Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, you know, and I appreciate that the Member is highlighting this. This is something that, you know, we always think that we live in a little bubble up here in the North and these kind of things are not going to happen to us but as I was in Halifax, there was another serious incident that happened there while we were there. And, you know, I hear it from my colleagues in Hay River, you know, the staff there are worried about the safety. And so we take this very seriously. And there is ongoing work right now learning from this specific incident, and any other incidents before but, you know, highlighting that the place that we're living right now with guns and violence and the toxic drugs that are affecting all of our communities now, we are looking at this and some improving and ongoing doing this work. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Health and Social Services. Oral questions. Member from Inuvik Boot Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, following up on my Member's statement, and Mr. Speaker, I know the Minister's live to this issue, I know the Minister cares about this issue. My first question is what are we doing and when are we finally going to resolve this issue of cabin leases in settled land claim areas? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from Inuvik Boot Lake. Minister of Environment and Climate Change.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Member for the question.
Mr. Speaker, this has been an area that has been top of mind for me. It was one of my priorities, my personal priorities when I came into the Assembly and became Minister, and there's been a lot of work done within the department. I certainly, much like the Member, would like to see the pace moving a little quicker than it is but, you know, very aware of the capacity of not only the department but the Indigenous governments to move this forward. We have a number of initiatives going. We've addressed a way to engage so that we can look at the program as a whole, and we've sent letters out. We have a meeting scheduled for early May to discuss some options. And, again, as I've stated before it's very important to me that we get the perspectives and the input from all of the Indigenous governments across the NWT to ensure that we're looking out for everyone's interest as we move forward. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, you know, we must commit to respecting the IFA, certainly in the Inuvialuit settlement area, and our obligations under this implementation. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister speak to any specific legislation that would have to be changed to make this happen? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as we are currently working through the process, we are working with -- through the Intergovernmental Council on land tenure on -- oh sorry, the Intergovernmental Council on land and resource management through the legislative development protocol. And as we're doing this, we're working on the establishment of finalizing the regulations toward the land tenure issue. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Environment and Climate Change. Final supplementary. Member from Inuvik Boot Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I thank the Minister for that. I don't think I got a specific piece of legislation in there, and I'd note that now is not the time to negotiate; now is the time, again, to respect the legislation and the rules and the Indigenous agreements that are in place.
With that, Mr. Speaker, would the Minister once again commit to pausing all invoicing and all collections until this issue is finally resolved? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And apologies to the Member for my little stumble there. Currently we are working on reducing -- potentially reducing rents for Indigenous leaseholders that have traditional harvesting rights to potentially a dollar. Unfortunately, under the current legislation we're unable to go to zero. Certainly, we have the program in place, which came into force in 2023 which we've extended now, to pause collection on outstanding lease arrears. And we're certainly, you know, want to do everything we can as a department to work with all of the Indigenous governments across the NWT to ensure that we can, you know, support the implementation of those programs and happy to continue with that down that road and ensure that we are, you know, trying to get everyone to come over and sign up for the program that's interested in having their arrears paused. And if there are groups out there that would need additional assistance, happy to work on that as well. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Environment and Climate Change. Oral questions. Member from Mackenzie Delta.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There are only a few units -- market housing units within each of the communities throughout the NWT. They're housing our professional resource people who are coming into our communities to assist in healing our residents. We have limited housing available within our smaller communities, and this is the only option some of our resource people may have. Has the department looked at other options to increase revenue rather than imposing a rent increase on only a select few? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from Mackenzie Delta. Minister responsible for Housing NWT.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. At this time, the department is considering a number of different options to increase revenues with Housing NWT. But market rental rates have not changed since 2012, 2013, and this is a possible -- this is a possible revenue for Housing NWT because it does subsidize our public housing units. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Some of these market housings are quite old and past its life span. Some of them are 50 years old, and imposing rent increases on tenants from these units is uncalled for. Will the department be increasing the rent on the same basis as the newer units, or will they be based on the condition of each unit? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, good news to report, most of the market housing rentals in the Northwest Territories are 20 years or less. The Government of the Northwest Territories started investing in market housing in the early 2000s. So most of them are 20 years or less, so much better condition than our public housing units. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister responsible for Housing NWT. Final supplementary. Member from Mackenzie Delta.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'll forego my third question and repeat my second question. Will the department be increasing the rent on the same basis as the newer units as the 50-year-old units that we do have in our communities? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. A difficult question and thank you to the Member for the question. This is the same type of question that I've asked Housing NWT. Considering the conditions of units across the Northwest Territories, utilize the unit condition rating, but at this time the expectation is that they would be the same across the board. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister responsible for Housing NWT. Oral questions. Member from Frame Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of health, and it's quite simple. Mr. Speaker, what is our goal for primary care in the NWT?
