Mr. Speaker, we often talk about the people of the NWT as being our greatest resource. I think it’s fair to say that our Government of the Northwest Territories’ public service is made up of many of those remarkable people who dedicate themselves to public service. Today I would like to acknowledge one of those public servants who has dedicated 25 years to this government and the people of the NWT.
On December 4th Hilda Camirand will retire.
---Applause
During her career she has supported many Premiers and Ministers. All of them, including myself, have benefitted from her wise counsel, expert advice and impressive organizational skills.
Hilda has seen many changes over the course of her career, including division and devolution. In fact, she started her career with the GNWT in 1990, working for the then devolution office. It is fitting that she has been with the GNWT long enough to see devolution become a reality.
Hilda has inspired others around her to meet a standard of public service and professionalism that will be her legacy. There will be more information about Hilda’s retirement celebration available in the coming weeks. I expect it will be quite the event and that’s where all the juicy stories will come out.
---Laughter
On behalf of the GNWT, I would like to thank Hilda and wish her the very best in her retirement. It will
not be the same without her. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Minister of Justice, Mr. Ramsay.
Mr. Speaker, providing our residents with opportunities to make healthy choices is a priority that has strong support from this Assembly and the Government of the Northwest Territories.
This support extends to all citizens, including those serving sentences in a correctional facility. Progress made by the Department of Justice over the past six months will mean inmates looking to make better choices and return to their communities as healthy, contributing members will be better supported.
In March of this year, we received a report and recommendations from the Office of the Auditor General on the corrections service. This report was reviewed by the Standing Committee on Government Operations, and later today, at the appropriate time, I will be tabling the Government of the Northwest Territories’ response to the Standing Committee’s report including an updated progress report on action taken.
Progress on improvements resulting from the Office of the Auditor General’s recommendations has been substantial. Of the original 106 individual action items the corrections service outlined in their action plan released in May, over 75 percent are now complete, and we expect that most items will be completed by the spring of 2016. Today I would like to share some of the highlights of that progress with you.
All 194 corrections directives, setting out how the service operates, have been reviewed and necessary amendments made in each priority area. These changes have been communicated to staff and they are making improvements in their day-to-day operations as a result.
Every inmate is now receiving appropriate case management, including individualized release plans. This includes those on remand and those serving sentences that are less than 120 days.
Changes have also been made which allow corrections officers to focus their efforts on true contraband items such as drugs and items that present safety risks. Staff recognized the definitions being used to describe contraband were not focused on those items that could cause harm or disrupt the safe and orderly operations of facilities. In fact, 85 percent of the items were actually nuisance items such as cups or pillows. We will be examining types of contraband closely to be able to react to changing trends as they arise.
I am also pleased to report that progress has been made on training. Through established mandated training, standards have been set and tracking processes are in place to provide a safe and secure working environment for staff and inmates. As crime evolves, so must our officers’ training in order to have the best skills and current intelligence to understand today’s inmates.
Steps have been taken to improve correctional programming. Seven years have now passed since the last program review was completed, and we need to stay current with offender needs and profiles. A survey of staff and inmates along with research on correctional programming has been completed. Analysis on the information learned will allow the NWT corrections service to create strong programming that meets the rehabilitative needs of inmates. We plan to complete this work by March 2017. Until then, we will continue to provide a range of programs including those that incorporate traditional healing and enlist Aboriginal elders to share aspects of their culture and traditions. This focus on traditional healing will continue to be a key element of programming at the facilities.
These are just a few of the actions that have been taken by the Department of Justice in the last several months. I want to assure Members that the staff at our correctional facilities are professional and are committed to excellence. We are grateful to the Auditor General’s office and the standing committee for their advice that has helped us refine and focus our efforts. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Abernethy.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to provide an update on our plans to improve care and services for our residents by improving the Health and Social Services System.
On June 4, 2015, Bill 44, An Act to Amend the Hospital Insurance and Health and Social Services Administration Act, received assent in the Legislative Assembly. With the assent of Bill 44, we now have the legislative mechanism to bring the NWT Health and Social Services System together.
