing, transportation, accessibility, social isolation, abuse, and, once again, these matters cut across a number of different departments. We have a very enthusiastic Minister responsible for Seniors, and I do want to give him credit. Unfortunately, he doesn't have any resources to work with within the government. I shouldn't say that; he is able to, I guess, draw on the resources that are there, but I think, when we have a Minister responsible for Seniors or a Minister responsible for Youth, we need to find ways to support that function, rather than just have them as figureheads. They often will need some sort of support, a secretariat, somebody who can help them lead the charge in terms of policy development when it cuts across various departments, and so on. Part of my objective in supporting this motion is to get the Minister responsible for Seniors the kind of support that is needed to help develop this kind of strategy, that cuts across many areas that our government provides services and programs in.
I am pleased to support this motion, and I look forward to all of the Regular MLAs on this side of the House voting in favour. You know, the way this works, to explain this to the public, is that Cabinet often abstains from these kinds of motions because it provides direction to them and maybe creates a bit of a perception of some kind of conflict of interest, or something, but I expect that most of our colleagues on the other side of the House actually support this, as well, but, just out of convention, they can't stand in support of it. However, I know that their hearts are in the right place and they support this initiative, as well. Also, I do want to acknowledge and thank the mover and the seconder in bringing forward this important matter of public interest, and commend them for their actions. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Frame Lake. To the motion as amended. Minister responsible for Seniors.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This government recognizes the importance of supporting our seniors and elders to ensure that they remain living safely in their own communities. The current mandate has several priorities which address key areas that impact the ability of seniors and elders to age in place, including housing, income, and finances; health support; community infrastructure and supports; and safety. Several departments are leading the work on this, including Education, Culture and Employment, Municipal and Community Affairs, Health and Social Services, Justice, and the NWT Housing Corporation.
Developing an NWT seniors' strategy may not be achievable at this time, particularly in light of the current and developing COVID pandemic response; however, we are committed to supporting our seniors by advancing the mandate priorities. We will continue to work across government and community sectors to address the core issues that impact the ability of seniors and elders to remain living in supportive communities, free from abuse, regardless of whether a specific senior's strategy is developed.
Mr. Speaker, motions in Legislative Assemblies are typically taken as advice to the government, and Cabinet usually abstains from voting on them. Cabinet is committed to supporting NWT seniors and we will continue to advance our mandate priorities related to that, but we will be abstaining from this vote. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. To the motion as amended. Member for Yellowknife Centre.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm not sure what COVID has to do with this. The Minister responsible for Seniors had already told the NWT Seniors' Society at the end of last year that he would not support the development of a seniors' strategy. I feel this is a really important strategy to support. That's the reason that I have brought this motion forward. I recognize that the government is not going to support this, but I look forward to the support of my Regular Member colleagues for our seniors to ensure that we've fulfilled our promise to them to make their lives easier in their old age. Mr. Speaker, I would request a recorded vote. Thank you.
The Member for Yellowknife Centre, the Member for Frame Lake, the Member for Kam Lake, the Member for Deh Cho, the Member for Yellowknife North, the Member for Monfwi, the Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes, the Member for Hay River South, the Member for Thebacha, the Member for Nunakput, the Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.
All those opposed, please rise. All those abstaining, please rise.
The Member for Nahendeh, the Member for Sahtu, the Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, the Member for Hay River North, the Member for Great Slave, the Member for Range Lake, the Member for Yellowknife South.
The results of the recorded vote: 11 in favour, zero opposed, seven abstentions. The motion is carried.
---Carried
Mr. Speaker. I give notice that, on Monday, June 15, 2020, I will move that Bill 10, Temporary Variation of Statutory Time Periods (COVID-19 Pandemic Measures) Act, be read for the first time. Mr. Speaker, at the appropriate time I will be seeking unanimous consent to proceed with the first reading of this bill today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
