Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, would the Minister consider using the Trailcross building as a territorial aftercare and detox centre for the people of the NWT? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Thebacha. Minister responsible for Health and Social Services.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Trailcross home for teenagers closed in October of last year because there was a very low attendance rate, and it was no longer worth having an entire building. So the youth were accommodated in therapeutic foster homes and the building since has been evaluated as suitable for use. The system that the Department of Health and Social Services uses is that they go over their programming and decide whether there's programming for the building, and if there is no programming that fits within the building then they will surplus it to infrastructure.
So the next thing that's going to happen in that building is it will be part of a pilot landbased treatment program, which is happening in three communities, one of them is Fort Smith, and there's a need for the kind of infrastructure that the old Trailcross centre has. And so this pilot project will be the next thing that happens in there.
In the meantime, I have continued to talk to the NWT Council of Leaders about addictions treatment and aftercare and to understand from them what their priorities are for establishing those services and what kind of infrastructure they would need to support them. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This facility can easily be converted into a facility used by all genders for an aftercare and detox facility. Does the Minister agree with that idea? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I appreciate the question. We, as you know, have been working to strengthen both addictions aftercare and detox as to weak links in our continuum of care for people with addictions, and we are less focused at this point on where that's going to take place than what it is we're going to offer. And I think I may have mentioned in the House before that I don't think a single centre will serve the needs of the entire NWT. So Trailcross may end up being part of the solution but I don't think it'll be the whole solution. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, the location of the Trailcross building is ideal for detox and aftercare because of the location. It's away from the larger city. It's in pristine surroundings. There are no buildings surrounding it and near a park. Does the Minister agree that a location that would be ideal for this is an ideal location for aftercare and detox facility? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Yeah, thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Member for the question. Without knowing what the programming looks like, it's hard for me to comment on what an ideal location would be. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, would the Minister consider a territorial aftercare facility in the old Trailcross building because of the drastic needs that are required in addressing the state of mental health and wellness in the NWT right now because the building is sitting empty right now? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, Trailcross was used for youth and it will continue to be used for youth in the new pilot program. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes.