This milestone is the result of years of work and collaboration between many different stakeholders, including the chairs and public administrators of the health and social services authorities, Aboriginal and community governments and Health and Social Services staff from across the system. We also heard from the public about how to improve patient care and client service delivery.
Mr. Speaker, our goal in the process of system transformation is to improve the Health and Social Services System’s ability to provide the best possible care to patients and clients. We want the system to focus on the needs of clients and ensure it is as efficient, sustainable and accountable as possible.
The current governance structure makes it difficult to improve our system. With eight different health and social services authorities, there has been a lack of coordination, communication, and an inefficient use of resources. We are working to improve the governance structure so that we can take advantage of new technologies, improve capacity and continue to provide high-quality services and programs in the future, while ensuring that we provide a consistent level of care for all residents.
Mr. Speaker, on April 1, 2016, six health and social services authorities will be amalgamated into a territorial health and social services authority. The legislation also provides for the Hay River Health and Social Services Authority to become part of the Territorial Authority at a later date, pending the negotiations required to bring its employees into the public service. The Tlicho Community Services Agency will remain a distinct entity, as provided for in the Tlicho Agreement, but will continue to be an important partner in our system and participate in system-wide planning and decision-making.
Advisory regional wellness councils will be established to replace the current regional boards of management, with the exception of the Tlicho Community Services Agency. The regional wellness councils will provide for a more effective regional voice at the territorial level. The chairs from each region, including the Tlicho Community Services Agency, will be members of the territorial health and social services board of management, which will be known as the Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Leadership Council.
Mr. Speaker, the NWT is a large territory, with different regions and cultures each with its own priorities and challenges. Residents will now have a greater voice and influence on the services they receive, both at the regional and territorial level.
Despite our regional differences, we share many of the same problems, and it is much better to work collectively to address these issues and meet the needs of our residents. That means recognizing our diverse cultures, respecting Aboriginal customs and traditions, and working in partnership with Aboriginal governments.
Mr. Speaker, we are working hard to achieve our vision of “Best Health, Best Care for a Better Future.” As a step forward in the move in the new system structure, today I am pleased to announce that Mr. Jim Antoine has been named as the chairperson-designate of the Territorial Health and Social Services Leadership Council. Mr. Antoine brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to the design and development of the Health and Social Services System and has been instrumental to this work over the last few years.
Leading up to April 1, 2016, a dedicated team is working with Health and Social Services staff from across the system to develop detailed organizational structures for the Territorial Health and Social Services Authority and the Department of Health and Social Services and accompanying transition and implementation plans to move the current system to the proposed new structure.
Improving our Health and Social Services System is a process, not an event, and will not end with the establishment of the new governance structure. We will continue to improve our system to better support its clients and make it easier for service providers to deliver effective, efficient, patient-centred care and programs. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs, Mr. McLeod.
Mr. Speaker, community governments are critical partners in building a strong and independent North. As we near the end of our term, it is a good time to look back at the work we have done to support community governments and the challenges that still remain.
In 2013 the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs launched the Accountability Framework for community governments. This tool is used to measure the performance of community governments based on 14 defined indicators. MACA is currently collecting and analyzing the 2014-2015 data that will be used to create a unique work plan with each government based on that community’s specific needs
Mr. Speaker, the importance of MACA working collaboratively with community governments cannot be overstated. In May of this year, the department was honoured to receive the NWT Association of Communities President’s Award in recognition of the collaborative approach taken in the formula funding review. The formula funding review was undertaken by a working group of senior administrative officers and elected officials from communities across the North, as well as senior staff from MACA.
As a result of the research and discussions carried out by the working group, a new needs-based approach was developed that better addresses community requirements. This work would not have been possible without the support and engagement of the community government representatives and NWTAC.
MACA is committed to supporting the communities by offering training and development opportunities for community government representatives. Working with its partners, the department is administering the Public Service Capacity Initiative, which includes a series of programs designed to enhance community government public service capacity.
