Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Nunakput.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today my Member's statement was on COVID19 and what are our safety precautions going forward, and it was for the COVID Secretariat, the Premier. Mr. Speaker, my residents and my leadership in Nunakput are concerned that travellers are coming from outside the territory, are not getting COVID tested before coming into our smaller communities out of Yellowknife into Ulukhaktok. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Nunakput. Honourable Premier.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So I'll start with saying that there's a couple factors with that. The transportation of airlines is governed by Canada, regulated under by Transport Canada, and right now they have, I think it was October they started and at the end of November so we're there, all passengers who fly on their airline have to now be vaccinated, so that is one method of controlling COVID spread. However, I know that there was a request from Ulukhaktok to get testing when people get on the planes. So there's a couple things with that as well. There's that Ulukhaktok has one of the highest rates they're really doing well; they have 91 percent fully vaccinated. 95 percent are partially vaccinated. We don't have the testing capacity to do every community right now. And there's false negatives and false positives and so it's not a matter of getting a test and being safe. That leads people to the assumption that they can just go about business. No one's allowed to isolate in small communities. They have to isolate in the regional centres. Or the hub communities such as Ulukhaktok would be Inuvik or Yellowknife if they're coming through here. At this point we're telling people that the best precaution against COVID is get vaccinated, wear your mask, keep your bubble small, stay home if you're sick. And keep six meters of space between you. So, again, we don't want to set up false expectations that someone gets tested and they're safe, because that's not the truth. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thought it being Yellowknife, it would be an automatic yes to get a testing machine at the airport. We have a $20 million revolving fund, maybe we can use some of that to use it. The thing is, Mr. Speaker, our communities are small where you going to go? Soon as you're going to get medevaced out of the community or why wasn't that same concern brought up in Tuk, why weren't they shipped out into Inuvik in the isolation centre? You're telling me one of my outside communities are able and the other one's not? So kind of where we're going with this, Mr. Speaker, thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. A couple questions there, I'll try to answer them. The reality is when an outbreak does hit a community such as Tuk was hit, we don't move people outside once the community has already been infected with the COVID19. What we do is we try to isolate that community, that's happened in all of our smaller communities, and we've been able to contain it.
One of the best defenses, as I stated, was six feet, not six meters, correction on that one. But every when we first saw COVID first hit, we asked our departments to make sure that every local community government had a plan on how to deal with COVID. So what I would say is Ulukhaktok, if they don't have a plan on how to deal with a community outbreak, please contact me and we will make sure that we work with them to make sure that they have a plan so that if COVID hits, they will know what to do. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Every community has a community plan in regards to COVID right now. That's not the question. The question is will the Premier commit to getting people putting more responsibility on the airline to say, Okay, here's a piece of paper I got COVID test. If they have that COVID test they could fly out of Ulu or fly from Yellowknife to Ulu, for the safety and being resolved I guess to my leadership in the community because people are worried. So thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think that goes back to the first question about getting testing and airlines, at this point we're not looking at doing that because that is not it is not a guarantee that if you get tested that you do not have COVID. That's why we ask people to be tested on day one, day eight, day ten, depending on their orders, is because you can get a false negative or a false positive and, again, we don't want to set up the communities to think that everybody who gets off the plane is safe, because that is not the truth. So it's all of us have a responsibility. This pandemic is turning to an endemic and so we all have a responsibility to make sure that we keep our bubble small and we do the best we can to protect our communities. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Honourable Premier. Final supplementary, Member for Nunakput.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. You know, because it's travel and NWT, will it make people pay themselves $262.50 to get tested? So, Mr. Speaker, going back can the Premier provide a "lessons learned" of COVID-19 and how her COVID Secretariat has can be I guess improved and to have response teams going into the communities instead of the way this pandemic, when it first hit, my leadership was put to the test and they did good but at the end of the day, we need the help. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Absolutely, we'll be doing a "lessons learned." I mean, we didn't know what we were getting into when we got COVID. We don't know whether we would make it or not. The reality is that it is becoming an endemic and we have to learn with this so we will be doing a lessons learned once we get figure out if it's going to keep coming or not.
