Tom Beaulieu

Mr. Speaker, the department recognizes that there is a need already. We have respite programs in Yellowknife, Detah, Fort Good Hope, Colville Lake, Fort McPherson, Simpson, Inuvik, Aklavik, Behchoko, Fort Smith and Hay River. Those are the communities, and for other communities which I have not mentioned, respite services can be made available through home care. Each of the communities that have home care, we can arrange for respite services if the need was there and we work with the authorities to provide that need through home care. Thank you.

Georgina was very active in the promotion of her language through her work. Until recently, Georgina worked as the Akaitcho Chipewyan regional language coordinator with the Akaitcho Territorial Government and prior to that she worked as a Chipewyan language coordinator for the Deninu Ku’e First Nation. Minister Jackson Lafferty acknowledges her work in the languages area.

Georgina is survived by her mother, Therese; her sisters, Anne, Sabet, Julie, Violet and Gloria; her daughter, Lacey; granddaughter, Chase; and numerous nieces and nephews, cousins, and many, many friends. My sincerest...

Mr. Speaker, in 2001 people from around the NWT gathered on the Hay River Reserve to develop a social agenda for the Northwest Territories. Addressing social issues was a priority for the Government of the Northwest Territories at that time, as it is for the 17th Legislative Assembly today.

Every day we hear concerns about addictions, early childhood development, school success and family violence, among other issues. We all know that meaningful change happens when communities take control. The solutions to these issues come not from government headquarters, but from communities themselves.

One...

The expansion of a program beyond what the approved program would be, would be considered a new initiative. Even though we have midwifery currently operating in one community, should we expand the Midwifery Program and the plan to expand the Midwifery Program to a territorial midwifery program, and also some midwives in Hay River and so on, Beaufort-Delta, that would also fall under new initiatives. Yes, they would be considered new initiatives if they’re expanding upon what is approved.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The plan will be rolled out once we are able to get our business case to the business planning process.

I agree with that. As I indicated, we will contact the authorities and if doctors need to stay overnight in the small communities, they should. They’ve signed up to work in the small authorities, like the Deh Cho Health and Social Services Authority, they should expect to overnight in the small communities as well. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, I would be willing to have the authorities review that. The reason that we have the system that we do where the health authorities are at the regional level and work closely with the communities, so that they understand the communities, the culture of the communities and so on. If this is happening, it shouldn’t be happening. Individuals will not be turned away from seeing the doctor if there are appointments available. Of course, when you have more than one individual showing up at the same time slot, it would be difficult, but we will do our best to allocate the...

Mr. Speaker, it would be a standard respite service for individuals that need respite from caring for individuals that need constant care, where the request would go back through the authorities, whether it would be local or regional through the Health and Social Services Authority and asking the home care to do respite care for individuals in a similar line of what is being offered in respite care programs in Yellowknife and other communities where respite care is being offered. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The full expansion of the Territorial Respite Program outside of Yellowknife and into the communities that don’t have any respite services is going to be between $2 million and $3 million. Our Department of Health and Social Services is working with the Department of Finance to assess competing financial pressures and so on in order to look at the expansion, but we do have some services operational and running in small communities outside of Yellowknife too. Thank you.

Mahsi Cho, Mr. Speaker… [English translation not provided.]

Today I would like to pay tribute to the late Georgina Biscaye of Fort Resolution. A funeral service was held in her memory yesterday.

Georgina was born June 13, 1961, in Rocher River. Her family moved and settled in Fort Resolution when she was seven years old. Georgina always had fond memories of Rocher River and never forgot where she was born and was proud to remind others.

Georgina passed away surrounded by her family on Thursday, November 1, 2012, at Stanton Territorial Hospital. Georgina was 51 years old.

Georgina discovered she...