Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, pertaining to my statement earlier, I have questions for the Health Minister. Mr. Speaker, my first question is: what food safety education is available to residents of Nunakput and across the Northwest Territories? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Minister of Health and Social Services.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we do have environmental health officers employed by the Department of Health and Social Services who can offer NWT food safety courses when requested by a community. They can go out and do that. They are usually waiting until they get at least 10 individuals who are interested in that course. However, we do know that, in some of the smaller communities, finding 10 individuals has proven to be difficult, so that can be offered by Telehealth as well, but we would need a request from the community that they would like that course provided and we can certainly provide it.
There are also a number of other training opportunities or training courses available online. They are available on our NWT Health and Social Services website. I would strongly encourage the Member to encourage his residents to review those courses and see if any of them meet their needs. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I appreciate the response from the Minister. It looks like we can work with the Inuvialuit on that. Mr. Speaker, my second question is: what steps can be taken to make sure small businesses will pass food inspections and get local foods into local stores?
Currently local meat must be inspected to meet food establishment safety regulations in order to be sold in stores. The Department of Health and Social Services is working with ITI to set out a method for legal sale of locally harvested and grown foods. This method needs to ensure that food are safe, which I think is understood and supported by the Member and all residents so that it is safe and the residents will not get ill by eating the food.
My third question, and this may overlap with the previous answer, but: how is the Department of Health working to help small operators sell locally sourced meat products?
The environmental health officers are working with small operators and people applying for temporary or permanent food establishment permits to ensure the food they provide is safe. Providing for locally sourced meat products will require revisions to the Public Health Act and regulations, and it may require other regulations or amendments to be done, regulations and legislation that might exist in other departments, like ENR, Lands, or ITI, so we would need to work with those departments to ensure that any sales or distribution of locally harvested foods is safe for the residents when it involves for sale.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Nunakput.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I appreciate the response, and you mentioned ENR. Mr. Speaker, my final question is: how does the health department work with Environment, ENR, to ensure food from the land is safe and free from contaminants? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
We need to have a close working relationship with ENR, and ENR does conduct monitoring activities which include measuring the different types of contaminants that are in the environment as well as in wildlife. They also fund some independent researchers both locally and internationally who can do some measurements on some of the wildlife and land around the Northwest Territories. When that information is made available to Health and Social Services, if there are concerns of contaminants or there are concerns that the locally-sourced meat or other food might be contaminated, we will share that information with the communities and we will do public health announcements to let residents know what, if anything, what amounts can be consumed, what amounts should not be consumed. Health and Social Services maintains information on a public website on this type of advice, so what people can eat, what they should not eat, and that is available to the public.
I would once again encourage the Member and all Members to share that information with their residents so, if they have concerns about food in a particular area or where food might be contaminated, they know so that they can adjust their consumption.
Oral questions. Member for Frame Lake.
