Thank you, Member. Honourable Premier.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. Yes, the statement of environmental values states within it that it's the responsibility of each Minister, and therefore I defer that to deputy ministers as well, to take reasonable measures to ensure that departments adhere to the statement and provisions of the statement of environmental values when making decisions that significantly affect the environment. In addition, the deputy minister of ENR is responsible for monitoring and reviewing the statements and best practices to see if possible amendments are needed from time to time. Thank you, Madam Speaker.
Merci, Madam la Presidente. I want to thank the Premier for reading off parts of the statement. But, you know, in my statement earlier today I said that there does not appear to be a signed and dated copy of the final version of the statement of environmental values anywhere on the GNWT website. So can the Premier confirm that there is no publiclyaccessible final and signed version of the statement of environmental values, and can she commit to fix this problem? Mahsi, Madam Speaker.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. Again, online things are not my strength but I have been assured by the department that the final statement of the environmental values is posted online. Signed versions are not posted on the policy section of the website as a GNWT practice; however, the signed version is posted on the Legislative Assembly website as the document was tabled. I'm going to do my check on that this weekend, and I'm sure the Member will let me know if it's not there. Thank you, Madam Speaker.
Merci, Madam la Presidente. I want to thank the Premier for that, and I can confirm there is a signed version on the ledge website but nowhere else on any GNWT website. And, of course, our website is not the GNWT website.
There is a requirement in the Environmental Rights Act for an annual report to be tabled in the House, although we've slipped on that in the past. I tried to include a requirement for some type of reporting and implementation of the statement of environmental values to the bill, but Cabinet opposed that. So can the Premier tell us whether there's going to be any sort of internal tracking of implementation of the statement and whether that will be shared with the public? Mahsi, Madam Speaker.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. Yes, the statement does set out the specific responsibilities for the deputy minister. ENR must coordinate the administration and implementation of the statement, monitor advancements and best practices, and periodically review with involvement of many departments and agencies. The statements of the environmental values is only one of a suite of tools that the government uses to protect the environment. This is a new policy, Madam Speaker, and as previously mentioned to the Member, we'll continue to work on its implementation. Thank you, Madam Speaker.
Thank you. Final supplementary. Member for Frame Lake.
Merci, Madam la Presidente. I want to thank the Premier for confirming that there is no internal tracking and that there's no public reporting. There's absolutely nothing in the statement about how it is to be applied to Cabinet decisionmaking, tracking, reporting, or evaluation. That's a disappointment, Madam Speaker, that Cabinet doesn't take this statement of environmental values very seriously, in my view. But Cabinet now includes some sort of genderbased analysis on climate change implications in its decisionmaking. So can the Premier commit to include a section and analysis on the application of the statement of environmental values in this government's Financial Management Board decision template? Mahsi, Madam Speaker.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. I'm not the Minister of finance or the chair of the Financial Management Board, but I can say Cabinet does have, when we look at things like legislative proposals, there is a section that addresses climate change, genders, as stated. What I can commit to is under the climate change for Cabinet that we will add the statement of environmental values so that's considered as well. Thank you, Madam Speaker.
Thank you. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. My questions are for the Premier. I guess simply I'm wondering if there are any plans or intention to change the name of the administrative regions North or South Slave. Thank you, Madam Speaker.
Thank you. Honourable Premier.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. We haven't thought about changing the names. It's something that I have been hearing about lately in the House however. But it is possible to change names. Thank you, Madam Speaker.
Yeah, thank you, Madam Speaker. I'm going to try this a different way. I know it's possible, that's why I'm asking. Will the Premier change the names? Thank you.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. I thought I could get it over on the MLA, but I think he's quicker than I thought. What I can say, Madam Speaker, is that, in all seriousness we are currently ECE's currently doing a review of the geological place names for the Great Slave Lake. I've talked to the Minister and perhaps we can work together and actually see if there's interest during that work. And if there is interest, then we can pursue it. Thank you, Madam Speaker.
Yeah, thank you, Madam Speaker. I just would have wanted if the proposal to change Great Slave Lake goes through, I think it would be only appropriate that we then change the regions. It would be a little embarrassing I think for the GNWT to just be holding on to that. But I've often heard that, you know, the North Slave Region, which to me operates much more like a capitol region, doesn't really give the outlying communities the attention it deserves. Certainly when you look at the staffing contingent, that is clear that it's very much centralized in Yellowknife. I've often heard it repeated by my colleague from Monfwi that the Tlicho region justifies being separated out from North Slave with some superintendents placed there to give it the attention it deserves. I also think this just makes sense for, you know, an eventual building of selfgovernment point of view. So I'm wondering in doing this work perhaps there is room to create a sixth administrative region in the Tlicho. Thank you, Madam Speaker.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. I think that during the process of the consultation that should be looked at as well. I think, Madam Speaker, though, in honesty, it's a bigger discussion that we have to have at Cabinet table. I do realize that different departments have different zones. Some have five regions, some have seven regions, and I think there might even be nine regions in some. So I think it is a discussion that we have to have. Thank you, Madam Speaker.
Thank you. Oral questions. Member for Monfwi.
My question is to Minister of Health and Social Services. What funding has been allocated to each of the commitments and activities in the work plans? Thank you
Thank you. Minister of Health and Social Services.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, the work plan hasn't yet been approved so I don't have a budget for it. Thank you.
