Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, on Friday the 20242025 Budget was tabled with a $2.2 billion operating budget. The Minister is proposing a practical and realistic budget to restore balance and increase our financial means to deal with unexpected events. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate that the government needs to plan and budget for emergencies and unexpected natural disasters. In my riding, my constituents know all too well the devastation that can occur. In just a matter of minutes entire communities can be nearly destroyed by wildfire or flooding and, for some residents, the journey of returning home is long and painful.
As I spoke in this House before Mr. Speaker, we already have people leaving the NWT because they lost everything in the wildfires. I would like to see the Government work with communities and Indigenous governments to find creative solutions in the aftermath of natural disasters. And not everyone needs more money. The government has tools available that can support housing development like transferring land to communities to support housing solutions, or working in close partnership with Indigenous partners to leverage federal funding solutions.
Mr. Speaker, I represent four small Indigenous communities established and governed uniquely. But what is common among all of the communities in my riding and throughout the NWT is the inequity between the small communities and regional centres. There is a divide between those who have, who are living in the bigger centres and communities, and those who do not have, who are located in the small communities. So, this is my concern Mr. Speaker, that I don't see enough emphasis on improving the lives of residents in small communities in this budget. I would like to see more emphasis on building the economy in small communities.
The Small Community Employment Program is a program that gives people in small communities a job, it stimulates our local economy, it keeps people busy. This program employs summer students and supports our local governments. I would like to see this program restored. The Community Access Program is also an important funding program for small communities. It supports the development of infrastructure that improves the quality of life in small communities. This program builds docks and trails and access roads that make communities more accessible and enjoyable for residents. I would like to see this program restored.
I also see great opportunity in our small communities to increase small businesses, entrepreneurship, and tourism. I would like to see more lending, financing, and business services offered through GNWT public agencies. Dene Fur Cloud is a great example of a subsidiary business supported by Prosper NWT in my riding.
Mr. Speaker, we don't need to wait for economic development plans to be developed on how to support local economies. We have successful examples of businesses supported through GNWT public agencies. We have businesses located in small communities that create unique NWT art products, employ local people, and sell these products across the world. We need to replicate these business models in more communities. We have skilled artisans, crafters, sewers, harvesters, and people all over the world who want authentic Indigenous products. We need more focus and support for Prosper NWT to build more subsidiary businesses in small communities. We need more support through Industry, Tourism and Investment to support business development, entrepreneurship, and tourism development.
Tourism is a natural fit for the people in small communities to host tourists from new places, to show them Dene culture, their land and their way of life. We need more support in tourism to help people in small communities to take a business idea and make it a reality.
We also need more hospitality training. Although the Dene way of life is authentic, unique and in demand, tourists also expect customer service standards. How are we working with communities to build hospitality? There needs to be more emphasis on increasing the awareness of tourism, promoting the benefits of tourism and developing tourism training, especially in small communities. People in small communities also need good business advice and guidance to make their idea a reality. Small communities need consistent regular visits from business experts who will work oneonone with them to develop their concept and to support them through their business development process.
Communities also respect and value regular consistent visits from department heads, that the leadership of departments show communities support, that they take the time to understand communities in their region and understand their challenges, and that it's followed up with access to expert services, and funding programs.
Mr. Speaker, I know the department has been supporting business development for many years, but how effective are these programs? Are they delivering the results we want to see in small communities? Are these business development programs reducing the reliance on income support? Increasing entrepreneurship helps people pay their bills. The cost of living is a struggle for many residents in small communities, so even a small homebased side business can help people pay their bills. Many residents in my riding are on income support. How are we supporting people on income support to start a small business as a means to becoming financially independent? There needs to be more reporting on the results of business development programs as well as income assistance reporting. What economic development programs or services are helping residents get off income support and participating in the economy?
Mr. Speaker, the government should be putting money towards actions that will improve the lives of residents in small communities and improve the capacity of local communities because this strengthens the territory overall.
An unfortunate reality facing my community and the territory, Mr. Speaker, is homelessness. There are many people in my riding who do not have a home to live in. They may be couch surfing or bouncing between friends and family. I do not support a decrease to the housing budget. As I have stated in this House before, housing is a human right, and we need to be making progress to uphold the right for everyone in the territories to be housed. We have too many challenges to address in small communities especially between homes in desperate need of repair to the lack of housing options and the need to address homelessness, I would like to see an increase in the housing budget.