But along the way, Mr. Speaker, we have not been not learning from our experiences. Every single community that's got hit by COVID has taught us things. And every time we get a community that does have an outbreak, we try to look at what are some of the areas that we did really well, what are some of the areas we need to work on. And so the next community that does get hit, and honestly, Mr. Speaker, we do better. But I do say that the community governments themselves have done phenomenal. So it's community governments, it's Indigenous governments, it's the GNWT, and it's every resident working together that has brought us to where we are with COVID today. And thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Honourable Premier. Oral questions. Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And with regards to the rolling out of the Living Well Together, I'd like to ask the Minister of Finance what is the target date, or if there was a target date set for the completion of all of this training for all GNWT staff? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes. Minister responsible for Finance.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this was launched back in March of 2021. It was mandated to be for everyone and everyone is expected to have it done by March of 2022. And new employees will have a year from their start date. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, since I only get four questions and I'm not allowed to switch ministers, can I ask the Minister of Finance, since it was created in her department, to bring this to Cabinet for the discussion to make sure that the prioritization for this training is for our frontline staff and if that's what I could get a commitment for that. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'll bring this to my colleagues. I know they're all listening. This is mandatory for all staff. This is one of those policies that is coordinated out of the Department of Finance through human resources. There was a real recognition of how important this was, and a lot of effort and time and collaboration, internal and external, went into these materials, so. It's already a priority but I'll certainly recommit to reinforcing that and to confirming with the Member as we do that. I want us all to be held accountable for taking this training. It is very good. I've had people reach out to me from outside the public service, from outside of the Northwest Territories asking for it. So we'll certainly maybe I should have just said a yes, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.
I'm going to get the yeses today. Okay. So as I mentioned in my statement, you know, it's been brought to my attention, I've had a lot of discussions with a lot different staff, especially since I came to Yellowknife, in different areas, nursing issue, frontline staff, but it's been brought to my attention that employees, and I know I've talked to this to the Minister before, that they're able to fast forward through the modules, to be able to complete and check box that they finished the training faster, not necessarily having to go through the training. So like I said, that was very discouraging and disheartening for me to hear that. So how is the department auditing the completion of this training? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I share the Member's view. That is not what we want to be hearing and there was actually quite a number of, what I thought fairly clever, controls put in place and it wasn't the first time the Member raised that with myself and so the department's well aware. Techniques were used you can't advance very far unless you have sort of gone through the motions of clicking through various items. You either have to read a certain number or you have to view a certain number of videos or dialogs in order to advance. So there's some interesting ways in there that really do sort of push people to go through the materials.
You know, human beings are what they are and I suppose they will always find a way if they want to. But that is again, that is disheartening. It is possible to watch the amount of time an employee spends on each module. So certainly, you know, at a management level, that can be monitored. That takes a lot of effort and I would certainly hope we wouldn't have to be doing that.
We do have over 3700 employees who have started this training, so there are a lot folks who are doing it. I believe a lot of folks are doing it and doing it well. And I think really all we can do is continue to provide support to managers so that they can make sure that they're getting time and encouragement to their own staff to be completing this properly and fulsomely. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you to the Minister for that. I think the one thing that frontline staff, and especially health care staff, are used to doing training, doing tests, just like CPR, just like any other courses, and so I'm just wondering if the Minister would consider implementing a mandatory test at the completion of this training to ensure that staff recognize the importance of this training and can demonstrate that the comprehend the issues facing Indigenous people in the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, throughout the modules there are points along the way where one can or actually to advance, you have to complete a test and does check in on what you have taken out of a certain section or out of a certain module in order to move forward. So there's those internal tests along the way. Yes, those are not necessarily being monitored by a manager or by someone's supervisor. But, Mr. Speaker, perhaps what I would like to do is to go back to the departments, see what we with do. You know, the point of the training isn't necessarily to score people. It's to create culture change. It's to create a public service that is inclusive and diverse representative and understanding and traumaaware and culturallyaware and culturallysensitive; you know, to really reflect the Northwest Territories. I'm not sure that a test is going to do that. If someone is struggling with those concepts I'm not sure that the test is going to achieve that. But, Mr. Speaker, I'm going to commit to going back to the department and seeing what else we can do to ensure that anyone who has completed this is achieving those goals. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Deh Cho.
