Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Nunakput.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today, I have questions for the housing Minister. Crisis in housing for Paulatuk: What's the status for the emergency shelter planned for Paulatuk? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Nunakput. Minister responsible for Northwest Territories Housing Corporation.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Looking at the emergency shelter for Paulatuk, I would have to revisit that initiative, and I would have to get a further update on if that was concluded for the community or what was the reason that we did not construct that facility. I would also have to follow-up with my colleague for the department of health, as well, if we are providing such as service. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I'm going to rephrase that question because it's not an emergency shelter. Housing has an emergency house if something goes wrong, somebody's house burns down or some emergency. Last year, I was told in the House that there is a unit, but that they were waiting to get it furnished. Is that unit available for the community now?
Thank you to the Member for rephrasing that question. Last year, the Housing Corporation did set aside a number of houses throughout the Northwest Territories to deal with COVID-19, and should we have an outbreak in the communities, these units were set aside for that use. I will have to follow-up with my department. Right now, it is a priority, and I'm looking at: Should we have an outbreak, I would still like to have those units available in the high Arctic communities should we end up having to use them in the future.
I think we have to have a unit for the community. I have people that haven't, been trying to get into housing for over a year now. I keep sending letters in to the Minister to no avail in regards to one individual in the community. If there's a house available for that, is he eligible to go into and to use that unit? Will people be able to go into that unit to stay warm because it's minus 40 or 50 below back home, and it's really needed.
I hear the Member's comments, as well, because we do have similar concerns brought throughout the Northwest Territories, but we do have a certain amount of units that are available. I'm not going to comment on the individual, but I do want to really express the importance of the pandemic that we are currently in and looking at these units and setting them aside. I will have to follow-up with the Member and furthermore provide more information as to what is available at the ground level in the specific community and also looking at the waitlist, as well, because we do have families that are in need of housing. We do have overcrowding, and I would have to follow-up with the Member.
Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary. Member for Nunakput.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Will the Minister commit to working with ECE and the Housing Corporation because we are lack of housing in the community? Like I said before, the teachers are being -- one was evicted. She came home. She got a letter. She was evicted. Then, the next thing you know, we had to rush and try to find her a place in the community. The hamlet did that for her, but we need more houses for teachers, for professionals, to draw them in because if you don't have housing, you're not going to draw the quality of people in because you're worrying about stuff like that. That's the last thing they should be worrying about. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I will be working with my colleagues from the department of education, as well, and looking at the significant need throughout the Northwest Territories for teachers. I just wanted to reiterate and clarify that we did not evict the teacher out of the unit. We did work with that individual, and we did provide options for the individual, as well. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Deh Cho.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I'm following up to my Member's statement regarding the high water levels and its potential impact on the tar sands tailings ponds upstream from us. Can the Minister enlighten the residents of the Northwest Territories as to the type of agreement the GNWT has with the Alberta government in water monitoring, especially the monitoring of the tar sands tailings ponds? Mahsi.
Thank you, Member for Deh Cho. Minister of Environment and Natural Resources.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The GNWT has a transboundary agreement with the Government of Alberta to ensure the ecological integrity of our shared waters is maintained. The Alberta-NWT and BC-NWT bilateral water agreements are the most comprehensive agreements of their kind. The agreements require the Government of Alberta to consult with the GNWT on any projects that could impact waters that enter the Northwest Territories, provide notification of changes to the monitoring sites, conduct ongoing monitoring, review the monitoring data, prepare annual reporting on commitments of the agreement, and include mechanisms for dispute resolution. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I thank the Minister for that. I note the department information is not readily forthcoming regarding issues of concern with the tar sands tailings ponds. Can the Minister explain why that would be, considering this all-important matter?
I thank the Member. The GNWT is confident, and when I say "GNWT," the department of ENR and myself are confident that the Alberta and NWT bilateral water management agreement remains the best tool to address transboundary concerns related to water management and to protect the interests of the Northwest Territories. Water quality results are available on the ENR site and are updated in a timely manner. Results of the monitoring are released in annual reports, which are required under our agreement, and the last annual report was tabled in the Legislative Assembly this past fall.
I thank the Minister for that, but we can't find that detailed information. Maybe my next question may dig something out. I have concern with the disclosure of any relevant information regarding any leakage from the tar sands tailings ponds. The biggest concern with the leakage is the high level of contaminants in the tailings ponds. There has been news that these contaminants may be attributed to a host of health problems. Most, if not all, of the news in this regard has been brushed off as a figment of people's imagination. I think we have heard lots of news in the past around the Fort Chip area. Does the department have any concerns with the contaminants in the tailings ponds and the possible effects on human health?