I also am encouraged by the housing Minister's efforts to work in partnership with Indigenous governments to address housing. The GNWT needs to continue to work in new ways to support new solutions in partnership with Indigenous governments to make progress on the NWT's housing crisis.
Mr. Speaker, the old way of delivering housing isn't working. I encourage the GNWT to support Indigenous governments to identify new pilot projects to improve housing in small communities. I encourage the GNWT to not be an obstacle or to stand in the way of new ideas. Everyone has a right to be housed and we need to make progress on this.
And on education, Mr. Speaker, I am concerned about education in the small communities. Our students are shuffled along in school until they graduate and after they graduate, Mr. Speaker, the road gets rough. Many students in my riding can't keep up with postsecondary education. They return home deflated and some end up on income assistance. Mr. Speaker, we need to improve basic numeracy and literacy skills for students from junior kindergarten to grade 12 so they are prepared for the real world. We need to ensure that when students are graduated school in the NWT, they are ready and capable of pursuing what they dream of.
And finally, Mr. Speaker, I want to see an increase in health promotion and reporting. As we know, our small communities are fighting against an increase in violence, drugs and crime. Mr. Speaker, health promotion is a real way to fight back against addictions. If children understood the consequences of smoking, drinking and doing drugs, would they be easily influenced? If we had health and wellness campaigns, activities and information all over the community, it would increase people's awareness on the value of health. I am concerned that public health promotion is not being delivered effectively. I would like to see clear targets and reporting on health promotion activities in the business plan. I believe many elders in our community could better manage their health with increased education and home visits. I believe more youth would choose sports and healthy lifestyles if they understood the consequences of poor lifestyle choices. The health outcomes in our communities is not good and without ones' health, Mr. Speaker, we have nothing. Investing in health promotion is preventative. The money we put into health promotion today will save our health care system over time. Mr. Speaker, our people should be empowered to live the most healthy, active lifestyles they can, free of addictions. Our people are worth the investment. It is an investment that will bring savings over time. And these are my concerns for the 20242025 Budget.
Mr. Speaker I want to see small communities empowered to develop infrastructure and labour. I want people in small communities supported to start small businesses, to be provided the expertise and funding to build financial independence. I want to see small businesses develop as one solution to reducing people's dependence on income support. The government already has success stories of businesses based in small communities that hire local people and sell products worldwide. These are successful business models that the GNWT should move forward to expand elsewhere. The housing crisis in the NWT is real. Mr. Speaker, housing is a human right. I also recognize the GNWT can't be the only solution to the housing crisis. I want to see the GNWT restore the budget for housing and move forward to formalize partnership and relationships with Indigenous governments. In partnership we can find new solutions to old problems. We need to increase the education outcomes for students in the NWT. We need to ensure we provide our students the best opportunity to succeed in life, and that starts with an education. And finally, Mr. Speaker, our health is the most important. There are many challenges to overcome in small communities, and the only way we are going to overcome the economic problems, social problems, the violence and crime, is with healthy people. I want to see an increase in health promotion for the NWT so more Northerners make healthy choices. We need people that care about our health, are informed about their health and live healthy lifestyles. Our people are worth it and deserve it. A healthy territory starts with more investment in health promotion. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from the Deh Cho. Replies to Budget Address. Member from Inuvik Boot Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I apologize to our amazing interpreters and I try and move slow today.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday I presented the AOC response to the 20242025 GNWT budget. These are the items that we generally agreed up and support, and I am proud of the work committee done and the work the committee put in to create this document, Mr. Speaker. But make no mistake, there are areas that I am concerned about that are specific to my region and that may not have been in that document, and I want to present those today, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, several years ago, between 2011 and 2017 to be more precise, we missed the boat on a major gas development opportunity. We had an Indigenousled pipeline group that were forced to sit helplessly as the regulatory regime slowly choked the life out of what could have been a monumental game changing project for our territory. Of course, I am speaking about the Mackenzie Valley Pipeline Project led by the Aboriginal Pipeline Group. Maybe we could have been a haveterritory. Communities along that pipeline route missed incredible business opportunities, employment opportunities, and tourism opportunities. The Mackenzie Valley Highway may have opened, underway, if not completed by now, Mr. Speaker. And Mr. Speaker, as robust industry, as we know, could have provided a huge benefit to our underfunded NGOs. Anyone who has worked or volunteered for any of our many NGOs can attest to the fact that when industry is thriving, they are better equipped to support and provide that important funding source.
