Glen Abernethy

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in the last Assembly, the Government of the Northwest Territories came forward with the Our Elders: Our Communities Framework which was building upon a significant amount of work done within the government but also building upon what I would consider to be a seniors' charter, which were those four pillars that the Member has identified, and those pillars, the work that was done, came to form Our Elders: Our Communities which has seven priorities that include healthy and active aging, home and community care services, integrated and coordinated services...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, at this point the GNWT does not have a seniors' advocate, but there are many, many avenues for which an individual who has concerns with programs and services delivered by the GNWT can seek additional clarity on those programs as well as information. The government service officers in most of the regions can provide significant guidance to seniors how to navigate the system; in fact, that's one of the reasons that they're created. There are different positions, different appeal mechanisms that are available to all residents including seniors. But, at the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table 12 follow-up letters to the following oral questions: Oral Question 24-18(2): Health Care System Improvements; Oral Question 25-18(2): Seniors' Housing Shortages; Oral Question 30-18(2): Sahtu Regional Health Centre; Oral Question 34-18(2): Resources for “Aging in Place” Programs; Oral Question 51-18(2): Care Aids at Stanton Territorial Hospital; Oral Question 60-18(2): Health Care System Challenges in Nahendeh; Oral Question 61-18(2): Alcohol Addiction and Mental Health Treatment Options; Oral Question 66-18(2): Family Violence Shelters Funding; Oral...

Mr. Speaker, the Department of Health and Social Services funds for the O and M component of the facilities, the Housing Corp. has indicated that they want to work with the shelters, so they're looking for the shelters combined to set some priorities. I'm not sure we would be in a position where we can fund the development of the construction of a complete facility, but we want to be partners on this and it may mean helping identify appropriate locations. I don't know, but first thing we need to do is have the different shelters help identify the priorities. Hay River is participating in that...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Member is correct, there is no current formula for the funding in the different shelters and all the different shelters; the shelters are funded to different degrees. Currently, we provide about $2.85 million for the shelters across the Northwest Territories. I did have an opportunity to meet with representatives from a number of the shelters in March where we discussed a number of the concerns. One of the things they raised was the fact that there are these additional demands on them, as the Member talked about, and they've submitted a proposal to me...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, at this time we haven't considered creating a seniors' advocate in the Government of the Northwest Territories. We are interested in working very closely with the different seniors' organizations to ensure that residents, seniors, have a streamlined process through using some of the existing mechanisms. We work with the different groups to develop things like the seniors' handbook which clearly outline many of the programs that are available to seniors across the Northwest Territories. As I've indicated, we will continue to work closely with those seniors'...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to recognize a couple of residents from the Great Slave riding. They've already been recognized but I'm going to recognize them again: Mr. Stephen Jackson who is the CEO at Avens, Merlyn Williams who is the president of the Yellowknife Seniors' Society, and Ms. Yvonne Quick. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, the dollars available for the O and M component are going to continue. Hopefully, the organization will be able to find or renovate their building. As I've indicated, the Housing Corp is working with them and has asked them to help set some priorities for the utilization of the money. If it comes to a point where the facility isn't appropriate, we may have to look at other GNWT facilities that we might be able to sell to them for a reasonable price. I'm not 100 per cent sure what's available in Hay River that might fit that need. But we're certainly looking to have those types of...

I'll read Hansard tomorrow but I think I just made that commitment in my previous answer. This is something that is consistent with our mandate. It's something consistent with what we actually said in the life of the last government, even though we didn't support the motion for technical reasons, and it is something that we're going to do in this Assembly.

Absolutely. I’m certainly willing to do a tour with the Member through his riding, meet with the residents, and hear their individual concerns, but in addition to that, I would still encourage the Member to have constituents work with the quality assurance representative in their authority. If they are having trouble navigating the system, please have them get in touch with the system navigator, and as we move forward to a single Authority, there will be a wellness council re-established in the region where the individuals, the residents, will have a voice on regional delivery, but more...