Glen Abernethy

Mr. Speaker, there was a number of reasons that the project was delayed or rather the planning study was delayed. Part of that included our inability to obtain or secure a suitable parcel of land. Here was a significant amount of debate in the community about where the health centre should be and where it should not be, and it took us longer to get a set piece of land. That set piece of land was required before we could actually move forward with the planning study because the location helps us build the planning study.

When the parcel of land was actually approved we had to do an...

Mr. Speaker, I think, at the time, that meeting was to discuss land location and a few other things to get, actually, a confirmed sense of where that building would be located. There was some talk about some of the specifics of the building. It is going to be a level B/C facility, which is basically one of our larger health centres in the Northwest Territories, providing a larger range of services given the size and scope of the community that it's located in and the regional nature of that community.

In a sense, the facility is going to be very similar to the one in Norman Wells. There was...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to recognize some students from the Tree of Peace Adult Education program. This program has been operating since 1974 and it has assisted hundreds of Aboriginal people, both access and achieve their academic goals. The students with us today are William Buggins, Annie Harry, Justin Donovan, Ernest Okian, and Marie Louise Abel. I'd like to welcome them to the gallery.

I'd also like to take this opportunity to acknowledge and welcome Steven Jackson, the executive director of Avens, and Kimberly Doyle, the executive director of the YK Seniors' Society...

Mr. Speaker, the city has already made a significant amount of progress on putting together the RIDE program. One of the challenges we face is, unfortunately, finding a location for the sobering centre, itself. We've also made a commitment to relocating the day shelter, which is also proving difficult. We have our staff currently out looking for appropriate locations in the community.

If we're able to get a location, and we're hoping to find one soon, we need a bit of time to do some retrofitting to make it suitable and we need a bit of time to do some staffing in order to get appropriate staff...

No, Mr. Speaker. Any services that the clients or the residents in Aklavik have, that they require to leave the community to go to either Inuvik, Yellowknife, or Edmonton, those things are still scheduled, still appropriate and medical travel will still occur.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Member’s nailed it exactly on the head. It’s as a result of holidays and some staff changes and turnover. We will do our best to have some locums come in to fill over these transition periods, some locums will be coming in this summer. Unfortunately, the timing hasn’t lined up, so we do have to go to reduced services for a short period of time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I’ve made a number of announcements in the House so I’m not exactly sure which one the Member is referring to. The Member could be referring to a camp that was held as part of the IRC’s land program, Project Jewel which I mentioned in my previous statement. If so, two of those camps were offered for women in February 2016. In August 2016, the IRC is expanding this program and intending to provide follow-up to the women and their families. In addition, the IRC is determined that this women’s camp will actually be a permanent part of their programming. However, the Member could also...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The mandate of the Government of the Northwest Territories commits to improving care for our people through the integration of a health and social services system. We are working towards building a unified health and social services system that will deliver the best possible care to our residents. We have made significant investment in this work through our system transformation, and I’m pleased to announce that we are now reaching some important milestones. We have announced to the members of the Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Leadership Council as...

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following two documents entitled “Patient Supports (Escorts): Stakeholder Engagement and Program Options Medical Travel Modernization Project, Public Interest Options and Recommendations Report, May 2016” and “The Results Report (2015-2016) 20/20: A Brilliant North, NWT Public Service Strategic Action Plan.” Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I can’t recall the exact situation in Aklavik when you go to reduced services, it might mean that we have to reduce and only provide emergency services, so accidents, injuries that need immediate response, and not deliver any of our clinics, like Well Man or Well Woman, but I will confirm. I’m pretty sure we’re going to reduce services, which means we’re providing emergency services, but no clinical services for that short period of time. I will get that detail and confirm with the Member.