Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, ECC has a series of tools that are used to detect and monitor wildfires, including lightening detection, weather stations, fire detection towers, satellitebased remote sensing, and aircraft smoke patrols. In the event of a wildfire, additional monitoring is put in place depending on the location and nature of the fire. ECC's valueatrisk system automatically notifies managers of values that may be potentially at risk. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Minister of Environment and Climate Change. Final supplementary. Deh Cho.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I know that fire lookout towers were widely used tool to combat wildfires in the past. Can the Minister tell us if fire lookout towers are still being used by ECC across the NWT, and are they still considered an effective tool to use against wildfires? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, fire towers have been used as one of the series of tools used by ECC to detect wildfires, including smoke patrols, lightening detection, networks, weather stations, satellite base and public reporting. The industry standard for fire towers is moving away from having people work in isolation for safety reasons. However, fire towers are being used to house communications, equipment, and detection cameras. ECC is investing in remote camera networking to provide 360degree coverage and operate 24 hours a day providing a proven and effective way to monitor new and ongoing fires. The camera detection network will be greatly expanded into the area of NWT where wildfires can be detected. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Minister of Environment and Climate Change. Oral questions. Member from Range Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the province of Alberta has recently declared an early start to their fire season this February, which is a real evidence that climate change is a historic reality for Canada. Now our concern here is, of course, more wildfires, more evacuations, more issues that are going to relate to our four seasons. So I'd like to ask the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, are we moving are we in a position to move up our wildfire season as well? Are we looking at that to ensure we're prepared for what's sure to be coming down the pike. Thank you.
Thank you, Member from Range Lake. Minister of Environment and Climate Change.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Member for the question. Yes, plans are already underway to start our fire crews and aviation contracts earlier in the season. This will allow training to happen sooner, especially on the resources that are in the South with the potential for additional early season fires. So we should have everything up and running in early May. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Minister. That's good news. Is the department going to as private sector contractors are important in our firefighting efforts, will those contracts be moved up as well to give our aviation companies, in particular, time to prepare and bid on those so they're not conflicted with other contracts they've committed to? Thank you.
Yes, the plan is to start our aviation contracts earlier in the year. Most of the contracts that we have for fixed wing aviation are longterm, multiyear contracts. And there's a provision within the contract through notification from the department to allow those contracts to start sooner. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you to the Minister. Does the Minister feel that the department has adequate resources to begin this work at this time? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we have increased our resources. From last year's allocation, we brought on some extra rotary wing as well as by identifying the need and potential for holdover fires to have early activity in the spring of 2024. We are ensuring that our resources are brought on sooner and that the preparation work, which much of which started in the fall of 2023, is completed and prepared for a potential early start. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Environment and Climate Change. Final supplementary. Member from Range Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you to the Minister. For clarification, does the department have enough financial resources in its current budget to accommodate the early start to the fire season? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the budget for the fire suppression program is a predetermined budget that is very much based on our contractual obligations. So typically, it is the practice of the department when we start our season earlier that there's a potential that we may have we may end the season earlier, but that is all really dependent on the level of activity and the amount of fires and resources that are required. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Environment and Climate Change. Oral questions. Member from Yellowknife Centre.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm going to pick up where my statement left off and focus my questions on rheumatoid arthritis, Mr. Speaker. Is the Minister so I'll qualify my first question on this. Is the Minister aware of as to what program that supports rheumatoid arthritis exists in the Northwest Territories? Thank you.
Member from Yellowknife Centre. Minister of Health and Social Services.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, what I am aware of that the program that used to support the program in the Northwest Territories right now they everybody is having to travel to Alberta for that. There are discussions. I actually have a meeting in regards to this. It is ongoing work. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am aware of over 300 people annually have to travel to Edmonton for those types of support services. Can the Minister either clarify or confirm that type of number in the context of volume and cost? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I can't confirm those numbers at this time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Can the Minister is the Minister aware of how long the Northwest Territories has been absent of support services for rheumatoid arthritis given the fact that she had sat on the social development committee last term and is a nurse so she should be familiar with the concept of the program? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I did sit on the social development, and I am a past nurse, but that doesn't mean that I am aware of the operations when I was a Regular Member. As the Minister, I know that there are ongoing discussions on how to, you know, work with all of our specialty areas and trying to obtain specialists to come to the Northwest Territories. So this will mitigate having patients having to travel, and this work is ongoing. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my understanding is it's been well over four or five years, which would have predated the Minister being elected to this House, but that said the important factor here is that regardless whether it's one year or four years is what initiative is the department of health doing to reestablish the services in the Northwest Territories. Given the fact that we're aware that the government plans to cut $150 million from the bottom line of programs and potential services, we need to know what they're doing. