Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, advanced care paramedics are equipped with knowledge and skills required to provide advanced patient care in critical or complex medical situations, such as life -- advanced life support procedures, medical administration, obstetric care, advanced airway management, mental health crises, crisis intervention, and much more. If we had these resources available in -- especially outside of regional centres, they could be providing the life-saving services where there are none.
Is the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs willing to work to bring advanced care paramedic training into rural and remote communities to assist with ground ambulance services in the Northwest Territories? Thank you.
Thank you, Member from Range Lake. Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. What the Member is speaking of is an advanced care paramedic and, you know, that type of service for a small community, it may be ideal in some aspects but in the aspect of my department and what the Member is speaking of, you're talking of a service that's done by a community like an ambulance service or a fire department. And sometimes in small communities like that when you have an advanced care paramedic, they have to maintain the scope of practice and in order to maintain that scope of practice, they also have to do so many types of skills to maintain that which is very hard to do in a small community sometimes. So ideally, it's up to the community whether or not they want to bring in those services. They have the funding available. And I know for myself it's been an issue in the past, something I'm still working on with the department of health and continue to work on, on the services that we can provide to the communities and what types of services are needed for the communities. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In the same vein, community paramedicine is an emerging initiative that's proven to be successful to provide safe, timely, mobile medical care in the community setting, such as palliative care, pharmacology, dementia, delirium, and depression services, transfusions medicine, and all manner of things. This helps keep people out of the health care system and gets to problems before they get worse. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Can the Minister work to deliver on this initiative with local emergency services providers to advance community paramedicine in regional centres and in the capital? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. What the Member is speaking of entails a lot of work when it comes down to legislation in regards to the scope of practice or what paramedics can do in the field. And this is something that we currently don't have which would take a long -- a lot of work to do and to get going. My focus, and I think the continued focus, is going to be to continue to support a basic response within communities so that first responder trainer, first responder response to communities are there in the communities and support the communities in order to assist in community emergencies. So when it comes down to the term "paramedics", there's different levels of paramedics, and at this time there is no vision of having paramedics within the communities supported by the government. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, I'm trying to see if the Minister will develop a path for this. We could have training programs at Aurora College if they're funded, for example, to offer paramedicine courses. To enhance our ability to do this, we could work with the licensing bodies in different jurisdictions. Alberta comes to mind, to provide certifications, scope of practice, and all the things the Minister talked about. So is the Minister willing to take this on and expand the degrees of paramedicine in the Northwest Territories so we could reap the benefits that are sorrily needed for an overburdened health system and communities that are sometimes completely removed from emergency services and emergency medicine? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think if I had $25 million, I could solve this problem right now. But this is something that's obviously going to take a lot more than that. You know, licensing paramedics, licensing first responders in the Northwest Territories, is something that's been looked at and it's been reviewed a few times; it's been studied. The problem is is when you're dealing with that, you're also forcing volunteers to be licensed which also, again, puts restrictions on volunteers, whether or not they want to volunteer. But it also then turns around to say we're going to charge ourselves essentially to license paramedics. So, you know, this is an added cost, this is an added expense where I don't think it really needs to be. Having worked in the field, I think there's ways about this that could help communities advance. Considering there's only one real -- excuse me, sorry, two full-time services outside of Yellowknife, full-time services outside of Yellowknife, having a licensing is not going to be effective for the rest of the communities. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs. Final supplementary. Member from Range Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Minister for clarifying that but I'm not asking for a licensing body. I think that is the too larger project. I'm asking if the Minister will explore partnerships with other provinces to bring their licensing bodies to the Northwest Territories to provide this to paramedicine. And I'll point out as well that we have contractors that provide this kind of services in the Northwest Territories. Maybe if we had more flexibility or more range of options, we would see more of those operators open up North and expand the range of services. So will the Minister at least look into working with other jurisdictions to bring licensing bodies into the Northwest Territories so we can expand the scope of paramedicine? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The way it currently works right now with no licensing body, a lot of the paramedics, whether it be a primary care paramedic, advanced care paramedic, or critical care paramedic, if they are licensed outside a province and, say for an example they're licensed in Alberta, when they come work in the Northwest Territories, they work within their scope of practice which most times most companies that hire them allow them to do based on their protocols that they have. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs. Oral questions. Member from Inuvik Boot Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, back in 2018, the Minister and the government of the day had announced a 48-bed long-term care facility to be established in Inuvik. I know we've had this conversation in the House a couple of times, and I'd like to request the Minister of health to provide an update on where that project stands. Thank you.