Mr. Speaker, in April of 2021, the Government of the Northwest Territories completed a report entitled Mackenzie Delta Liquified Natural Gas, or MDLNG, Project. In this report, it studied the up to 19 trillion cubic metres of natural gas in the Mackenzie Delta that could be developed for export that would provide economic benefits to the Inuvialuit settlement region, NWT, and Canada. In short, the MDLNG Report stated that project is technically feasible. Natural gas production facilities and associated pipelines have been operating safely in Arctic climates such as Alaska and Russia for over forty years, Mr. Speaker. Russia has shipped LNG in Arctic waters since 2017 using LNG and condensate icebreaking carriers. The icebreaking carrier technology proposed in this prefeasibility study is based on Russia's operating experience. Mr. Speaker, these are the kind of projects that change the direction of a territory, but I have heard very little about this report since, and I am hopeful that will change in this Assembly.
Mr. Speaker, we have budgeted $26 million for renewable energy initiatives, and I support that, its important work. I understand that there is a need to move to cleaner energy solutions. But as a territory, are we prepared to rely solely on wind, sun, battery, and other forms of cleaner energy? We have many communities, Mr. Speaker, that are currently 100 percent reliant on diesel. And logistically and cost wise, would developing our own cleanerburning natural gas not make more sense, Mr. Speaker? Imagine how many social, health, and housing programs we could fund if we were able to take full advantage of our natural resource development. Mr. Speaker, yet we remain resource rich and cash poor.
As for program development, Mr. Speaker, I want to speak once again to the issue of drugs and drug addiction. Our communities are being devastated, and my community of lnuvik has an ongoing drug and addiction crisis. It's destroying families, our workforce, and our future. I am glad to see in the Justice portion of the budget they were increasing our policing and giving more tools to our law enforcement. It's a great start. But, Mr. Speaker, we must also focus on helping our residents get healthy again. Simply sending people out for treatment is not enough. We must have aftercare facilities in our regions so that when people complete that portion of their healing journey, they have the support they need when they return. A fully funded aftercare program in Inuvik is a must, Mr. Speaker, to serve the Beaufort Delta region.
Mr. Speaker, this Premier and government appear to be taking working with our Indigenous government partners seriously, and for my community that's great and that will be a welcome change, Mr. Speaker. The Inuvialuit Regional Corporation and Gwich'in Tribal Council are once again leading the way in my region. They are not just developing homes, but subdivisions. They are setting up wellness facilities to assist those dealing with trauma, they're building community infrastructure to protect our most vulnerable, and driving the economy with gas projects that will create employment and curtail the high costs of living. They are doing this with or without GNWT, Mr. Speaker, and we need to ensure we are shoulder to shoulder on all projects where we can contribute and increase the scope of these projects and find agreed redundancies where possible, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I spoke earlier this week in my Member's statement the need to think outside the box regarding our MTS barging operation. Logistically, is it time to look at locating a significant portion of our MTS operations in a more northern region of our territory? Mr. Speaker, the base of operations in Inuvik or Tuk could service upriver to Fort Good Hope and of course the communities in the Beaufort Delta region. We can't anticipate the issues with water levels going away anytime soon so we must be proactive in ensuring we are prepared. As I also stated earlier this week, Mr. Speaker, it is my hope that as part of this review, an analysis will be completed on the merits of privatizing this essential service.
Mr. Speaker, Inuvik has a world class satellite receiving station. The Inuvik Satellite Station facility has had millions of dollars poured into it with still more to come. We have antennas up there, Mr. Speaker, from the French space agency, the Swedish space agency, the German space agency, and of course NRCAN our own Canadian space agency. And there's a significant amount of work going on up there, and Mr. Speaker, I like to call it a hidden gem in our territory. Having said that, Mr. Speaker, the redundancy in our fibre line will be a key component of continued growth of this sector. A full redundancy line, Mr. Speaker, that ensures any issues with the infrastructure interruptions can be mitigated.