The focus of the initiative is to recruit, retain and train senior level community government staff, and a community government training specialist position has been created in the South Slave region to provide coaching, mentoring and on-site support. Since the initiative began in 2009, MACA and its partners have supported a total of 22 trainees from 18 communities.
With the improved training and development opportunities being offered to community government representatives, many community governments are thriving.
However, Mr. Speaker, despite the very best efforts of many people, we are reminded that some communities still struggle to deliver full services to all residents. We know that there are some communities that are struggling to meet demands with inadequate resources, some struggle with capacity and having skilled workers, while others face larger challenges with governance and having effective bylaws and policies in place.
We currently have one community under municipal administration and another under municipal supervision. These are significant steps and were only necessary due to extreme conditions. However, while these administrative and supervision orders were necessary, I am pleased to report that both communities appear to be progressing and we expect them to return to normal in the future.
Some NWT communities are run by Aboriginal governments under the authority of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada, or AANDC. In these communities, the GNWT has a contractual relationship for the administration of municipal-like services. Despite providing funding for these services, and training and development through the School of Community Government, some of these designated authorities continue to run deficits and are challenged by governance issues. MACA is continuing to work with AANDC to support band councils and band managers to provide more capacity building and improved governance support.
MACA is also responding to new forms of governance, with progress being made toward the implementation of the Deline Self-Government Agreement in September 2016. The community has hired an implementation team that is working alongside DAAIR and MACA to ensure that all necessary components are in place and ready by next September. The three parties have agreed upon an implementation plan and meet regularly to discuss objectives, track progress and outline responsibilities.
Mr. Speaker, as you can see, there has been some very good work to support and develop community governments, while at the same time we also have new and ongoing challenges to address.
The department has done good work, and I invite all Members to join me in thanking all its staff and management for all of their efforts to improve the quality of living for our residents in their communities. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As this government has committed to growing the population of the Northwest Territories over the next few years, one of the areas that I talked about in the past is our link between the students who are going out to schools and the Department of HR. We have a disconnect there. I think that we should be able to communicate with those students and link them to jobs before they’ve even completed their education.
Hay River has a great couple of students right now. Mr. Lance Crook is finishing up his education, a doctorate, and he’s in Hay River doing some training. We also have R.J. Simpson, who has finished his degree in law and is looking for the GNWT to do articling. He’s having difficulties finding a position.
The problem we have is that exact thing. Why is Mr. Simpson coming back to the Northwest Territories now to get an articling position? Shouldn’t we have already known that from student financial assistance that that was what he was doing? Shouldn’t we have talked to HR and the Department of Justice and linked this together so Mr. Simpson and other students have an opportunity to come back? The problem now is he’s considering, do I stay in the Northwest Territories or do I go south where I can actually get a position? We should have linked that in his first and second year of school, to HR, to the department he will potentially be working for. Why is there a disconnect?
I know the Department of ECE is looking to create this checkbox so HR can communicate with Justice and everybody else. There is definitely a disconnect with our GNWT. We need to find that link and we need to make sure all our students come back. We are paying for that student financial assistance. We should maximize that opportunity. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Bouchard. Member for Range Lake, Mr. Dolynny.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In continuing my daily ritual of evaluating the performance of the McLeod government, today I want to reference my tabled document of Tuesday, September 29, 2015, and spend some time on our revenue concerns, both federal and own source.
By all accounts, our GNWT revenue grew by 149.79 percent from 2000 to today, and was substantially more than operation spending growth of 115 percent during the same period. However, with federal transfers currently accounting for more than 70 percent of GNWT revenue, and with only modest NWT population growth over these 15 years, we should be concerned of what current negative trend in population growth truly means. In fact, it is in the 2015-16 year where we see the single largest negative revenue growth of minus 1.01 percent, and if you put this side by side with our operational spending at 2.15 percent, you can clearly see this is not a balanced budget process, as it’s been portrayed, but a true deficit process.
While we are told and soothed when we have an operational surplus, it is important to note that this is not entirely true, as this book adjustment surplus is already spent in our capital budget process.