Thank you, Member from Inuvik Boot Lake. Minister of Health and Social Services.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the project approved for planning only in 2024-2025. The geotechnical analysis has been completed. The functional programming, including operational planning, is underway. And an RFP for schematic design and class C cost estimates will be posted this winter. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, back around that same time I know there was an operational plan provided as well as a schematic design that was provided by both partnership between both Indigenous governments in the community. Is that something that the department is still considering looking at or are they going for a fresh set of eyes on this? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, and I do recall the plan that was presented -- I think it was even presented to the community. At the time, the numbers of the day, the beds that were needed for long-term care placement in the Northwest Territories were very high, and then they relooked at it because of the cry for many residents outside in the small communities wanting care closer to home, and it made a priority of the last two governments is to being able to, you know, age in place gracefully. And I mean, that was a priority of the 19th Assembly. And so there was much more work done on how do we support seniors on different levels of care to remain in their communities longer with their communities, with their culture, and less likely to have to be moved to a regional centre. So with that, then there was a new focus on revisiting the bed numbers and then when that happened, it came down to Inuvik's bed reduction to 20 beds that are needed currently in the Beaufort Delta region -- or for Inuvik. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And, yes, I thank the Minister for that clarification, and I had understood that was kind of a priority of the 19th Assembly. I'm glad to hear it's still at least 20 beds, not the 48 that we had originally wanted, but certainly I'm glad to hear that it's progressing.
Is there still an appetite, then, Mr. Speaker, for this government to consider working with the Indigenous governments on either through procurement, either having them design and build this facility and lease it back to the government or at least -- I guess least of all build this facility through the Indigenous governments? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, at this time, no, because -- I think the Member will speak to and has spoke to a lot of the work that was done in the previous governments that had a collaborated approach to doing this. As of now, we do not have that and so because -- and then the delay of the project and the change in the project, I think right now where we're at is just going for the schematic design and it's going to be put out to -- like I said, it's going to be put out for RFP publicly to be posted winter of 2025. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister of Health and Social Services. Final supplementary. Member from Inuvik Boot Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So if I understand that, the RFP will be going out in 2025, and can then the Minister provide an update on when she expects this facility to be completed and operational? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I don't have a timeline as to when this will be completed or operational. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister of Health and Social Services. Member from the Sahtu.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Further to my questions there -- or my statement earlier, my first question to the Minister of Infrastructure is will the Minister share what has and is being done since the federal government has created the regional energy resource tables? Thank you.
Thank you, Member from the Sahtu. Minister of Infrastructure.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this was an initiative of the federal government meant to provide a vehicle by which provinces and territories could explain our priorities for the federal government and hopefully to be a pathway to unlocking federal investment. It was a bit slow getting off the ground. There was back and forths about how to get organized and who should be on the tables. But I am pleased to say that the GNWT was part of the second round of these tables that were launched originally and that they have been fairly active now since the spring of 2024 in order to scope out what areas of priority we have here in the Northwest Territories and be able to share them actively with the federal government. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thanks for that information there from the Minister there. My next question is what good has come from these tables for the NWT? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as I said they certainly have been a little slower to get moving than what I might have hoped. That said, I've certainly spoken to my department about them to get updates, and I'm assured that one of the biggest things that's happening is these have been an opportunity and a vehicle by which our officials are actually able to engage with the appropriate counterparts in a context of identifying priorities in this space, identifying areas where a federal investment can unlock some of our priorities rather than being only a one size all -- fits all approach coming from Ottawa. So, for example, with the Critical Minerals Investment Fund, these tables have been an opportunity to be able to say, look, where -- what kind of projects do we have, where do we need your investment, and been an opportunity to do that in a more effective way so that the money is flowing and being unlocked more quickly here in the Northwest Territories. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thanks for the information there from the Minister. My next question is with this package of information, and I really want to thank the Minister of ITI for issuing support to some of the developers, or potential developers in my region along with the other regions of the Northwest Territories. Has the department taken steps of consultation engagements with other NWT industry stakeholders, for example the Chamber of Mines, are they aware of the progress from the tables? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this is firstly a shared initiative between different departments and one where we've -- although Infrastructure has been the lead under the element of being an energy -- the energy lead, ECC and ITI are both also engaged from the GNWT's perspective. One of the critical steps that we had to undertake was to ensure that we were properly engaged in aligning with priorities from the Council of Leaders and meeting therefore with IGOs and, indeed, the next step, I'm told and, in fact, is to take the -- what we've got from this group now to industry, and I expect that that will include the Chamber of Mines. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister of Infrastructure. Final supplementary.
