Glen Abernethy

Thank you, Mr. Chair. As far as time frames are concerned, a number of the items that the deputy described are actually well in progress. Some of them have actually been concluded and others are going to take a bit more time. I will get the department to put together some estimates on timelines for the ones that are outstanding but also articulate which ones have already been done and which ones are currently in progress. I will get that to the Members as soon as I can.

The Stanton diabetes education program had a territorial focus and it was delivered in Stanton. The program did some visiting...

There is an increase. The department has budgeted $250,000. The city has contributed $50,000, so there is only $250,000 shown in the budget and I believe it’s in a different section than the one we’re currently in. I believe it’s in community health programs. So it’s in two parts, in the Anti-Poverty Fund and also in mental health and addictions. It’s $250,000 coming from us. The price tag is a little bit higher. For this fiscal year, we were able to get some one-time funding from some of the other departments in the GNWT, Justice and ECE. We’ll be seeking additional supports from other...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There actually is a significant amount of interest in the Deh Cho and we have been working with a variety of groups in the Deh Cho to determine what the best approach is for the residents of the Deh Cho. So as that work progresses, I’d certainly be happy to keep the Member updated. Thank you.

Thank you. As we move forward to an integrated health and social services system here in the Northwest Territories to improve services for the residents of the Northwest Territories, we will be developing a new funding model that will fund the one authority, and once we have done that and we are able to work as a system we’ll start to see where some of the cost drivers and demands are, which will help us articulate where we need to spend money in a way that it doesn’t currently tell us because there are, in fact, eight significantly different authorities and decisions are being made in ways...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. There is no real lead to early childhood development. We have an effective working relationship between Health and Social Services and the department. We’re working closely together and our staff are meeting regularly on the implementation of the individual items. Some of the items are education-specific; some of the items are health-specific, but many of the items are collaborative. We’re doing our best to break down the barriers, destroy the silos in this particular area. I wouldn’t say that there is a lead department. I’d say there’s an effective and collaborative...

I’ll state what I’ve already said. There is a continuum of care services and opportunities for individuals who are suffering from either mental health or addictions issues from community-based counselling to residential treatment facilities. We’re still pursuing the on-the-land programming. There’s the Matrix program, which is actually an outpatient, community-based treatment program. There’s a number of these programs and they’re available throughout the Northwest Territories. Unfortunately, Matrix isn’t available in every community, but we’d obviously like to find ways to expand that out...

We appreciate the City of Yellowknife. They’re a fantastic partner on the delivery of the Day Shelter here in Yellowknife and we look forward to a continued positive relationship with them. The city is contributing some money, as are we, but at this time there are some significant infrastructure improvements that need to be made in that building so that it can meet the long-term needs, and taking that money away from the infrastructure and putting it to programs will actually adversely affect our ability to deliver those programs in the future. We need to get that construction done.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Seniors are an incredibly important part of our population. The aging population is a growing population here in the Northwest Territories, and we want to make sure that we’re there for them as much as possible and we’re providing supports for them as much as possible. We have our framework, which is Our Elders, Our Communities, which focuses on a number of pillars. We’re working on separate action items and action plans on a number of pillars, including an action plan around a facilities review identifying how we’re going to move forward with facilities here in the...

Mr. Chair, with respect to the rollout of child and family services, we are spending a significant amount of money on child and family services today. The changes that are being proposed are going to increase efficiencies and provide better services. It doesn’t necessarily mean we need more money. It just means we really need to do better with the money we have, and many of these changes are going to give us the ability to do those things.

I do acknowledge that there is a fundamental change in how we provide child and family services being undertaken right now. It has a three to five-year...

I don’t know how I can say it over and over again. This is something we do take incredibly seriously, and this is something that we want to get done, and this is something that we’re working on. The amendment the Member is talking about is not a small amendment. It isn’t an easy fix. It would take significant work just to amend the old, outdated, archaic act that we have to address this one issue, and because the act is so outdated, fixing one little clause is not going to give us the tools we truly need. Rewriting the act, the new act is going to give us the tools we need, and we are moving...