Tom Beaulieu

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.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I can confirm that no beds are specifically designated for detox at any hospital in the Northwest Territories.

No revamping yet. The percentage is about 46 percent capacity right now.

Yes, I am willing to discuss the possibility of a treatment centre with my Cabinet colleagues. Thank you.

No, I don’t think there is a better use for that right now. I think that this is the best use of the money, the $300,000, and that’s the reason we’re moving forward on it. I think we want to do the right thing in addictions. We don’t want to do the quick thing in addictions.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The government is looking at the current residential treatment facility. It will look at the youth treatment and how we handle youth treatment across the territory. It will look at community-based addictions programming. We’re going to look at traditional healing. We’re going to look at current addictions programs and how effective they are. We’re going to look at best practices not only across the NWT but across the territories and across the country. We’re going to determine what needs exist to support those individuals with addictions and mental health. We’re also...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. No plan at this time to do that, because we think the communities may say something different. Initially, although I haven’t visited all 33 communities – I have visited 12 communities in my role as Health and Social Services Minister – initially that’s not what they’re saying. Initially what the people are saying, the elders want to go on the land with the people, with the youth and they think that’s going to address their issue. The communities where the greatest impact exists, communities where there’s low employment, tremendous social impacts in the communities from...

Yes, I believe that’s the direction we are going. I felt that at the very beginning of my term a year ago, that this is something we have to deal with first. Alcohol first and then the other things will fall in place.

I’m hoping that this is the type of information that can be brought back from the alcohol forum with the community indicating that they have high incidence of alcoholism in the community, and this is how they hope to address the issue. I would like to see the work of the forum before I can say that this is what I’m going to do.