Both the government of Alberta and the federal government monitor the water quality in the oil sands regions, both upstream and downstream of the oil sands. The GNWT also conducts water quality monitoring on the Slave River at Fort Smith and has done so for many years. As confirmed in the recent release of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation report on the Alberta tailings ponds, the Athabasca River shows no evidence of tailings ponds input downstream.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Deh Cho.
Mahsi for that. I am very leery about the monitoring, that agreement we have with the Alberta government in terms of that. I am not sure if we are privy to firsthand information. We are not on the site, per se. What I would like the department to do is to update the residents of the Northwest Territories on the contaminants stored in the tailings ponds and possible effects on human health. Can the Minister commit to providing that information widely? Mahsi.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources assesses water quality and quantity, including the health of aquatics ecosystems. Unfortunately, the department does not assess the human risk. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Frame Lake.
Merci, Monsieur le President. My questions are for the Minister of Finance, who is responsible for the regulation of the insurance industry in the Northwest Territories. Section 270 of the Insurance Act requires that the superintendent of insurance prepare an annual report for the Minister. The last report available on the Department of Finance website is from 2013, seven years ago. Can the Minister tell us whether annual reports have been prepared since 2013 and why they have not been made public? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Frame Lake. Minister of Finance.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will have to look back to 2013, which is certainly long before my time, to speak to what may have happened in the entire course of that period. I can say that, with respect to the provisions where it says that the Minister may direct that the annual report be printed and published, prior to my opportunity to have this role, I can't speak to what may or may not have been directed. I can say that it is my intention to direct that that happen in the future. Thank you.
I thank the Minister for her commitment to get on that right away, that legal requirement. It's not clear to me that we take the regulation of the insurance industry very seriously when annual reports are not made public and the amount of information is very limited on the website. Can the Minister tell us what steps this government is taking to ensure that homeowners, school boards, and businesses can actually access affordable insurance?
Just to be clear, the role of the department and the role, more specifically, of the superintendent of insurance certainly is to regulate, but it is not something that can get involved in the private market. The insurance superintendent doesn't change the market prices, doesn't influence in the market; they regulate the market. I would say it's not necessarily fair to suggest that we are not taking that seriously. I would also be cautious that the problems and challenges being faced by homeowners, school boards, and businesses may well be different. I certainly agree, and the department is aware that we want to be conscious of those challenges, but we want to make sure that we are looking at the nature of the problem in each of those circumstances to truly understand what is at issue and not to try to put ourselves into a situation that is not ours to solve or one that we can solve.
I would note further one last comment, Mr. Speaker. It is possible to issue a complaint to the Office of the Superintendent of Insurance, which is something that certainly policyowners can consider doing if they are unable to resolve their matter with their insurance themselves.
That's great to get that from the Minister, but clearly there has been a failure of the private market. People can't get insurance, can't get affordable insurance. We're just going to stand there and watch? This government proclaims that homeownership is a critical part of addressing homelessness, yet residents can't find or obtain affordable insurance. We heard the Minister of housing earlier today talk about how they have to change programs because people can't get home insurance. What specifically has the Minister done to ensure that home insurance is not a barrier to homeownership?
Again, the superintendent of insurance, their role is to ensure that the regulations are being followed, not to go in and create an insurance industry run or administered by a Crown corporation or otherwise by the Government of the Northwest Territories. My colleague already, from the Housing Corporation, has described the efforts that they are using to try to ensure that this is not a barrier. My colleague over at ECE is certainly working with school boards to ensure that, again, they are not facing barriers. There is certainly a lot of work happening in the departments that are relevant to the areas where people may be facing challenges for insurance. Aside from that, we are going to continue to ensure that the regulation is happening and that those reports are published, and that is the role that we have at the Department of Finance.
Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary. Member for Frame Lake.
Merci, Monsieur le President. I appreciate the response. I want to thank the Minister for that, but I don't think it's good enough for us to just say that there's a problem. I've got a solution. I've pitched it before, so I'll try it again. In my Member's statement, I discussed how the Saskatchewan government, in 1944, set up its own Crown corporation to provide insurance because the private sector could not or would not provide coverage. That corporation now operates in five provinces to provide the kind of coverage that our residents need. Will the Minister commit to having discussions with the Saskatchewan Government Insurance Corporation about potential coverage in the NWT, and will she share the outcome of those discussions with us publicly? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Again, I just want to ensure that we are looking at what the actual problem is and where the right solutions are, whether they are in the Housing Corporation, whether it's with ECE, or whether, in fact, it's with the superintendent of insurance with the Department of Finance. That said, with respect to solution-oriented approaches and talking about different ways of governments doing things, yes, I have no difficulty in saying that the Department of Finance can reach out to the Saskatchewan Government Insurance Program, investigate it, and see whether or not that's a tool that would benefit people in the Northwest Territories and the industry in the Northwest Territories. I will make that outreach and I will certainly bring those discussions and information back. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Great Slave.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister of Health and Social Services. Could the Minister please explain or describe the COVID protocols and procedures that have been implemented to protect small communities from counsellors who may be travelling in to the Northwest Territories from the South? Are they being vaccinated before they enter the communities and, if not, will she make them a COVID priority group? Thank you.