The second source of our revenue is through own-source revenue, and this revenue grew by 143.2 percent from 2000 to 2016 or ’15, far more than the inflation but less than total revenue. Our own-source revenue is more variable than federal transfers due to the volatility and the forecasting of our corporate taxes collected. We would all agree that increasing own-source revenue through taxes would likely increase the cost of living, and is worthy to note that corporate and personal income taxes in the NWT are among the lowest in Canada.
To pass praise where praise is due, the January 2015 Fraser Institute graded Canada’s Premiers based on corporate and personal income taxes or changes in tax rates. Now, although not specifically mentioned in this Fraser Report, Premier McLeod would place and as I’m saying, the best in the country, first place on corporate taxes and second place on personal income taxes, and by these measures Premier McLeod would have been second overall of all the Premiers in Canada, behind Alberta.
At this time, Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted
This is very painful for me.
---Laughter
Now, I know the Premier is gleaming right now, and to be fair, I wanted to be balanced in my reporting. He does get an A for maintaining a stable, low corporate and personal tax environment, but – hang on – his government only gets a C grade for how it has handled our population growth issues, our own-source revenue options and increased volatility in our overall revenue management. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. Member for Deh Cho, Mr. Nadli.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I’m very distressed over this week’s report that the Minister of Health and Social Services has rejected a proposal put forth by the K’atlodeeche First Nations to reopen the only addictions treatment centre located in the NWT. There was a lot of disappointment and disbelief when the department pulled the funding for the Hay River Reserve’s Nats’ejee K’eh Treatment Centre.
I agree with my colleagues in this House; I question whether it was a wise decision to close the only addictions treatment centre in the NWT. I was willing to accept the department’s position that they were shifting their focus to the on-the-land programs, but I was also encouraged that they seemed to be willing to work with the KFN to find ways to reopen the treatment centre.
Now, it appears that Health and Social Services is no longer willing to support this. Like many others, I want to know the reasons why. This government talks a lot about working in partnership with Aboriginal governments. If we truly believe in this, then I don’t know how we can take such a non-productive approach with KFN.
The KFN wants to see the treatment centre reopened. There are a lot of good common sense reasons why this should happen. We could support the KFN to continue to use that perfectly serviceable facility. We could support putting jobs in the community, and most importantly, we could provide a treatment option for our own residents who want to stay in the NWT while in recovery.
Mr. Speaker, I applaud Chief Roy Fabian and I support the KFN in the push to reopen the only treatment centre in the NWT. Chief Fabian says the response of the Minister of Health and Social Services was like a slap in the face. The chief was trying to provide leadership on an issue that matters to the community and instead he’s disrespected and insulted in the process. This does not sound to me like the actions of a Minister who truly believes in partnerships with Aboriginal governments.
Will the Minister reconsider his response to the KFN and commit to reopening the treatment centre? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Nadli. Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Over the summer months I had a disappointing e-mail exchange with the Minister of Transportation. For several years now I’ve been waiting for the government, the Department of Transportation, to produce and make publicly available a comprehensive, in-depth review and analysis of the Deh Cho Bridge Project. I have repeatedly asked about work done on such an analysis, and for years now I’ve been given excuses as to why it hasn’t yet happened.
Last month I finally got a straight answer, but it’s one which gives true meaning to the phrase “the government can’t be trusted because they lie.”
On December 13, 2011, there was, in this House, a public commitment by the Transportation Minister of the day to do a full retrospective analysis of the Deh Cho Bridge Project. But the answer I received last month from Minister Beaulieu stated, “I have had discussions with my Cabinet colleagues on the pros and cons of committing additional time and resources to undertaking additional analysis of the Deh Cho Bridge Project. It has been determined that further retrospective analysis of the bridge project is not warranted at this time.” The Minister continued, “Any additional analysis at this time is not expected to result in new lessons learned and could become a distraction to other significant initiatives of the government.” A distraction, Mr. Speaker.
The Deh Cho Bridge Project was undoubtedly the most poorly handled project in this and the two previous Assemblies. The public deserves to know why and where the project went wrong, deserves to know why it ended up costing residents, through their tax dollars, some four times the original estimate.
