Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, all my colleagues are aware of the impact of a range of mental health and substance abuse challenges occurring in our NWT communities. The affects that toxic drugs are having as well as addressing the affects of trauma on our residents are well known.
Mr. Speaker, I want to share a good news story from my home community on an Indigenous government led initiative to provide support for people.
Mr. Speaker, I'm speaking of the Gwich'in Wellness Camp. For years, the camp was operated to provide on-the-land programming. Well over a decade ago, the operating costs of the camp were overwhelming, and the camp was shut down. The Gwich'in Tribal Council, under the leadership of grand chief at the time Bobby Joe Greenland, decided to revive the camp with the idea of, again, hosting an on-the-land program. Federal funding was received to renovate the camp and increased the amount of cultural spaces. The federal funding provided help to GTC renovate the interior/exterior of the camp, build five yurts, create walkways, and purchase equipment such as snowmobiles, quads, side-by-sides, and landing craft for passengers. As well, Mr. Speaker, a Kingfisher boat and a shure for emergency use.
Mr. Speaker, the funding also helped create a solar farm to help with the high cost of the diesel and lower the overall carbon footprint. All of these renovations, cultural spaces, and equipment will be so vital when the on-the-land program is occurring at the camp.
Mr. Speaker, operations officially began in August 2023 with a rental to an American television provider to film the show called Survival. The show will be airing on the History Channel starting in mid June and showcasing our beautiful back yard. Sorry, Mr. Speaker, but I can't provide any spoilers right now for the show.
The rental property provided an opportunity to continue to monitor, upgrade, and repair equipment. It's also provided an opportunity to identify the cost of operations such as fuel usage, food, and operational staff. Now that the camp is operational, the Gwich'in have began using it to provide skills training to their Gwich'in participants and other residents. So far, people have been training with snowmobile operations, ice safety, firearms, spill response, chainsaw operations, and so forth, Mr. Speaker.
Over the past year, under the leadership of grand chief Ken Kyikavichik, the Gwich'in Tribal Council has been planning to begin holding health and wellness programming at the camp. The vision of this programming is to provide an intergenerational place for comprehensive wellness programming that can address needs of Gwich'in participants and NWT residents living with mental health or substance use challenges, trauma, and disconnection. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you, colleagues. This means, Mr. Speaker, that the camp will provide not only much needed aftercare treatment but also provide support and counselling for a range of mental health challenges and doing all that is right here in the Northwest Territories.
My colleagues from the Standing Committee on Social Development had an opportunity to tour the camp in early April, and I'm sure they will also tell you the potential for this initiative project being undertaken by the Gwich'in Tribal Council.
Mr. Speaker, the federal government was key in this revival of this wellness camp and soon will be offering critical additions and mental support. Mr. Speaker, I have a history of the camp here as well. I would like to request that I have it deemed as well, and I'll submit it for Hansard. Thank you.
History
• The Gwich'in Wellness Camp has been traditionally referred to as Rachel Reinder Camp.
• Rachel (nee Koe) Reindeer was born in September of 1920 in the Fort McPherson area to Andrew and Talitha Koe.
• Rachel married at a young age to Johnny Reindeer. Johnny was a woodcutter who came up on the Steamboat and fell madly in love with Rachel. They settled in Fort McPherson and adopted three children: Louise, Wayne and Esther.
• In 1968 they moved to Inuvik. Rachel and Johnny decided to build a camp and found and liked an area on the East Branch - it was a good area for fishing, the hill above has many good berry patches and the willows below were good for setting rabbit snares and was only a one-day boat ride to lnuvik; Johnny had a full-time job and could only visit his family on his days off.
• Lucy Moore and Florence Carpenter and their children spent many summers with Rachel and her family. There were many visitors to Rachel's camp; when they stop by Rachel would share dry fish and berries and would give some to take home.
• Rachel shared her knowledge and taught people to work with fish and properly dry it. Rachel only spoke Gwich'in to everyone so they could keep the language today.
• "Jijuu” was a very loving, kind-hearted person who was always laughing and loved the children around her. Rachel told all her stories in the Gwich'in language."
Rachel died in September 1973. (Her burial was September 10th in church records, no mention of the date of her death}.
Thank you, Member for Inuvik Boot Lake. Members' statements. Member from Great Slave.
