Masi, Mr. Speaker. I spoke to after-care, addiction, and so forth for the past couple weeks now in my statement. As you know, it has been a very sensitive and delicate matter now, dealing with this in my region. We just lost a young individual who had six kids due to what we are faced with today, and that is a lack of treatment or after-care programs here in the North. I would like to ask the Minister of Health and Social Services about the actual numbers, people who have been sent South. How many of the 200 people sent South for treatment never finish that treatment? How many are unable to last 28 days in a foreign environment, separate from their family and community? Mr. Speaker, masi.
Thank you, Member for Monfwi. Minister of Health and Social Services.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to start by expressing my condolences to the family who lost their person to addictions. It happens, as the Member says, too often and with heartbreaking results.
I have some numbers here to share with the Member based on his question. For the most recent year, which is the year we are in now, where capacity has been very reduced because of the pandemic, people choosing not to go South, and limited capacity within the centres, a total of 50 people have been approved to go South; 20 people have completed the program; three people also completed the extension or extended-care portion of the program; 14 of these people are still in treatment today; 10 people left without completing the program; and six people were approved to attend but chose not to. That is for this year. If the Member would like information going back to the 2014-2015 year, I can provide that to him, as well. Thank you.
Yes, I would like those actual numbers, probably for the last five years, so we can compare what is truly happening in our southern institutions versus the North. Just moving on to my next question, pertaining to the whole COVID-19 that we are faced with, the government sends people to southern institutions such as Alberta, British Columbia, and Ontario for sometimes up to six weeks for treatment, exposing them to greater risk of contacting COVID-19 cases, then risks bringing them back to the Northwest Territories to go into two-week self-isolation. I would like to ask the Minister: how can that be less expensive than offering treatment here in the Northwest Territories, avoiding those high risks and paying high costs of hotel bills in the Northwest Territories?
It's worth remembering always that a decision to go into treatment is a voluntary decision. People may feel that they are ready at one point and then later feel that they, in fact, are not ready. I know that, with respect to COVID, I have heard from medical patients. They are somewhat reluctant to go South to the Alberta hospitals, for example, because there have been hospital-based outbreaks, and there is a perception of increased risk. I would not be at all surprised if that is the case with people who are looking at treatment programs. I would also say, and the Member has heard me say this before, there are lots of options here. Southern-based treatment is just one of them. There are other ways to engage in sobriety without going to a treatment centre, within the NWT.
The Minister talks about lots of options here in the Northwest Territories. I wish we had one of those options as a treatment centre here in the Northwest Territories for people to choose whether to go to a southern institution or here in the North so they can be close to their family and so they can avoid contacting COVID-19 in southern institutions. Just leading on to my next question for the Minister is: we Dene know our people better than any southern treatment centres. Let's dedicate the necessary resources, and together, let's build a place of healing for and by Northerners, a treatment centre that understands the residential school abuse and substance abuse. Let us set a national standard for Aboriginal healing here in the Northwest Territories. Mr. Speaker, would the Minister at least commit to studying the feasibility of a northern-based whether it be a treatment centre or after-care program? Would she give that thought for the whole Northwest Territories as the demand is increasing on a daily basis?
Yes. I don't think that there is any guarantee that a building will make someone well. It's a place where they may access services that are helpful, but the building itself has no magic related to it. I will give you as an example the Arctic Indigenous Wellness Foundation that operates here in Yellowknife, out of McPherson tents with wood stoves in them. I know quite a number of people who are regular visitors there. They find counselling. They find companionship. There is a warm place to be. There is food and coffee. It has been proven very beneficial for those people. Now, that might not be helpful to someone who has to drive in from Behchoko, but it's an example of an out-of-the-building type of thinking about healing so that healing can take place with whatever it is the community wants it to be. I have talked at length about this, and I encourage the Member to consider the options that are available and how his Indigenous government can access them.
Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary. Member for Monfwi.
Masi, Mr. Speaker. I, for one, am all for on-the-land program. When I was the Justice Minister, we pushed for that. On-the-land program in the Sahtu region has been very successful at that time. The Minister alluded to the funding that's available to Aboriginal groups or the Northwest Territories. That $1.8 million can only stretch so much. Five regions, that is approximately $360,000 if all access it, $360,000 for the Nunakput region. That is peanuts. That is very low funding compared to a major centre, so, Mr. Speaker, would the Minister consider, seriously consider, increasing the funding because it is badly needed across the Northwest Territories? I am not sure when was the last increase, but the $1.8 million versus the over $2 million we are sending people South, this is an area that obviously needs some enhancements. If I can get a commitment from the Minister? Masi, Mr. Speaker.
The answer to the question is that the on-the-land healing fund was increased by $700,000 for this fiscal year, and so the total now is $1.8 million. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes.