Oral questions. Member from Frame Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are for the Minister of health. Mr. Speaker, what progress has health and social services made to date in implementing the 12 accepted recommendations in the supported living report? Thank you.
Thank you, Member from Frame Lake. Minister of Health and Social Services.
The Department of Health and Social Services is making progress on the implementation of the recommendations that came from the supported living review. There's been a steering committee with representation from the department and all three health and social services authorities that was established in April of 2023 to oversee this work. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there's probably some more detail out there so if the Minister is interested in sharing that with Members, I'd appreciate it. But the department accepted recommendation 8, which was to increase caregiver supports and overnight respite options in principle only. Has the department made any progress on this recommendation or explored options related to expanding respite services? Thank you.
thank you, Mr. Speaker. And, yes, to the Member, I do have a list, and I don't want to read out a whole page of things, so I will promise to give that list to the Member.
When it comes to overnight respite, the resources that would be required to provide overnight respite services will be explored; however -- as part of this work, but they will require new resources and dollars to do that. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And as in my Member's statement, I noted that over time I think it'll help us save money so I encourage the Minister and appreciate that commitment to look into it.
Mr. Speaker, has the department made any progress on any of the other recommendations which were accepted in principle but not fully accepted at the time? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as the department we have not been focusing on advancing these areas but, however, the work will be done in the future to determine what resources would be required to move them forward. And just so that the Member is aware, that the work that has been -- they've been doing is to be established and, like, they've updated the work plan that's been drafted and they've also begun to develop policies and processes. So there's things that have been going on behind the scenes to be able to roll out and work on those 12 recommendations that they have approved, and then once they have that then they can start to look at the remainder of the recommendations. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Health and Social Services. Final supplementary. Member from Frame Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Minister for that response. Certainly, I wanted to highlight respite services as an item that should be a priority, and I appreciate the Member taking a specific look at that. Mr. Speaker, several of the accepted recommendations in the report that were accepted spoke to stronger -- the need for stronger interdepartmental coordination with Housing NWT and ECE. Has the department made any progress on advancing those recommendations specifically? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the department has initiated these discussions with ECE and housing to explore the overlap policies for adults in supported living, and so that work will continue to evolve during this now that they have all of the people in the working groups established. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister of Health and Social Services. Oral questions. Member from Mackenzie Delta.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Pertaining to my Member's statement, 20 or 30 years ago the education system looked at teaching our children with great pride. Today we don't see that pride within our schools. The school -- the education system is failing our students every day. When can we start taking pride in the education system again and start seeing positive results within our smaller communities? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from Mackenzie Delta. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would say that that day is today, and I would say that that day was yesterday. I think that we have a tremendous amount of youth in the Northwest Territories who are working very hard in order to achieve their education. I had the honour and opportunity sitting with two pages in this House today, one of which is collecting water at the moment and keeping us well hydrated. His name is Mason, and I had the opportunity to sit down with him and listen to his concerns and questions about education in Colville Lake. So that was very much appreciated.
Mr. Speaker, I think it's worth saying, though, that I appreciate that the Member continues to raise education, especially in small communities in the Northwest Territories. And this is a concern that wasn't only shared by the Member. It's shared by myself. It's shared by my predecessor and was definitely shared by the Office of the Auditor General of the Government of Canada. And that is why they did a report, and I'd be more than happy to share the findings of that report with the Member and with this House. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. How does the department of education evaluate the progress of students and determine if they're ready to advance to the next grade or even graduate from high school? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