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there are vacancies in a lot of our specialty areas, and there's work ongoing. There is many ways that the department is reaching out, working with southern practitioners to be able to come to the Northwest Territories. There are a lot of challenges, like we said, all over Canada and, you know, when we think of all of the different areas where we are not having specialists come here, the bottom line is that part is you know, even though we know that it is hard for the patients to have to travel, you know, and you know, but if the service is if we can't get the service here then we're not we're not preventing them from accessing those services. But the work is ongoing, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate it very much. Mr. Speaker, yesterday I talked about the transparency, or I should say lack thereof, of the waiting lists for people trying to get a doctor, and it's from the department's information they provided that there's close to 2,000 people on that list. So my question specifically to the Minister of Health and Social Services is so she's aware of the number, what is she doing about the number to make it transparent for the public? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the idea of a family doctor is something that happens in the territory only in Yellowknife. And of my 47 years living in the Northwest Territories, I've never had a family doctor. I've had a chart, and I've gone to a hospital where my medical records are, you know, and right now the way that the landscape is in health care is, you know, the idea of seeing the right person for the what the patient or the person needs is not necessarily always a doctor. And right now we are working on primary health care reform within the health and social services so that patients, anybody that can see a you know, if it's a nurse practitioner or a doctor or a wellness person, you know, that they're seeing the right person for their needs. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have to tell you I was offended and anybody else probably reading who reads transcripts, the tone of the Minister saying it's only a problem in Yellowknife, Mr. Speaker, maybe we should just double check before I proceed on questions to the next set of questions, is the Minister also a Minister for health in Yellowknife? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am the Minister for all of the Northwest Territories. That is why, Mr. Speaker, you know, when we have people bringing up the issues that, you know, that that's what I'm speaking to. People in the communities don't have a doctor. People in the regional centres don't have a family doctor. We have doctors that travel into the communities. They're not their family doctor. The care that they're getting, you know, everybody what we're doing is we're trying to ensure that the Northwest Territories has access to the right service that they need, whether they're in Yellowknife, whether they're in a regional centre, and whether they're in the small communities. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I guess I'll first agree that it shouldn't be I wish it wasn't a problem in the communities as well. But is it is the fact that this is a major issue in Yellowknife, it's not a problem for the Minister? That's the question.
Mr. Speaker, there is a health care crisis throughout the territory, throughout Canada. You know, I think the what I'm trying to say here is every community in this territory, we are struggling with shortages. Whether it's Yellowknife, the regional centres, and it's not just doctors, it's nurses, it's you know, it's all of our specialists. This is across Canada. So I don't have the answer that the Member is looking for at this time, and what I'm just saying is that there is an issue and, you know, the department is working hard to recruit doctors, nurses, specialists. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Health and Social Services. Final supplementary. Yellowknife Centre.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, it sort of sounded like she was a territorial Minister on the last piece, which I'll accept. That said, I was worried where she was going with that.
Mr. Speaker, to my original question, what is the Minister doing to bring transparency to the waiting list to get a doctor? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'll have to get back to the Member on that.
Minister of Health and Social Services. Oral questions. Member for Mackenzie Delta.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It's related to my Member's statement on dentists within the Mackenzie Delta region. The high volume of patients from the Beaufort Delta region having to travel to Yellowknife to see the dentist in one or two days. Will the Minister or is the Minister looking at contracting a dental team to visit the Beaufort Delta region periodically until a permanent solution can be found? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mackenzie Delta. Minister of Health and Social Services.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the RFP for dental services to the communities was put out. There was no submissions. And so we are continuing to work with the facility out of Inuvik as we can, and I can be I can let the Member know that on March 12th or 13th to March 19th, Fort McPherson will be getting the dental for his community. Unfortunately, Aklavik and Tsiigehtchic, there are pending equipment repairs. So those communities are still pending for dentists' visits.
Okay, I'd like to thank the Minister for that response. I think I should have clarified my question a little further.
In terms of trying to get all the patients or the referrals seen by the dentist, you know, having a team go travel to Inuvik where the surrounding communities around the Beaufort Delta can go into the communities, that's what I was referring to if the Minister has any indication to get somebody to Inuvik? Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, if I just if I may, dental treatment services are not insured services provided by health and social services. This is not something that we receive federal transfers on. What we do is we are funded through noninsured health benefits to provide the travel to private dental clinics which the clinic in Inuvik is a private dental clinic. Unfortunately, nobody has bid on any of those RFPs to travel. There are many reasons, and we are working with Indigenous Service Canada to rectify a lot of those reasons. You know, we've had discussions with Indigenous governments on all of the issues. Dental services in the Northwest Territories, the core, or the skeleton as I might put it, is NIHB. Like, that is who funds all of that travel for private clinics who are that's who provides services, dental services, throughout Canada. This is not just in the Northwest Territories. So I just want to make sure that the public and the Members know that, you know, we are working. My staff, you know, we're currently working on a contract on a new renewed contract for NIHB with ISC, Indigenous Service Canada, and that there's ongoing discussions especially related to dental. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Minister of Health and Social Services. Oral questions. Member from Yellowknife Centre.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, on a different vein, I'd like to ask questions to the Minister in charge of the PUB.
A constituent of mine drew a very important issue recently, and he talked about the fact that he had bought an electric vehicle but the infrastructure costs by Northland Utilities is being dumped on him if he wishes the proper upgrades so he could plug in his electric truck. Mr. Speaker, this is a territorial issue. If we want people to move to electric vehicles, why are we dumping tens of thousands of dollars on that individual?
My question specifically to the Minister responsible for the PUB is what is he prepared to do for policy direction to the PUB to ensure that that individual tens of thousands of dollars cost doesn't fall on people that could be throughout the Northwest Territories? Thank you.
Thank you, Member from Yellowknife Centre. Minister of Public Utility Board.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am aware the problem however I am not aware of the concerns about the policy changes. So I'll have to get back to the Member's question. Thank you.