Thank you, Member for Great Slave. Minister of Health and Social Services.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We are vaccinating NWT residents as a priority group. We are not vaccinating non-residents because of the limited supply of vaccine available to us at this point. What we've had in place all along through the pandemic is that people who are going to work in isolated communities, really regardless of what job they are going to do, have to isolate for 14 days in one of the regional hubs and then move on, if they are welcome, in the small community, and there take the precautions that we all do, wash their hands, wear their mask, and so on and so forth.
I feel that the needs of mental health clients are being met in a number of ways by the GNWT, by resident counsellors, through helplines, through apps, and so on and so forth, that provide people with options about how to access mental healthcare. I want to just finish this answer by giving out the phone number for the NWT Helpline. It's available 24/7. Anyone can call it about anything. It is confidential; people remain anonymous. Please put this on your Facebook: 1-800-661-0844. Thank you.
I respectfully disagree with the Minister on her characterization of the supports the GNWT is providing for mental health. I am glad to hear the helpline is 24/7. There is a website somewhere that I came across the other day that said that it only operated from 7:00 to 11:00, so I'm really glad to hear that. My next question has to do with small communities. Are safe places being developed in small communities where victims can feel safe? Have they been vetted with a COVID lens? What is the department doing to protect vulnerable people in small communities where isolation may be causing more depression and is a factor?
I'm just going to go over some of the things that we have available to people in the communities. We now have child and youth care counsellors in all schools north of Yellowknife, so that includes many of the most isolated places in the NWT. We have the NWT Helpline, which I mentioned. We have land-based healing, which has had good uptake from Indigenous governments. We have counsellors in 19 communities who are resident, and in the other communities, they are flown in or driven in to provide care on a schedule of so many days per so many weeks. We also have the Strongest Families Institute, which is an assist for families with children aged three to 17, to assist them with questions that they may have there. We also have the Kids Helpline, which is specifically for youth to receive services. There is a great deal that is available to all residents of the NWT. If they find that anonymity is hard to achieve in their house, they are welcome to make an appointment at the healthcare centre and take the call there.
Thanks for, again, listing all the resources you did yesterday. However, that didn't answer my question as to: Are there safe places in the Northwest Territories for victims to go to that are not in their abuser's home? However, I will follow up with the Minister on that one personally. My next question is: Are people in remote communities being asked to initiate the counselling documentation process from their communities when there is a known lack of resources to do so? How is the department facilitating the use of their services in small communities where the access to technology may be limited or language barriers exist?
Just first to the Member's other question. Of course, we do have family violence shelters, five of them in the NWT, and a 24/7 crisis line for people experiencing family violence. As you heard when the Minister of housing talked to the Member from Nunakput, freestanding extra places to go and take calls are in vanishingly short supply in small communities. If people are wanting to send documentation to counsellors or other entities, they can go to the government services offices that exist in most communities and they can send faxes or have scans made there in order to provide the necessary information for counselling services.
Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary. Member for Great Slave.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm not sure that the Minister actually listened to my statement today, so more of a comment that people, as stated, do not want to go to people in their communities and talk to them about their mental health supports so, if we are not facilitating the Health Canada counsellors to come through and help them, which is more anonymous, then I don't really understand how we can stop these people from falling through the cracks. Again, I'll just make more of a comment. I completely disagree with the Minister's characterization of her supports. Thank you.
Thank you, Member for Great Slave. I'll give the Minister an opportunity to respond, if she'd like.
The Department of Health and Social Services takes mental health issues extremely seriously. We spend $17.5 million a year on mental health supports. We are looking at a range of offerings, which should not be readily dismissed. They are tailored to different kinds of issues and different kinds of communication styles. We have very dedicated counsellors working in 19 communities. We have barrier-free access. You can go in on a drop-in basis. You can go the same day for counselling. We are pretty confident that people are not falling through the cracks because Health Canada is not on the scene. We are the healthcare provider in the NWT, and we take that job seriously. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Kam Lake.
