Glen Abernethy

I think these questions are timely given that we don’t have a renewal again until 2016. So that gives a bit of time to do the analysis that the Member has asked for, including models like BC which may be reasonable. I will certainly work with the Minister of Transportation to see if there are any opportunities for us to expand and have a joint card. I won’t take it back. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I give notice that on Friday, June 6, 2014, I’ll move that Bill 32, An Act to Amend the Pharmacy Act, be read for the first time. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to thank the Member for bringing this to our attention today and also for providing me with his research. I think it’s a really good idea. I think we should do the research and I commit to having the department do research and analysis into the different types of cards that are out there like BC, and I think BC is certainly an interesting model where they’ve combined driver’s licence and health care cards. There might be cost-saving opportunities there for us. So I commit today to having the department do that review and we’ll be able to provide that...

Thank you, Madam Chair. We do want to move to a more sort of coordinated caseload count, but it’s difficult to arrive at a caseload standard when each case is unique and may require a different amount of time, different expertise and varying resources. There are also regional differences, such as distance between communities, that must be factored into resource decisions.

I’ve already indicated we will be working with the Child Welfare League of Canada to ensure that we are applying best practices in determining caseloads, but moving to one single integrated system, obviously moving to one...

Mr. Speaker, across this country, communities are responsible for the provision of ambulance service as well as mobility services. This is something that is consistent in Canada, it’s something that has been consistent in the Northwest Territories. All of the communities in the Northwest Territories that want to provide those services step up and meet those needs of the residents of the communities. It isn’t being downloaded because it isn’t in the mandate of the Department of Health and Social Services. As I’ve indicated, I’ve had conversations with MACA. There is money being flowed to...

Thank you, Madam Chair. Getting feedback and input from the front-line providers is critical, as they’re the ones dealing with the residents of the Northwest Territories on a daily basis. There are two formal processes already in place. Suggestions for improvements to the child and family services system can be brought to the attention of regional directors of social programs, who meet on a regular basis to discuss program matters, and also suggestions for improvements to the child and family services system can be brought to the attention of the chief executive officers, who can place these...

The Northwest Territories isn’t unique to this particular challenge. Throughout Canada, many municipalities do fundraising and other initiatives to raise money to support things like handi-vans. This is a community issue. This is a community transportation issue. It happens to be citizens and residents who happen to have some challenges with existing infrastructure, like normal cabs and normal vans, but it is still a community issue and I would encourage all the communities that are affected by the downgrading of services, like the handi-van in Hay River, to work together to see if they can...

Thank you, Madam Chair. Within the system we have actually established the regular quarterly meetings of the directors of social programs to help provide a forum for this exchange. We have also made child and family services a standing agenda item at the Joint Senior Management Committee meetings of CEOs and departmental senior staff that happen every second month. We will explore ways to expand these efforts to include other stakeholders.

That’s actually incredibly difficult because they don’t have to self-identify that they’re travelling, but under the existing policy they don’t have to notify us anyway, and I don’t believe that would change. We don’t necessarily need to know the numbers. We just need to know that they are residents of the Territories for the allocated period of time. Our colleague Mr. Dolynny mentioned a report card that was recently conducted on snowbirds and travelling south. We have copies of that report and we’re using that information to help us do our research, as well, and we will incorporate the areas...

Thank you, Madam Chair. We agree with recommendation 18, and this work is currently in progress. The manual will be completed by October and further tools will be completed by December, so the manual is intended to be released in October.