Thank you, Minister of ITI. Oral questions. Member from Range Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the outgoing Prime Minister has released a white paper on RCMP reform, its significant consequences for the Northwest Territories if these changes go through, which would see the force transition to a national intelligence and security force. I know the RCMP has concerns around this. We've heard some jurisdictions have concerns around this. Yesterday we talked about sunsetting funding for community safety officer programs, the need potentially for a new Police Act. Now it sounds like we need to have our own police force. So what is the Premier's approach to solve this challenge? Thank you.
Thank you, Member from Range Lake. Mr. Premier.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So the federal government, on March 10th, released a paper about the future of the RCMP or, at least, this existing administration's take on the future of the RCMP understanding there is a change of government happening tomorrow, so we'll see what happens. And that paper said that the federal government should be committed to working closely with the provinces to support a transition away from contract policing. Of course, here in the Northwest Territories we contract the RCMP to do our policing. But in that same paper, it said that Canada should also collaborate with territorial leaders and Indigenous partners to define a new policing model. So while the provinces -- this paper talks about transitioning the provinces away from contract policing with the RCMP, it recognizes that the territories are in a different position, and this is similar to the conversation I had with the Minister of public safety. Admittedly, it was a few public safety Ministers ago, but it was wasn't that long ago, where Minister Blair, who was public safety Minister at the time, acknowledged that there's a different relationship with the territories and that the federal government does have a responsibility for policing -- a shared responsibility for policing in the territory which is different from the provinces. So we will continue to work with the federal government on this.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you for that clarity. I did note that the territories are being treated differently. But this new model of policing, this -- one of the perhaps benefits is to start the discussion on how we can change community policing in the Northwest Territories, indigenize it, and certainly make it -- make the service even more representative of the communities it serves and, of course, perhaps deal with some of the historic inequities of communities that haven't had RCMP officers or things like that.
So in the discussions the Premier's had in the past about a new policing model, could he shed some light on what new options there could be because we've heard Members on the floor here have been advocating for police officers in their small rural and remote communities for 30 years. So is there a way we can use this opportunity to bring more policing resources into the Northwest Territories? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So our current agreement with the RCMP is for another seven years. So this is a long ways out. That being said, for a new model to be developed and, you know, fleshed out, it's going to take some time. And so this white paper came out three days ago. I don't -- no one that I know was expecting it. I don't believe the RCMP were part of the development of it. And so there hasn't been a lot of discussions on this. And so I don't really have any insight into what the model could look like because those conversations haven't started. That being said, it is an opportunity to address some of the issues that have been ongoing issues in the territory in terms of, you know, the coverage of policing services and things like that. It will come with challenges, there's no doubt about that, but there's always an opportunity to improve something when we're starting fresh with it. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Premier. Final supplementary. Member from Range Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And certainly with the -- there are always new opportunities, and perhaps this is one of them. That being said, the RCMP is saying loud and clear that they feel they've been underresourced by parliament. Will the Premier join me in calling for more resources for the RCMP so we can keep our communities safe here in the Northwest Territories? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So we have a contract with the RCMP and that lays out the resourcing, and it's clear of the cost share breakdown. We pay 70 percent, the federal government pays 30 percent. We have advocated for more resources, and we were successful in that advocacy by receiving more funding through the First Nation and Inuit policing program which has closer to a 50/50 cost share, and so we have been successful in that regard. But that being said, we do have a contract, we do have a requirement to pay a certain amount, and so we can't get more resources from the federal government but it would mean that we would put in our portion of those resources. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Premier. Oral questions. Member from Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Hopefully we still have some healthcare workers that have hung on and are continuing to watch because I would like to ask some questions for the Minister of Health and Social Services around healthcare workforce planning.
So we know that there are almost 50 percent vacancy rates for local family physicians and specialists in the territory, and the health authority has been saying that that might not be a problem because maybe we don't need that many doctors if patients are sometimes better off seeing another practitioner instead such as a nurse.