The Inuvik runway expansion may be just the tip of the iceberg, Mr. Speaker, for potential defense spending in our region, and we must be prepared. Regrettably, Mr. Speaker, our government does not seem to be equipped to have a strategy on defense, space, and new technology. Again, I hope to see that change in this Assembly.
Our economy must be key, Mr. Speaker. My fear is with no meaningful economic growth in any sector other than government, much of our talent will leave or has already left. We must streamline our regulatory regime so that international business does not look at us as a place with too much regulatory burden that require too much time and the costs that come with that time, Mr. Speaker. Any economic plans that we produce must be much less about statistical overviews and more about strategic roadmaps to prosperity. We must attract investment in our natural resources and work with our Indigenous partners in that effort to create these roadmaps together.
Mr. Speaker, imagine all the wellness and housing projects we could fund together, the jobs we could create for our residents, the influx of others wanting to move to our amazing territory to work in these industries, bringing with them spouses and partners that may be nurses or teachers and doctors, early child care workers, and many other professionals that we so desperately need, Mr. Speaker. Imagine, Mr. Speaker, what we could do if we were not resource rich and cash poor.
Mr. Speaker, we are going to sit here over the next couple of weeks and we are going to fight and we're gonna squabble over the few pennies that we have to work with. We're eventually going to pass this budget, and then we will continue to sit here and we'll fight and we'll ask Ministers to direct money to our ridings, and we will ask for supplements to get those items in the budget for our ridings and then come budget time in the fall, we're going to ask them why they brought those supplements forward. And we've seen it all before, Mr. Speaker. Some people in this House have experienced it before, Mr. Speaker. It's a cycle, and we must find a way each government, previous government to this one, the previous government to that one, have done same thing. We have to dig deep. We dig deep to think outside the box and do things differently.
It's not easy, Mr. Speaker, but I do have faith in this group. I have faith in the group on this side of the House and I have faith in our Cabinet Members as well, Mr. Speaker, that by the end of this government we could have a new path, a path to prosperity that will restore hope in our residents and maximize the potential we all know this amazing territory has. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, earlier I spoke to a letter sent by the land and water boards to the Ministers of ECE and the federal minister. Mr. Speaker, is the Minister open to coming to the table to meet with the boards as they have requested? Thank you.
Thank you, Member from Frame Lake. Minister of Environment and Climate Change.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Member for the question. First, I'd like to thank the land and water boards for their recommendations. The amendments recommended by the land and water boards are being carefully considered and looked at as this is certainly an area of great interest across the territory, and with many of the Indigenous governments as well as the Members within this House and Cabinet and the residents. At this time, we're working through reviewing those recommendations and will consider as we move forward the options around meeting with the board itself. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I didn't hear an explicit commitment to sit down with the boards. I would encourage the Minister that simply sitting down and having a discussion is all I'm asking for at this point.
Mr. Speaker, does the Minister have a response to the board's letter to share with the House today recognizing the letter did just come in, but I just wanted to ask the question. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Member for the question. No, as the Member indicated the letter just recently arrived. I have had the opportunity to read through the list of recommendations from the land and water board. And as I said earlier, you know, this is a conversation that, certainly through the Members of Cabinet, is something that is really an interdepartmental area that with a lot of concern, and I think it's on the hot topics list, if you will, with Cabinet and certainly with the Intergovernmental Council and the Indigenous governments. So we will continue to evaluate the recommendations and look forward to have a response in the future. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm certainly happy to hear that from the Minister. Thank you to the Minister for the answer. I am happy to hear that the Minister and Cabinet are carefully considering the recommendations.
Mr. Speaker, is the Minister able to give us a timeline for when we can expect a response to the recommendations brought forward?
