Glen Abernethy

Now that we have moved to a single system, and you are getting really tired of hearing that, I'm sure, we have the ability to actually do things in a different way. Whereas all authorities would have been tracking information in their own unique ways, we have an opportunity to ensure that we are collecting data in a simple and consistent way across the authorities. We are doing that work now. We know that cannabis is now legal. It is an opportunity for us to start incorporating that in. We haven't got the specifics in place, obviously, but it is certainly a conversation that has occurred and...

Thanks, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we have been reaching out, as you heard in my statement earlier today, to professionals and people who have the knowledge that we need to incorporate into our system here in the Northwest Territories. We are open and willing to learn when it comes to medical marijuana and the impacts it has on residents, but I think one of the important things is now we actually have the opportunity to have that frank dialogue and discussion with our residents in the Northwest Territories that not everybody had been prepared to have when it was illegal. Our staff are getting...

Once again, I acknowledge that it is a valid conversation. I haven't had the conversation. I hear the Member. I am going to talk to the department, and I would like to reach out to the seniors' society. They are an important partner. I also point out that we are an important partner in combatting elder abuse. I have not done any analysis on this. I would like to know a little bit more about what's happening out there with respect to this particular topic before I make a commitment.

Contrary to what some Members have indicated, this is something we have been working on for quite some time. We have been working on this since 2016, trying to develop messaging and making sure that we are ready to get the information out there on the impacts of cannabis on the developing brain as well as other health risks.

Our community healthy living fairs are an important tool that we utilize to get into every community to get that information out to our residents. Those community living fairs are going to continue, as will this information continue to be included in those fairs.

We also...

Once again, I will go back to the opportunity for frank dialogue. Up until now, the conversation has been, "Marijuana is illegal. You shouldn't be using it." Now, the conversation is, "Cannabis is legal, but we know it has profound impact on the development of young people's minds and brains, as well as pregnant mothers, youth, and all of those different at-risk categories." We can now have informed discussions with those residents to help them understand those implications and those ramifications of utilizing the product.

The health practitioners. As a system, we have been reaching out to...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as most NWT residents are probably aware, as of today, the consumption of cannabis is legal across Canada.

---Applause

Interesting spot for a clap. Our government committed in our mandate to create the policy, program, and legislative regimes necessary to support legalization, and with that comes a firm commitment to public education and awareness.

Public education and awareness efforts are well under way across the Northwest Territories. The Department of Health and Social Services has been working in partnership with other GNWT departments and agencies and...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, before I answer that question, I want to take an opportunity to thank our previous public administrator for all of his years of service. He certainly helped carry us to a number of milestones in Hay River, including the amazing new facility, the work towards a single-authority approach, a single-system approach here in the Northwest Territories, as well as things like Woodland Manor. I think he was a valuable contributor to making those things happen.

However, having said that, a new set of eyes is always a good thing. I have had an opportunity to meet with...

Obviously, we are hoping to open the next wing by the end of the month, so we should start seeing some of our residents moving into that facility in early November. There are a couple of things we want to do over the remaining couple of weeks of this month. We want to make sure that all of our staff are getting the proper orientation, that they are getting the proper training, that they get an opportunity to get into the wing, into the facility, so they see how the facility operates, and getting the other local training or specific job training that they need in order to provide a safe...

The move to a single-authority model here in the Northwest Territories, recognizing that we still have two outside the system although they are working closely with the system, has really provided us with an opportunity to start having that discussion and actually do the work to develop some territorial standards and some abilities to track information on a consistent basis. Which is great because we have had information, but it's never been presented or collected in the same way, so it's never been able to be a comparator.

The NWT Health and Social Services Authority is working to standardize...

While there has been some work conducted by national committees of volunteers established by the pan-Canadian alliance to establish some benchmarks, there are no published standards for audiology wait times in Canada. I do know a cross-jurisdiction comparison, as I have already indicated, shows that there are about five audiologists required per 100,000 people. In the Northwest Territories, we have three, which is slightly higher than that level, but one of those positions is new. I did hear the Member in his statement indicate some pessimism that it's going to make a difference, but we are...