Minister.
Thank you. I'm not trying to be difficult, but I am very familiar with the client group at the Inclusion NWT, and that client group includes a client I know is from Tuktoyaktuk, a client who is from Behchoko. They have lived here for a big chunk of their lives because this is where the services are located. The services they need are not generally available outside of Yellowknife and the regional centres. That's why I'm asking. If we took the client from Tuktoyaktuk, would that person be from Tuktoyaktuk because that's the origin of her family, or would she be from Yellowknife because she has lived here most of her life? I don't find this a cut-and-dried area.
Member.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I know it's not cut and dried, but if there were going to be issues with this person, we can't say where they were going to live, but if I say that this person was born to a family and their family is still in Tuktoyaktuk, for instance, then that's kind of where I'm looking at. I'm trying to find where the people have come from in the Northwest Territories. What are their roots? Where are their families from? That's one of them. I want to ask another thing, and the reason why I want to ask that is because we teach our children about equity. You've got Jordan's Principle, for instance, to try and balance that inequity. We have small communities, regional centres, and Yellowknife. As the Minister has stated, this person and some of these clients, they live in Yellowknife or they lived in Yellowknife, and now they are outside of the territory because they couldn't get the services in their community they needed to live here. Those are the reasons why I'm asking the question because, if we're not providing these services in the small communities, they had to go to the regional centre or Yellowknife. I feel like we talk about systemic racism, we talk about all these things, and we can't have services in every community, but I would like to know this breakdown.
I also would like to know from which regions because I know, in the past, there has been a summer student who did some research on this, and a large portion of these out-of-territory people are from my region. Like I said, my region has Inuvik, which is in the Beaufort-Delta. I've got my colleague from Nunakput. It's very expensive to be there. We know that we get a little bit more money, but we still have a lack of services and lack of facilities. This is why I'm asking these questions. If I can get some kind of numbers and some kind of breakdown of regions and whether they are adult or youth? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. We will attempt to gather that information.
Member.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. The other concern that I have had, and it goes back to some of the facilities that we have outside, do we know how many residents are living outside the NWT who we are supporting, who fall under this residential care? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Minister.
Yes, we have that list, and we can provide it.
Member.
Thank you. In my past work and knowing that some of this information about the people who are outside the NWT are a large number from my region, I have also found that the costs of these facilities have gone up significantly over a number of years, and I'm just wondering if that is accurate and if we can get a confirmation of an average of what we pay. I know there is a large amount of different -- people are living at different levels of care. I'm just wondering if there is a breakdown of what these levels of care are and the average cost that we pay per person out-of-territory annually, or something like that. Thank you.
Thank you. Minister.
Thank you. I can see how that is going to be difficult to provide because there are a few dynamics. One is that youth have moved into adult care. Another is that some people are extremely high-needs; they need one-on-one support, 24 hours a day. Some of them are less intensive. I just feel that averaging that wouldn't give you the full idea. Could we instead provide you with a range, so the cost could be as low as this amount and as high as that amount, so that you could see that some clients are very expensive to maintain in the southern facilities? Thank you.
Thank you. Member.
No. I just want to know, like I said, if we can get an average of how many facilities and what the average cost is. I'm just trying to look at, and I know I mentioned this in the last budget session, when you break it down, the amount we pay. I know there's a certain level of care. I know we would pay high amounts for a one-on-one level of care and depending whether they are a child or an adult, that specialty care. In my region, I know a lot of the people who live here, and I also know a lot of the people who have been living out of the territory. I know that the previous Minister has said, when we were going through this budget, that they don't want to come back, some of them. They don't want to go back to their regions, and that's fine. That's why I'm looking forward to the review so we can kind of get this moving. It's a way to bring our people who do want to be at home, that our family members do want their family members close, and it will increase our economy in some of our regions, too. More of a comment. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. Minister.
Thank you for that comment. I think the Member has hit on the reason that we are doing the review. It's because we have heard from people that they would like to know whether it would be possible for their family members to come back, and the answer without the study is: we don't really know. Can we provide for the level of care they need? Do we have the physical space? Do we have the staffing expertise to provide that care? This is what we want to learn and share so that we are all on the same page in understanding the kinds of needs. That is one dimension, of course. Whether the person wants to come back, has the capacity to make that decision, that's a different story, which is not part of this review. Thank you.
May I please have the report of Committee of the Whole, please. Member for Hay River South.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, your committee has been considering Bill 3, An Act to Amend the Public Highways Act; Committee Report 8-19(2), Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures Report on Motion 5-19(2): Referral of Point of Privilege Raised by Member for Monfwi on March 10, 2020; Committee Report 9-19(2), Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures Report on the Chief Electoral Officer's Report on the Administration of the 2019 Territorial General Election; Minister's Statement 77-19(2), National Housing Co‐Investment Fund; Tabled Document 165-19(2), Government of the Northwest Territories Response to Committee Report 1-19(2): Report on Long-Term Post-Pandemic Recovery - Recommendations to the GNWT; Tabled Document 166-19(2), Government of the Northwest Territories Response to Committee Report 2-19(2): Report on Long-Term Post-Pandemic Recovery - Recommendations to the GNWT; Tabled Document 167-19(2), Government of the Northwest Territories Response to Committee Report 3-19(2): Report on Long-Term Post-Pandemic Recovery - Recommendations to the GNWT; and Tabled Document 286-19(20), Main Estimates 2021-2022. I would like to report progress, and, Mr. Speaker, I move that the report of the Committee of the Whole be concurred with. Thank you.
Thank you. Do we have a seconder? Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes. All those in favour? All those opposed? The motion is carried.
---Carried
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Orders of the day for Monday, March 1, 2021, at 1:30 p.m.:
Prayer
Ministers' Statements
Members' Statements
Returns to Oral Questions
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery
Acknowledgements
Oral Questions
Written Questions
Returns to Written Questions
Replies to the Commissioner's Address
Petitions
Reports of Committees on the Review of Bills
Reports of Standing and Special Committees
Tabling of Documents
Notices of Motion
Motions
Notices of Motion for First Reading of Bills
First Reading of Bills
Second Reading of Bills
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
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Bill 3, An Act to Amend the Public Highways Act
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Committee Report 8-19(2), Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures Report on Motion 5-19(2): Referral of Point of Privilege Raised by Member for Monfwi on March 10, 2020
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Committee Report 9-19(2), Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures Report on the Chief Electoral Officer's Report on the Administration of the 2019 Territorial General Election
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Minister's Statement 77-19(2), National Housing Co‐Investment Fund
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Tabled Document 165-19(2), Government of the Northwest Territories Response to Committee Report 1-19(2): Report on Long-Term Post-Pandemic Recovery - Recommendations to the GNWT
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Tabled Document 166-19(2), Government of the Northwest Territories Response to Committee Report 2-19(2): Report on Long-Term Post-Pandemic Recovery - Recommendations to the GNWT
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Tabled Document 167-19(2), Government of the Northwest Territories Response to Committee Report 3-19(2): Report on Long-Term Post-Pandemic Recovery - Recommendations to the GNWT
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Tabled Document 286-19(20), Main Estimates 2021-2022
Report of Committee of the Whole
Third Reading of Bills
Orders of the Day
Thank you, Mr. Clerk. This House stands adjourned until Monday, March 1, 2021, at 1:30 p.m. Have a good weekend.
---ADJOURNMENT
The House adjourned at 2:03 p.m.