Oral Question 844-19(2):
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, according to the Department of Health and Social Services business plan for 20212022, one of the key activities to address diabetes is to implement Primary Health Care Reform. The Minister stated in the House on February 9th, 2021 that the Deh Cho would begin to receive PHCR by December 2021. Can the Minister explain what the Primary Health Care Reform program is all about? Mahsi.
Thank you, Member for Deh Cho. Minister responsible for Health and Social Services.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Member for Deh Cho for that question.
So Primary Health Care Reform goes beyond the traditional health care system, and it is a systemwide initiative to provide culturallysafe and relationshipbased care in both the Health and Social Services system. So rather than having decisions made in a centralized way and then implemented through regions and communities, under the Primary Health Care Reform, frontline clients and staff and communities are involved in developing new approaches and solutions based on their own needs and priority, building on their strengths, and addressing challenges that are specific to that place.
It's my understanding that work started in the Deh Cho to bring about Primary Health Care Reform in mid May but for a variety of reasons, that work has been delayed and we would like to get back to it and encourage the community to engage us in that. Thank you.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker, and mahsi to the Minister for that reply. Mr. Speaker, I note Integrated Care Teams projects have been launched in all the large regional centres. Can the Minister explain the purpose and functions of the teams? Mahsi.
Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. The purpose of the Integrated Care Teams is to allow for greater access and continuity of care and delivery to patients. So the model places the patient and the family at the center of care and then it allows primary care teams to bring in other service providers to provide an integrated spectrum of services to the patient and/or their family. So the idea here is to break down these silos of care and to bring them together into one team. So it is important to know, however, at this point, per the Member's statement, that the Integrated Care Teams are separate from the Chronic Disease Management Demonstration projects that are happening in the Deh Cho, but there is potential in the future for them to overlap. Thank you.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker, and mahsi to the Minister for some good news. Looking forward to all that to help our small communities address their chronic diseases.
Mr. Speaker, the department's plan to implement communitybased models to promote selfmanagement of chronic diseases in creating new diabetic/dietician positions, or someone that looks after diabetes, can the Minister elaborate further on the department's plans for the positions and, specifically, into the small communities? Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, progress in this area has been about implementing community-based models to promote selfmanagement of chronic diseases and creating, as the Member referenced, new diabetic/dietician positions. So the health authorities now have registered dieticians in every region of the NWT and so they, together, serve every community in the NWT. They're trained to provide to support to support people living with diabetes and they do this not only by providing education and support but also education in the form of, for example, grocery store tours, health fairs, and other healthpromoting activities to assist people who have diabetes. So each regional dietician will see diabetic clients on a regular basis. The frequency depends on the individual's needs, and these visits could be in person, over the phone, or online, depending on what suits the needs of the patient. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary. Member for Deh Cho.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker, and mahsi to the Minister for that bit of information. They may have regional positions. But, you know, as to really go into the small communities because they really don't have anybody face-to-face. Health centre nurses are already busy as it is. We really need someone that's specific to this kind of care, and there are people out there that are trained do that, to really help our people. Because, you know, I've had an Elder who went through a really difficult stress because he wasn't aware of the diabetes, you know, the illness and the seriousness of it and there's nobody in the community to talk to on this, and it's a really scary situation for all our small communities.