The Minister talked about, okay, they're not renewing the contract with Poundmaker's, and there's five other options. Why only five? Shouldn't there be more if we're trying to help and work with the people? Because it is the people's choice of where they want to go, and Poundmaker's was the only one that we can think of that served the Indigenous communities. Now people don't have a choice. So I'm just wondering is the Minister consulting and working with the Indigenous government, the Indigenous people? She said there were some people at the meeting that she attended, but that's not good enough. Like, is she working because the OAG report states that. It says all over in the OAG report that to work with the Indigenous governments, consult with the Indigenous governments. And I'm just wondering, I don't think that is happening but I just want to ask that. Like, is she working with the Indigenous governments on this selecting? Like, who are part of the decisionmaking. Is it just the Department of Health and Social Services making the decisions? Are they working with the Indigenous government? Thank you
Yes, thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, one of the things that we committed to in the response to the OAG recommendations is to engage with Indigenous governments to identify barriers to people attending addiction services and take a look at our standards and policies for contracts to make sure that they are culturally safe. So this is work that we plan to do in response to the OAG.
But in the interim, I had a meeting with the NWT Council of Leaders, which included leadership from the Member's region, to talk about addictions and aftercare. That happened at the end of September, and another meeting is planned for the end of November. And so I certainly am looking forward to continuing the conversation about how to strengthen our system. If the Member has particular people she would like me to meet or talk to, I would welcome the opportunity if she would invite me to her community. Thank you.
Yes, can the Minister provide a list to us of how many people attended southern treatment program for drugs and alcohol since 2019; can she provide the list to us? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, I can provide that information.
Thank you. Final supplementary. Member for Monfwi.
Well, I still have one more question for another Minister. But can the Minister can she come with me on a constituent tour in Tlicho region? Can she come with me so she can meet and talk to the Indigenous government, to the people, to the elders, to the youth, on the addiction and treatment program? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there's a meeting arranged for the end of November with the Tlicho government and the chief of Behchoko, to which the Member has been invited, to talk about addictions and aftercare. So I'm looking forward to having that conversation. In terms of a constituency tour, I will repeat again that if she invites me and organizes the constituency tour, I am happy to come. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Hay River South.
Just bear with me here.
Technical difficulties? It's okay, it's your guys' time.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. We have issues you know, people on the street have issues with, you know, addictions and health issues. We also have people who are in isolation that have those similar issues. And what I see that would be beneficial for, at least the community of Hay River and because it's a regional centre, is if we had access to medical social services people. And I would ask the Minister if there are any such positions within either the NTHSSA or the Hay River Health and Social Services Authority at this point? Thank you.
Thank you. Minister of Health and Social Services.
Thank you, Madam Speaker, and thank you for the question. NTHSSA offers adult services which is social work services for people who are not children or youth, often people who are street involved. That position does not exist at the Hay River Health and Social Services Authority right now. I think there are some of the staff in the authority who are assisting people who need these services off the side of their desk, so not a proper medical social worker position. Thank you.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. Can the Minister give me, I guess, a brief explanation of exactly what the duties would be or what the responsibilities would be for a medical social worker? And she said that they were sort of being provided off the side of a desk, and has that been beneficial. Thank you.
Yes, thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, some of the things that the medical social worker would do is to assist the person to get into housing, assist them to get into treatment, assist them to obtain income support, assist them to obtain referrals for medical care if such referrals are necessary, referrals to counselling, completing Jordan Principle applications, getting them set up with a proper ID whether that's a birth certificate, a general identity card, or whether it is a driver's licence. So this is a position that facilitates people's access to services that may be provided directly by that individual but may also be provided by other service providers within the government. And so I think that the point here is that the person who is without services has a navigator to assist them to find services appropriate to their situation. Thank you.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. Can the Minister also confirm if the medical social workers would be required to have, I guess, clients just attend the health centre or their offices where they're working at, or would the person be able to go out on the street and to where actually, you know, clients are and, you know, people who probably wouldn't normally attend to the hospital, because I guess I'm just thinking about Hay River and the number of people on the street there and, you know, some of the things that she did mention is probably things that we as MLAs already do in the community. So, you know, I'm just wondering, you know, if there's flexibility there. Thank you.
Yes, thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, this is a very important role, and I appreciate the Member's efforts to do this work as well, for his constituents. I don't see reason that the medical social worker would not go and see people where they are, but I'm not familiar with their work flow, but it makes sense that it would be broader than just having people attend the health centre or the building that flooded downtown in order to obtain services. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary. Member for Hay River South.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, would the Minister commit to finding the funding for the placement of two medical social workers with the Hay River Health and Social Services Authority? Thank you.
Madam Speaker, I'm so relieved to be able to say yes. Yes. The Hay River Health and Social Services Authority is applying for two medical social worker positions for exactly the reasons that the Member has outlined, the demand and the severity of need in the streetinvolved population is such that these positions need to be created and staffed fulltime. Thank you.
Thank you. Oral questions. Member for Monfwi.
Thank you. This is a question for the Minister of Housing. My question to the Minister is whether she will consider taking the initiative in forgiving the mortgage arrears of the constituents who did not understand anything about mortgages and were not informed in their own language. Thank you.
Thank you, Member. Minister for Housing NWT.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. I will take this back to the department as well. And I just wanted to remind the Member as well too that we do have to follow the Financial Management Act as well too, and when we're going to be looking at writing off debts to this government it is something that is actually brought forward to this Assembly. Thank you, Madam Speaker.
Well, they are the executive council and they can change the policy. It is within their they can they have the authority to change the policy. So, like, in the past, FMB rolled out $4 million for a business loan, so I know they can do it. They can change the policy. They have the that is within their authority.
But I just want to ask the Minister, will the Minister commit to transferring North Slave district office to Tlicho region that deals specifically with Tlicho? Thank you.
