Julie Green

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm not going to be able to make a commitment to service standards knowing that we are shortstaffed and that the answer may be greater spending which we don't have in the budget at this time. But certainly I don't see any reason that people who call and ask for appointments can't receive accurate information about their wait times so that they can make informed decisions about what their next steps are. Thank you.

For.

For.

In favour.

Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, a full analysis has not been done but there are some estimates. So cost due to hospitalizations due to shingles for NWT residents aged 50 plus, for 2009 to 2018, was $1.3 million. The cost for the vaccine product to immunize the entire NWT population for 50 plus is $1.91 million. And there's also a need for boosters with shingles, and the annual cost of that would be $165,000.

So as things stand now, it would cost us more to vaccinate than it would cost for hospitalizations. But that is a very mathematical answer. People who have shingles and I'm aware...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to provide a personal tribute to Harold R. Johnson, who died last month. Mr. Johnson was Cree from Montreal Lake First Nation in northern Saskatchewan. He straddled two worlds as a logger, trapper and miner but also as a Harvardeducated lawyer and writer. Above all he was a storyteller.

I met Mr. Johnson in May 2019 when I read his book, Firewater: How Alcohol is Killing my People and Yours.

He reflected on decades he spent as a Crown prosecutor witnessing the damage caused by alcohol abuse death, lifetransforming injuries, families disrupted...

Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, yes, the department is interested in targeting the most high risk population, which is that 65 to 70yearold group. Also, people who are receiving active cancer treatment who are immune compromised. And the NHIB program offers an exception to the 65 to 70 age group. People can apply for coverage if they feel they can make a case for that with NHIB.

Having said all of that, I think that the Member's suggestion is a good one, that we provide a more targeted campaign to encourage uptake on the vaccine for the 65 to 70 group and for those who have benefits...

Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I recognize that shingles is a very painful condition for those who contract it and it can lead to significant health outcomes, as the Member said in his statement.

The rationale here is that the numbers of people in the NWT who require the shingles vaccine is relatively small compared to other vaccines that we would like to fund and don't have the money to fund at this point. In order to bring the vaccine to the whole 50 to 64yearold group, and then the EHB would cover it after that, we'd be looking for an investment of $2 million which is something...

Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the service provider going forward until the summer, when the new RFP will be awarded and a contractor in place, is the GNWT. So certainly Members are welcome to hold the GNWT to account for the operation, both of the temporary day shelter at the visitor centre site, and the one that's downtown. Thank you.

Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate that the day shelter services were evaluated in 2019, and we learned a lot at that point and we were able to implement some of the changes before COVID arrived and turned everything upside down. The disabilities council was able to provide some innovative services, especially in the early going, where they provided a place for people to stay 24 hours a day, and that was very well received.

The employer here is the NWT Disabilities Council on contract with the NTHSSA, and I can certainly mention to the staff that it might be a good idea to...