Thank you, Member from Frame Lake. Minister of Health and Social Services.
Mr. Speaker, to answer the Member's question, there have been systemic barriers in the health and social services system preventing Indigenous people from accessing the primary and community health care services they need. This results in disparity in health and wellness outcomes. These services could be delivered through team-based models of care that are responsive to their values and priorities. Therefore, a vision has been established, in collaboration with Indigenous communities, to address these disparities and focus on equity. And the department is committed to realizing this vision where Northwest Territories is a place where Indigenous people, including 2SLGBTQIPA+ individuals enjoy optimal physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health and wellness. So the goal of primary health care reform is to ensure that all residents have access to culturally safe, team-based, primary and community care, and then to establish integrated care pathways to support seamless integration and continuity across various health and social services and levels of care. So we are mobilizing health and social services system staff and external shareholders to pursue that transformative community-driven approach to primary and community care. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate that incredibly detailed answer. My next question is, Mr. Speaker, if that is our goal, why have we not clearly articulated it -- and I might suggest being a bit more brief -- in the business plans? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, you know, the business plans -- and I agree, sometimes when we get into the beginning of how we're going to do things in a new government, it's very -- in a way, may I say vague as to how we're going to get these things done. But I -- you know, and that's one of the reasons why I think just recently I sent a letter to the committee on a briefing for the primary health care reform which will be able to dive deep into some of the work that the department is doing and for Members to be able to ask questions and get the information that they need in a better way. And I encourage the Members to reach out to us to schedule that briefing. 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 offer. Certainly, I'll talk to my colleagues, and hopefully we accept that briefing.
Mr. Speaker, it's great to have a goal, but we also need to know when are we trying to achieve it by. So I appreciate that we are working to have equitable access for all NWT residents to primary care. I would suggest that we add the word universal, meaning everybody, has that access. But, Mr. Speaker, when are we -- when is that goal going to be achieved; when do we anticipate being able to tell every resident in the NWT that they have equitable access to health care? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as we're all aware, health is every day of our life there's somebody that needs to access it. So as we are transforming through this, every person in the Northwest Territories has access to care, you know, whether it's through the walk-in clinics, whether it's through 811, whether it's through our emergency departments, when you get out to the small community there are the health centres and the regional centres, we have the emergency departments. You know, everybody has access to care. As through this transformation, this is work that is going to be ongoing, and I do not want to rush something and -- you know, and put the burden on, pressure on our staff. There's been a lot of changes just in this past year, and that change management has -- we have had some struggles with that. So we need to take it a day at a time and making sure that our staff are comfortable and understanding how we're changing the way that we're providing care to the Northwest Territories residents. So at this time right now, I won't say that this will be done X amount of days. I think as we move forward through this process, you know, it will be our residents saying, you know, that they're feeling that the system is changing, and that is the most important piece. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Health and Social Services. Oral questions. Member from Great Slave.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to my colleague for setting me up for questions that a little bit more granular than his.
Mr. Speaker, can the Minister tell me how many primary care same-day appointments are available in both Yellowknife locations? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from Great Slave. Minister of Health and Social Services.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, same-day appointments are available in both the Liwego'ati Building and at the primary care centre location. That's the downtown location. There are approximately 24 available same-day appointments Monday to Friday which are offered during expanded hours until 9 p.m., and there are approximately 18 available same-day appointments on Saturday available from 10 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. Same-day appointments can be booked by calling first thing in the morning or by walk-in to the primary care centre. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Minister for that. That's eye opening.