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I indicated, this is a multifaceted conversation that the Department of Environment and Climate Change is certainly committed to working with our colleagues within this House as well as ensuring that we're having the appropriate conversations with the Intergovernmental Council on this issue. And, you know, I cannot put a firm timeline on this. As I indicated, it is certainly high on our agenda of issues that we want to deal with in a timely manner, so I will commit to the House that it is a high priority and we hope to bring it back to the table as quickly as we can. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of ECC. Final supplementary.
Oral questions. Member from Range Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, two out of five people will be diagnosed with cancer, and 30 percent of all cancers are lung, and 80 percent of those are caused by smoking. Obviously, this is a good reason to quit smoking. And I'd like to know what services are provided in the Northwest Territories by the Department of Health and Social Services to help Northerners do exactly that? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from Range Lake. Minister of Health and Social Services.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I want to congratulate the Member on his 11 weeks of not smoking. As we know that smoking is yes, as the Member has mentioned, and there are a number of things that we have available for NWT residents who want to quit smoking. There is now we have merged the NWT Quit Line to 811, so it makes it a lot easier. The Help Line and the Quit Line have been merged together so you just have to call 811, residents who want to quit smoking or vaping, from any community in Northwest Territories, can speak to a registered nurse and trained support to help them on their quitting journey. The residents in Yellowknife region have access to free private cessation services either virtually or inperson, which is being piloted at the Yellowknife Primary Care Clinic. A dedicated cessation nurse is available to help residents navigate quitting smoking and vaping. They offer different options, including access to nicotine replacement therapy and prescription medications to support nicotine withdrawal as well as ongoing followup. But we also know that advice from a trusted health care provider increases the odds of a quit attempt.
I want to also let the Members know, and the people of the Northwest Territories, that we have also had education sessions for our frontline health care providers. In the last three years, we've had 63 frontline health professionals trained, and then we have ten more health care professionals trained in advanced for tobacco cessation support in the upcoming year. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I think the Minister answered most of my questions, so she's ahead of the curve. But I think you've spoken about this in the past, Mr. Speaker, but the Butt Head campaign was a very popular program and toured around the Northwest Territories, and I think kids really liked it as well. Why have we stopped promoting or using the Butt Head campaign antismoking campaign? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I fully remember the Don't Be a Butt Head campaign. This schoolbased smoking prevention program was delivered for about nine years as part of the healthy choices framework. In about 2015, there was a shift toward incorporating tobacco cessation into a broader cancer prevention and community wellness initiative. And therefore the funding for Don't Be a Butt Head was absorbed into other budgets. The department has continued to work with delivering supports in substance use and education in school. The new one that they have is the what they call The Dope Experience. So this amalgamates combined health information on different substances with mental health, community, and selfcare tools using art to explore these themes. And so that's what's been incorporated into the school. This was completed with onetime federal funding related to the cannabis legislation. So that's how this was all created, and it should be running in the schools. The department is also aware that the NWT, as elsewhere in Canada, vaping is amongst is on the rise, and so we've been working with the community health representatives to support conversations about the dangers of vaping in the Northwest Territories, working with students, and trying to come up with new resources to gear them towards youth. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, that's good news. Youth are definitely the gateway to how these companies make their money, how these addictions continue to plague communities. As I said, this year's theme for No Tobacco Day is youth step out and step Step In and Speak Out, with a hash tag, tobacco exposed. How is the department working or does the department promote No Tobacco Day, and are they participating in these events to spread awareness of how the industry is taking advantage of youth through social media? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The department of health is very active on social media. I mean, it came to my attention that tomorrow is World No Smoking Day through the health and social services media campaign. So as for the information how it relates to youth, the youth are on so many different media platforms so I can't be I'm not familiar as to what platforms that they're targeting, but I know that it is on social media and, you know, we can be reaching out to all the schools to ensure that, you know, with The Dope Experience, that campaign, that covers all different areas that is being offered within our schools. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Health and Social Services. Final supplementary. Member from Range Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So the costs to for nicotine replacement therapies can be and products like nicotine gum patches I used the patch. It was very effective. I've used them all, though. What financial supports do they have? Because certainly some of these products might not even be available in a small community. So what financial supports and how are we getting these products to individuals outside of regional centres? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, one of the things that, within the small communities and I had asked this on numerous occasions to the department on different topics is with smoking cessations in the communities, the majority of the population in our small communities, you know, are Indigenous, so all of our insurances that we apply have with noninsured health benefits, Metis benefits, extended health benefits, they all cover smoking cessation. And from my understanding, we do supply those in we do have them in the health centres and so people, if they get the physician to or the nurse to have a prescription for them, they can access them in the small communities. You can access them here. You can go to the pharmacies in the regional centres where there are pharmacists. And if you have insurances and most government you know, if you work for the government or other insurances, they are normally covered. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Health and Social Services. Oral questions. Member from Yellowknife Centre.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, and I'll focus in on income support area. My question directly to the Minister is what type of peer and support counselling does income support provide their clients from day to day? Thank you.