The e-mail answer to me went on to say that a number of analyses have taken place and that “other reviews have also been undertaken, including the presentations delivered at several venues.” “Are all of these items publicly available,” I asked. Are they even available to MLAs? What are these other reviews? Presentations were made to whom? Did MLAs have access to the info in those presentations? Can the public have access to those presentations? They certainly should.
The last straw for me was this part of the answer: “The Deh Cho Bridge is functioning and operating as planned and there are no outstanding concerns regarding the processes as to procure this important piece of infrastructure.”
Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted
Everything done by the Department of Transportation does not address the fundamental underlying issue: the project did not proceed as planned. Where is the report which identifies and outlines the problems with the project, where it went off the rails and why?
Minister Ramsay committed to a full retrospective analysis of the bridge project, and that’s what I and the public expected. Now it’s just a distraction and not worth doing.
Examining past mistakes is invaluable to preventing the same thing from happening in the future. At the very least, Cabinet should be able to provide me and the public with a report that encompasses all the work done to date in an easily readable and informative format.
I will have questions for the Minister of Transportation at the appropriate time. Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, Mr. Moses.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On June 24th to the 26th this past summer, I had the honour of sitting in a meeting with seniors from around the region that I attended and worked on a seniors meeting, entitled Working Together to Address Seniors Issues. It was a follow-up to a meeting that some of the stakeholders, some of the coordinators did when they came to Yellowknife and had a meeting with the NWT Seniors’ Society.
A lot of really good discussions happened during those three days, and we had seniors from Aklavik, Tsiigehtchic, Fort McPherson and Inuvik. They were bringing up issues that meant a lot to them, and anybody who was in attendance that day could see the passion and the hardship that our elders go through on a daily basis and that continue to occur.
Today I want to bring up some of those issues that the elders addressed as they broke into their focus groups by community to see what kinds of solutions they could come up with. Things such as language interpreters, whether it’s through the justice system, through the health and social services system, even the education system, and that’s been brought up in this House over the term of the 17th Assembly.
Other things: lack of RCMP in the communities, lack of health care in some cases in some of the communities, as well as on-the-land programs. They wanted to promote on-the-land programs not for treatment but to create awareness, increase our culture, go back to the traditional values they feel are being lost, and working with youth.
Of course, they wanted to bring up something that has continued to occur, and Members on this side of the House have spoken to it on many occasions, and that’s the elder abuse. Other things that we’ve talked about which was kind of addressed and we’re trying to deal with within the Child and Family Services Act is child welfare cases and concerns, and our grandparents are continuing to foster care.
Things such as housing is another issue, and working with youth. In fact, just recently our Children First Centre in Inuvik went and visited our elders at Ingamo Hall and had a great day with them, I think just a couple days ago. As well, home care is needed to be addressed.
Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted
As I mentioned, these elders had a lot of passion and a lot of concern, and almost every elder spoke up. It was their venue to speak and be listened to. Each community brought priorities forward, some with similar themes. As I mentioned, home care, suicide, what kinds of services are provided in the community, and also elder abuse was a big one. It provided great guidelines for other regions to follow, and I think that’s something that we need to promote in other regions throughout the Northwest Territories.
Our elders are our caregivers, providers, and keepers of knowledge. It’s time that we support them, show them the respect that they deserve, treat them with dignity and listen to what they had said in this report.
I will have questions today for the Minister responsible to see how we can address this, how we can get the next government to take this as one of our priorities. As you know, our seniors population is increasing.
Thank you, Mr. Moses. The Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I was following and supporting the Finance Minister’s report on the fiscal situation we are leaving for the 18th Assembly, noting the volatility of the global economy, the mining industry and our economy; low revenues; and the need to diversify. That is, until he suddenly and illogically looped back to saying that, therefore, we have to pursue the highly volatile and uncertain extractive industry even harder.
People are drained of any remnant of enthusiasm for this old way of thinking and they pine for recognition of the real opportunities we do have for vibrant, localized and cooperative economies that benefit our families, communities and businesses.