My question, first, when will we know exactly how many doctor positions we should be aiming for and how many of each kind of nurse positions we should be aiming for in each community region and across the NWT as a whole? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from Yellowknife North. Minister of Health and Social Services.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it's always the aim of the NTHSSA to fill all funded position vacancies first with permanent staff living in the territory and, where that's not possible, to try to attempt to hire recurrent locums. The work of the primary care reform is to match primary care needs of the communities with access to the right providers to meet those needs. And as needs change, like aging population, chronic disease burdens, mental health conditions, practices change, expanded scope of providers, new technologies, the mix and number of people to deliver that care will shift. But right now it's too early to determine the future for family physicians given the changes in our primary care model. More funded positions for family physicians may be needed but it's also possible that they won't. While there's currently vacancies, we aren't turning any primary care physicians away. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So we also know that as of June of last year, nurse vacancy rates ranged from 23 percent to 36 percent, depending on the type of nurse. And that's alarming enough, but if nurses are now expected to take on even more of a role in seeing patients, if there's a shortage of doctors, is the Minister confident that we currently even have enough nurse positions established, let alone the ability to fill them? So in other words, could the gap between the number of nurses we have and the number of nurses we need be even greater than those vacancy rates are showing? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned with the physicians, we aim to fill all funded nursing vacancies. But as we continue to refine the models of care and move forward with primary care reform, we'll be in a better position to ensure that staffing reflects the needs of the community. And as I mentioned in this House many times, changing in the small communities, nursing has changed over many, many years. So whereas before when I started in my career 20 years ago, the nurses in all of the Beaufort Delta when I used to be able to be on the phone with them, talk with them in the emergency department, they had been in those communities, they were living in those communities, they were permanent living in those communities, and now what we're seeing is many people do not come and move to those communities. And that's why the effort of trying to promote and work with Indigenous people that are from those communities to go to school, to get trained, and go back to their communities. We have some great success stories in the Northwest Territories. But in the regional centres, you don't see -- the vacancies are not as high. In the capital, they're, you know, in the 8:30 to 5 clinics, those kinds of positions, they're not as high. It is a lot of work for shift workers, and some shift workers -- nurses come into the -- to nursing, and they leave within a couple of years because it's just not for them. Many people do that in many careers, and right now health care is hard work, it is busy, there is a lot. People are sicker, rooms are full, emergencies are full. So it is going to take a -- there is a lot of work to do with primary care and it's got to also -- you know, where we're trying to focus is in the small communities because that is where we see the biggest gaps. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Health and Social Services. Final supplementary. Member from Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Is the health authority tracking the number of expected retirements of doctors and nurses over the next three years in order to target its recruitment and workforce planning efforts appropriately? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, GNWT regularly tracks current and historical retirement rates as well as current retirement eligibility and retirement eligibility in the next five to ten years as it reflects in the GNWT public service annual report. The NTHSSA also tracks staffing levels throughout quarterly vacancy reviews. Managers are asked to identify any current or anticipated vacancies within a six-month timeframe to support proactive recruitment, minimize service disruptions, and facilitate smooth transition and handover periods. And I can contest to that because I used to do that. Part of this upcoming 2025-2028 people strategy scheduled for -- is scheduled for launch next fiscal year, and NTHSSA is exploring opportunities to strengthen succession planning and a support staff development within the system. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Health and Social Services. Oral questions. Member from Mackenzie Delta.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Further to my Member's statement, you know, can you imagine that there are numerous people out there, like the young lady I was referring to, who wants help to overcome their addictions but the help from -- but they need the help from their own people within their own communities. Trust is a huge factor in -- when you're dealing with addiction recovery.
Will the Minister look at having her department look at supporting the residents of our smaller communities with financial resources to heal the residents of our smaller communities? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from Mackenzie Delta. Minister of Health and Social Services.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, exactly what the Member is talking about, this -- in the last couple years, the community wellness and recovery addictions funding is specifically to application-based from Indigenous governments or groups in the community that can apply for any type of programming that they want to offer in their community. And as it is right now today, in the Member's riding, the Gwich'in Tribal Council has received $303,000 from that fund and the -- they've -- also the Tetlit Gwich'in Band has also received $24,200 for that fund for this fiscal year. As well as there are funding for those youth that are struggling and possibly to -- you know, with our small communities, there's a high risk for suicide, so a suicide prevention fund within the community. GTC received $72,500 towards the Gwich'in communities, and the Tetlit Gwich'in also gets $71,533 directly into the Tetlit Gwich'in Council. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you for the response. I want to refer to addictions recovery and specifically to addictions recovery, Mr. Speaker.
Will the Minister take the lead and help heal our residents within our communities and meet personally with the interested community agencies who want to heal their communities? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, you know, I'm more than willing to always go in and speak with the community members; however, when it comes to the area where if they want community-based programs that are -- those funds have been requested by the Indigenous governments to go through this process. So what we do as the GNWT, provide mental health supports. There is a counsellor position in Fort McPherson. There is addiction support that's provided through this program. There are -- you know, and if there's discussion between the Indigenous groups in that region and my office and my staff, I'm more than willing to have those conversations on how we can work together. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Health and Social Services. Final supplementary. Member from Mackenzie Delta.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As our last Minister's visit did not go well in Fort McPherson due to a death, will the Minister commit to visiting Fort McPherson in April of 2025 to address some of the concerns of the residents? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
If the Member is asking me to do another constituency tour, yes, I will commit to doing that; however, the dates we can work -- our offices can work together with those dates. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Health and Social Services. Oral questions. Member from Yellowknife Centre.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have a question for the Premier who also is the Minister of Justice.