Thank you, Member from Yellowknife Centre. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there's nothing on a daily basis as in day to day. But income assistance clients do have access to their client navigator whenever they do need. And also within the Department of Education, Culture and Employment, there are also career development officers that are based in all of the regional offices, for example North Slave, South Slave. And these are also persons that individuals on income assistance would have access to. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. What information is tracked in the sense of how many clients use this service? Thank you.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, statistics like that are not something I easily have at my fingertips but with a little bit of warning, I can definitely get that for the Member. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'll waste my third question by saying would the Minister be willing to supply it? Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, I would definitely be willing to get that information for the Member. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Final supplementary. Member from Yellowknife Centre.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, is productive choices a formal requirement of income supports, and is it buttressed with counselling? Thank you.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in the 19th Assembly, the income assistance program underwent a review, and one of the changes that were made during that review was removing the productive choices requirement. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Oral questions. Member from Yellowknife North.
That's me. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So my questions are for the Minister of Health and Social Services. As a bit of background, when children are learning struggling to learn to speak or communicate or read, speech language pathologists can provide critical assistance and tools for these kids. And HSS is responsible for providing speech language pathology services that include hospitalbased services, travel clinics, preschool therapy, schoolaged therapy, and elder care. While only a few years ago, we used to have fully staffed SLP teams in Inuvik, Fort Smith, Hay River, and Yellowknife. Now those teams outside Yellowknife seemed to have disappeared and we've lost half of our staff in Yellowknife. And yet another speech language pathologist
Member from Yellowknife North, can you please get to your question. Thank you.
(audio) government know what's the reason for particularly poor retention of staff in speech language pathology and occupational therapy within the past five years? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from Yellowknife North. Minister of Health and Social Services.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there is a nationwide shortage of these professionals as well and us, as well as every other jurisdiction, is struggling to compete for this small pool of professionals to fill these positions. But NTHSSA is working with human resources to explore additional recruitment and retention options. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So the problem is that only a few years ago, we did actually have staff in these positions and now they've left. So it's not simply a matter of we were never able to staff these positions, it's an issue of retaining the staff that we had only a few short years ago. So what is the department planning to do to address this poor retention to ensure that we can offer the full range of critical services in this area? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned the NTHSSA is working with the human resources to explore additional recruitment and retention options. Last month representatives from the NTHSSA travelled to the University of Toronto job fair to promote speech language pathologists opportunities in the Northwest Territories. The territorial manager of the occupational therapy also travelled to the national occupational therapy conference with a recruitment booth. The rehab leads are working continuously with a talent organization for recruitment campaigns, refreshing that they don't yield any candidates, but they've hired two new SLP grads in the fall of 2023 and they're working towards three new grad OT job offers for 2024. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'll just note that the Minister listed some excellent recruitment initiatives, and I think what I've pointed out is the problems with retention, which as I mentioned the other day is a different strategy and a different problem. But I'll move on to my next question, which is so due to shortages of staff, the health authority has pulled back schoolbased support since 2021. How does the department plan to reinstate schoolbased services for speech language pathology across the territory to ensure that all kids can gain the tools to be able to speak, communicate, and read? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, inperson appointments for urgent referrals within the Northwest Territories and telehealth appointments will continue with the staff that we do have. Services will be maintained for students with priority needs. But we also, I want to let the Members know, that NTHSSA and the department are working together with the Department of ECE as they explore ways to support the learning needs of children who may be impacted by the reduction of school speech and language and OT services. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Health and Social Services. Final supplementary. Member from Yellowknife North.