Last May, people from across the Northwest Territories, convinced that a new vision is needed, came together with economists to explore localization of our community economies and what it could mean. They saw a viable alternative to a resource extractive economy, but one that must deal with two issues: climate change and poverty. This means changes to our economic model from a global one to a local one.
People were enthused. Localized economies enhance rather than degrade resources, target community people rather than transient populations, take a grassroots approach and support diversity. They are achieved by removing fossil fuel subsidies, following the polluter pays principle, refocusing towards diverse local enterprises rather than a single extractive industry, and replacing the glamorized industrial model based on external investors to an economic gardening model with local people in mind. The gathering recognized that poverty and inequity are bad for our economy but that the NWT could alter tax policy – and I disagree with the A grade – so it is investing in sustainable economic infrastructure and social and cultural development. Attendees recognize that globalized businesses don’t attend to local needs, highlighting why ownership is key. Public and cooperative ownership are ways to include local people and focus investment locally. This approach supports quality of life and the strengthening of social structures. In focus sessions, participants concluded that food systems are at the heart of localized economies and food security for everyone; that climate change, energy costs and health are three primary drivers of renewable energy adoption…
Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted
In focus sessions, participants concluded that food systems are at the heart of localized economies and food security; that climate change, energy costs and health are three primary drivers of renewable energy adoption; and that compared to oil and gas, renewables are investments in local jobs and businesses. Much work needs to be done to evolve government policy that recognizes and supports local economies.
In conclusion, the goal should be community empowerment that builds a strong local economic foundation and restores the commons. We need to take control of our destiny, invest in our collective strengths, and work together locally towards a brighter economic future. Now there is an economic approach that will address the Minister’s fiscal challenges and all Members’ goals of healthy families and communities supported by this government.
Let’s get ‘er done. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. The Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.
MEMBER’S STATEMENT ON
HOUSING ISSUES IN SAHTU COMMUNITIES
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to know why there are so many houses just sitting empty in the Sahtu communities. This is a common conversation I have when I meet with my constituents in the Sahtu, especially in Fort Good Hope. In Fort Good Hope there are rows and rows of empty houses and a long list of young people who are waiting for a house. Unbelievable. Here we have a case where we’re not getting our act together fast enough to put these young people in these houses and fill these empty houses.
The latest NWT needs assessment paints a clear picture of the housing needs in Fort Good Hope and the Sahtu communities. A study that shows you the dire straits of overcrowding, the health issues are a result of this fact and this spills over into other areas in our society.
The community leaders of Fort Good Hope have always wanted to do something with these empty houses. “Tear them down,” they say, “or build new ones.” We need houses for our people. There’s provisions within the land claim that gives them the opportunity to build these houses and make it work for them, yet there seems to be some delay in movement within the NWT Housing Corporation to release these units. What is the problem? Can we really put people in homes? Is that a good measurable goal we can do, or do we continue to allow these empty houses to sit empty and do nothing?
I’ll have questions for the NWT Minister of Housing on how we can clean house.
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I’m very pleased to hear the Minister of Health’s statement on the transformation of our health system, but today I want to let the Minister know that we simply must ensure that our residents in Fort Liard and Nahanni Butte’s health needs are taken care of. They want to be served by the BC Ministry of Northern Health in Fort Nelson, BC.
The Minister travelled with me in May and heard clearly from the residents that they are treated fairly and with care when they go to Fort Nelson. In fact, our residents have been treated in Fort Nelson for decades. They’re only asking to formalize the process, recognize the Fort Nelson Hospital as a point of service. This will then allow our region to refer and pay for the travel costs of our residents.
Having health services provided as close to home as possible will lower the costs of health care in my region. It’s a two and half hour drive from Fort Liard into Fort Nelson, as opposed to when they travel to Yellowknife it’s a two day travel.
I have been standing in this House for three terms asking our government and our Minister of Health to authorize Fort Liard and Nahanni Butte residents to receive their health care in Fort Nelson. We have an agreement with Alberta Health, and we use all their facilities. What will it take to have an agreement with the BC Ministry of Health to serve our residents in Fort Liard and Nahanni Butte?