Mr. Speaker, I noted in my Member's statement the department hasn't updated statistics on diabetes in Northwest Territories for some time. This information could include age groups, male/female, by community, etcetera, etcetera. I just want to note that the Department of Infrastructure, the department I worked with previously, the maintenance department has a you know, a maintenance management program, WebWorks, and you can find out from one building all the work orders that were done on that building within the year. And, you know, we should be able to have something so we can identify the number of diabetics in all the different communities. I know there's challenges associated with that but I just wanted to ask the Minister if they would look into a database to track and record chronic diseases, including diabetes. Mahsi.
Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, all the provinces and territories, including the NWT, submit data to the Canadian Chronic Disease Surveillance System, and the latest statistics for diabetes were published in 2020. The information is broken down by demographics such as age, sex, ethnicity, and community type. And "community type" includes Yellowknife regional centres and small communities. And earlier today I provided the Member with the number of diabetics who live in his community.
The data gathered by the Canadian Chronic Disease Surveillance System is further broken down into a more userfriendly format for the public by reference to the Department of Health and Social Services population health division. It's important to note that diabetes rates do not change dramatically from year to year. And so with that, that kind of certainty, Health and Social Services has been able to not only plan but provide programming for people who are diabetics well in advance.
For people who need diabetic care, it really starts with the diagnosis of diabetes. And if someone is feeling the possible symptoms of diabetes, then they should go to the health centre and make known to the nurse there that they are experiencing these symptoms and ask to be tested for them. Once the diagnosis is confirmed, then these other supports are put in place. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Thebacha.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister tell us if there are any future plans for the government to build an aftercare facility or a wellness and recovery centre in a community outside of the capital region? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Thebacha. Minister responsible for Health and Social Services.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I can tell the Member, the Member from Thebacha as well as the other Members, that our focus right now is opening the permanent wellness and recovery centre which the Member referenced in her statement. This facility will replace the current day and sobering centre, and the services offered in the one place will be transferred to the other once the building is open.
At this time, there are no plans to establish a similar service in any other community. That would require new resources which would need to follow established GNWT resource allocation processes which we all know start with a business plan, end with the budget. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, would the Minister consider opening a satellite wellness and recovery centre that's related to the one in the capital but situated in a different regional centre in the NWT? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am aware of similar requests for day shelter options in other communities, including in Hay River and in Inuvik and in Fort Simpson, but establishing this type of service in other communities would need to involve conversations with partners at the NWT Housing Corporation who are the lead on homelessness, taking as a startingpoint that most of these services are required by homeless individuals.
Should there be a way forward to establish additional day sheltering programs, there would be an opportunity to use what we've learned running the temporary day shelter here in Yellowknife, as well as the sobering centre, and use that to create a template for approaches in other communities so that it becomes the centre here becomes a model for similar centres should the partnerships and the money materialize. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, if the government is unable to open a satellite recovery centre on its own, would the Minister consider partnering with Indigenous governments, or other communities and organizations, to open a separate standalone recovery centre? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm absolutely open to the idea of creating a partnership in a community outside of Yellowknife to offer these services, however, there would still be the question of resources, where the program was going to be located and who was going to pay for it. So at this point, as I said, there is no plan for a new facility or for the additional resources that would be required. But if Indigenous governments or community organizations are interested in partnering in the provision of wellness services, I urge them to contact me. Thank you.
Final supplementary, Member for Thebacha.
Mr. Speaker, has the Minister engaged with any Indigenous or community governments about any potential partnerships in building a recovery centre or aftercare facility within the NWT, specifically in any region outside of the capital? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, to this point no Indigenous government or community organization has contacted me about this idea. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Great Slave.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are for the Minister of Health and Social Services following up on what my colleague from Thebacha has been asking.
If we're waiting on the data from this wellness centre in Yellowknife as stated, then that puts the centres outside of Yellowknife into years, if not a decade, before that they would be constructed. How is the Minister and the department making this a priority given the need outside the capital for these services? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Great Slave. Minister responsible for Health and Social Services.
