Kieron Testart

Thank you, Mr. Chair. So on the subject of the Fort Smith centre closing, can the Minister provide more detail on what the plan is with this new wellness centre? Because we haven't seen any concrete details or terms of reference or scoping. So I guess I'd like to know is this just kind of an idea, like hey, maybe we could turn to this, or is it an actual plan that they thought through and are developing? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, so I know that there's sunsets to -- oh, and I'm not sure if they're here. Anyways, so just related to labour market supplements to recruitment to referrals to -- recruitment and retention, period. And it's close to $3 million. So how is the department making up for this? I know we're in the midst of a bargaining process so is there a plan to bring something -- is there a reserve being set aside in case there's a need for this resource to be brought back once those negotiations are concluded? Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, my questions are for the Minister of Health and Social Services.

How many agency nurse contracts have been utilized since 2021 by individual nurse;

How many agency nurse contracts have been utilized since 2021 by contracting agency;

How many agency nurse contracts have been utilized to support community health centres and Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority operations outside of hospitals in Yellowknife, Inuvik, and Hay River since 2021; and

How many individual agency nurse contracts are represented by the $4.4 million expenditure on agency nurses in fiscal year...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. And for the record, that was not a trick question. I was sincerely trying to -- because I can't see another solution to this that's not -- that won't take a significant amount of time, and we need some short to medium-term solutions to the organized crime element of this problem while we continue to invest in those long-term foundational changes in resources that our most vulnerable citizens need.

When it comes to the provision of those integrated services, how are the police going to be used -- or policing services going to be used to complement that, specifically around...

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. Chair. Mr. Chair, the -- so I've spoken about that I think that this is a worthwhile investment, and I think it speaks to a broader issue of inter -- of cross-border drug trafficking that's coming into the territories. As the question's been raised and someone answered, but does -- in the Premier's discussions with both -- with the RCMP and with his department, like, what is -- what trends are they seeing around drug trafficking and increased rates of criminality and, in particular, violence and homicide in the last -- since the pandemic? Thank you.

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.

Nothing further. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Is there -- I appreciate where the Minister's coming from, and there's always going to be a push and pull between the -- or the demand for services versus what the government can realistically provide. But when we have our auditors telling us that take a look at how we're spending health dollars because it's unsustainable and it's, you know, causing the government -- the government's public accounts to teeter on a knife's edge, that's a problem that we need to solve.

So is the Minister willing to look at different models of governance for the authorities that would allow...

So in 20 -- the actuals from 2022-2023, the Commission had $3.9 million, and the clinics at 2.7, and now that suddenly inverted, now you see the kind of the opposite proportion, you see the clinics at $3.5 million and the Commission at $2.8 million. So I guess what does that change represent? Is it just a re-profiling of resources or are we moving more -- like, more to the panel itself rather than in-house staff? I can provide more detail if that's still unclear. But that's the change I'm trying to understand. Thank you.