I will have questions at the appropriate time. Mahsi cho.
Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, we all heard the other day that the population in Canada is aging. No surprise, of course, and the NWT is certainly not immune to those pressures. That’s right. Stats Canada says one out of every six persons in Canada are over the age of 64. Heck, take the statistics in this room. Twenty percent of the MLAs are over the age 60. Stats Canada can see this, why can’t the GNWT see this?
So, while the problem keeps getting ignored, Avens continues to be bursting at the seams when it comes to capacity, and as time goes on, it marches on, more seniors are on the waiting list at Avens, knocking on the door when there’s nowhere else to turn. But what happens? They get turned away. Why does this keep being ignored?
Avens is maxed out, Mr. Speaker. I cannot keep telling you this because everyone knows it, and if something doesn’t change, who knows what will happen?
We need more extended care beds because Stanton isn’t going to cover them. Avens is offering a solution.
If this was a school, for goodness sake, we have policies to start looking at renovation plans or extension plans once they reach 75 percent, so why do they just pay lip service to our seniors? So, where are they to go? To the street, I wonder: I don’t know. I could tell you about the 50 or more seniors on the waiting list, but no, the government already knows this, so there’s nothing that seems to want to motivate them into action.
Typically finding a single partner is the biggest problem to these things, but no, they’ve got a partner, a partner that’s competent, that can do the job and wants to do the job. So, what’s the problem? Procrastination. I think that’s all it is.
So, while the delays continue, and of course our elders population keeps growing and growing, and the need for 173 residential long-term beds is still at zero capacity because they’re all full and we need more, well, this government, what do they do? They hire an expert, Dr. Hollander, who says in his report – the government’s expert, by the way – “Yellowknife is expected to grow by 287 percent in the next 16 years.” Oh, but that’s too far away to talk about, let’s go to 11 years away, 248 percent. Oh, 11 years is too far away to think about? Well, let’s just get it down to five years from now, 184 percent growth in seniors.
Mr. Speaker, Mr. Bromley couldn’t be more right; it was a shame the way Ms. Lemay had been treated in her nineties. She’s given her life, heart and soul to this community and she’s shown the street, with no options. They’re giving her temporary care but there is no solution.
To sum up, it can’t go on any longer. This government needs to wake up to the seniors’ problem. We must do something to the demand that’s on our doorstep now. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I’d like to talk again about our Medical Travel Policy and I’d like to provide an example of where I think there may be a gap.
A patient has been assessed by a doctor and it’s deemed they have to travel from one community to come to Yellowknife to have a procedure done – it could be any kind of procedure, it could be surgery – and it’s deemed that they need a non-medical escort. So, a friend or a family member is called upon to accompany that patient. But when they get to Yellowknife, they find out that the procedure or the treatment that’s planned is not available at that time. So, the escort is then left in the situation where the patient must stay but the escort needs to get back to their home and to their family.
I want to get to the bottom of a policy which, to me, seems very unfair. Someone, out of the goodness of their heart, agrees to accompany a patient to Yellowknife, finds out that the stay is going to be too long and they can’t stay for the duration. But when they want to go home, they get told by medical travel, I’m sorry, if you’re not travelling home with the patient, you’re not eligible to have your cost covered. I don’t think that’s right. I think it would discourage people from helping a friend who needed a medical escort.
I will, later today, be asking the Minister of Health and Social Services if he could clarify for us what the policy is in a situation like this. I mean, it’s very possible that the treatment or procedure that that patient was scheduled for could get changed for some reason. It could be any number of reasons. If the patient is not sent back to their home community, what happens to the person who escorted them here when they need to return?
I think it may be potentially a gap in the system that needs to be addressed, and I’d like to question the Minister about it in question period. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Colleagues, before we go on today, I’d like to welcome Mr. Roy Erasmus, Member of the 13th Legislative Assembly. Welcome back to the House.
---Applause
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. It gives me great pleasure to recognize my wife of 36 years and, Lord willing, another 36. I’m glad you’re able to join us in the Assembly. My wife, Judy. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Mr. Ramsay.