Mr. Speaker, can the Minister confirm that diagnostic imaging and lab services are still also available and first come/first serve at downtown primary care? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, outpatient lab collection services in Yellowknife that are provided at the primary care centre and at -- and they are provided at the primary care centre and at Stanton Hospital. In the fall of 2024, Stanton Hospital changed their lab services to an appointment only model, but I can confirm that there are reserved appointments for those who receive urgent same-day requests to seek this service. And, Mr. Speaker, the lab service offered at the downtown primary care clinic include walk-in and same-day option and a waitlist option. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Health and Social Services. Member from Great Slave. Final supplementary.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it's my understanding that when you call for a same-day appointment in Yellowknife, you are assigned one location or the other, downtown or uptown. Can the Minister tell me how -- how same-day primary care appointments locations are selected and provided to someone who is calling in? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as mentioned, the same-day appointments are available at the Liwego'ati and Yellowknife Primary Care locations. There is one phone number to book appointments for both locations, and people are told which location they'll have an appointment when they book if it is the same day. These appointments are filled on a first come/first serve basis, and the location where you would go would be determined by the number of providers working that day and where they are working.
Mr. Speaker, we know that access to primary care is essential for maintaining overall health and well-being but knowing when and where to seek care is just as important. Primary care providers are often the first point of contact for medical concerns, offering routine checkups, preventative care, chronic condition management, and referrals to specialists when needed. However, not every health issue requires a visit to your primary care provider. In many cases, other health care professionals, like pharmacists or even telehealth services like 811, can provide the care you need. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Health and Social Services. Oral questions. Member from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Earlier I talked about the Kaw Tay Whee School in Dettah. That school would be 55 years old now, and it's four trailers put together. Mr. Speaker, the children have to walk probably about 300 yards to go to the gymnasium. This school needs to be replaced. My question would be to the Minister of Infrastructure. There was a study that was done in 2018, 2019. Can the Minister of Infrastructure let us know what was the study about and who was all involved in the study? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh. Minister of Infrastructure.
Mr. Speaker, I'm going to need a bit of time to suss out exactly what study this is referencing from 2018, 2019. I'm happy to do so. It may be that I'm leaning on my colleague from Education, Culture and Employment. When it comes to the capital planning for educational facilities, it is a team effort. We rely on ECE to determine their programming needs and then, of course, the team at infrastructure supports them with respect to capital planning standards and then moving through the process. So, again, happy to look into this and to report back to the House and to the Member. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I guess my question to the Minister is that now that the study is undertaken in 2018 and 2019, once she has this information, my question would be is can we look at a new way to look at this report and start working with the Yellowknives Dene First Nation chief and council and the local DEA to look at what the needs are for that community for fall 2025 capital plan process? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm certainly happy to continue to work with the chief from the community. That's not -- this is not an issue that he has raised with me directly on previous occasions but certainly happy to open that conversation with them.
Mr. Speaker, the capital planning process is a fairly detailed one. There are several criteria by which projects are judged to determine which ones move forward. Existing schools go through regular assessments every five years to determine where they might fall in terms of their needs. New capital projects similarly go through an assessment. There's standards and criteria that apply to all educational facilities. So there's quite a -- there's certainly a very robust system to ensure that we are ensuring that all the 33 communities have access to good educational facilities. Happy to go through that with the Member and with the chief and the community and see where the facilities in these communities fall. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister of Infrastructure. Final supplementary. Member from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I just want to emphasize that education is a treaty right, and it's also in the -- recognized in the UNDRIP document. So having said that, I guess looking forward to work with the department to work with the Yellowknives Dene First Nation and also the DEA in Dettah so that we are able to finally get a new school in Dettah and with a full-sized gymnasium. And my question to the Minister is that when can we start working together with the Yellowknives Dene First Nation and the local DEA on this issue? Thank you.