Mr. Speaker, the last budget, we had a rollout, I believe, of nine policing officers under the Indigenous policing initiative. I'm curious as to what the actual rollout looks like, where they are -- where did they go to and where they didn't go to with respect to the nine that the territorial government was getting. Thank you.
Thank you, Member from Range Lake. Minister of Justice.
So there were not nine positions rolled out in -- oh, I guess the Member was talking about last fiscal year, so that would have been 2023-2024. We're still in the 2024-2025 fiscal year.
So in the 2023-2024-fiscal year, the Member is correct, there were nine positions. Those were allocated to Aklavik, Dettah and N'dilo based in Yellowknife, Fort Good Hope, Fort McPherson, Fort Simpson, two to Fort Smith, one to the K'atlodeeche First Nation stationed in Hay River. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the kindness of that moment where the Premier could have made a bigger dealer than it was; I misread my note. That said, has the department applied for any more policing officers under that initiative? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I don't have that information on hand. What I will say is that we do have a significant number of RCMP officers. The RCMP budget has increased faster than really most other budgets in the government, and that's because we put a lot of emphasis on it. And so at some point we do have to, you know, stop the expansion and look at other priorities. That being said, there's always conversations going on. And when opportunities arise where we -- it looks like we can get a good deal from the federal government, we like to explore those and so there could be some of those talks happening, but I'm happy to get back to the Member. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister of Justice. Final supplementary. Member from Yellowknife Centre.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, one of the challenges I see as the downtown MLA, that we see a lot of -- we'll call it social problems. And, unfortunately, police officers are being used as social workers to deal with them. But the reality is they are being called on more and more and taken away from the primary job for general public safety and general duty stuff.
Mr. Speaker, would the Premier be willing to look at some type of way of increasing the police presence in the downtown of Yellowknife? I know he doesn't instruct the chief superintendent, but he does have sway with respect to influence of policing. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And the way that the Minister of Justice influences policing in the Northwest Territories is through resourcing and through the policing priorities that are issued to the RCMP, and so it's probably a bit beyond my ability to increase the police presence in a particular community and a particular part of that community. And that being said, I've had conversations with the RCMP about Yellowknife and about downtown Yellowknife, and so I know they're well aware of the situation. And when the RCMP wants to bring forward requests for new resources, there's a process through which they do that. And when they identify Yellowknife as the place where they want to see those resources, they will bring forward that request to us. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister of Justice. Oral questions. Member from Range Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to ask the Minister of NWT Housing how many new homes will the NWT build over the remainder of this term of government? Thank you.
Thank you, Member from Range Lake. Minister responsible for Housing NWT.
Mr. Speaker -- sorry, Mr. Speaker, I'm a little bit sleepy here. But I don't have those numbers on hand, but I can provide the Member with that information. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you. No, and I appreciate that, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I think by my -- I guess we can't ballpark things here.
When we're talking about new homes, can the Minister just define what NWT Housing means by "new home" so the public is aware of when we're talking about housing and creating doors and things like that for people to live in, it doesn't always have to be brand new; sometimes it can be a reno. So what does "new home" mean in the context of this conversation? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. If I understand the question, what does a new home mean? A new home means a new build within Housing NWT and brought into a community as a new home. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister responsible for Housing NWT. Final supplementary. Member from Range Lake.
Thank you. What does the Minister -- is the Minister aware of the current core need for homeowners in the Northwest Territories; what that statistic is. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I understand core need is very high. We have over 900 families in the Northwest Territories that need homes. This is the waiting list across the North. We're doing a territorial housing needs assessment, and this is important work because it offers us both a qualitative look and a quantitative look. Right now we've done the quantitative, and we're working towards qualitative. We're working with the university of British Columbia, and they have a HART tool, it's a housing assessment resource tool. And this tool is working with Housing NWT to go across and engage with communities with this tool, using this tool, to look at homes across the North, the quality of homes. Because we can continue to put quantity of homes but the quality inside that home is really important.
I've been into homes from Sachs Harbour to Fort Resolution, and I see the disparity especially with public housing. So when you talk quality of homes, this is important work that they're going to do, and we're hoping to have this done by fall of 2025. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
