Tom Beaulieu

As I indicated, in McPherson we have a lot of people over the age of 60, many of which do require home care. There are 132 people in the community that require home care, so Beaufort-Delta Health and Social Services Authority are looking at ways now how to enhance that service, recognizing they only have one home care worker who can’t possibly service all those people. So we have asked them to look at it and they are looking at it.

In Tsiigehtchic at this time – and we can take another look at it, I’m not saying we won’t look at it – we have 20 people over the age of 60, and there is some need...

The department is doing a review of the Nats’ejee K’eh Treatment Centre at this time. I’m expecting to be reviewing the report within the next couple of months. In as far as expecting that we have to have people fail at Nats’ejee K’eh before we send them elsewhere, I’m not sure that’s a policy of this government. What I do know is that we do have a committee that looks at out-of-territory placements for addiction issues that cannot be addressed at a treatment centre at Nats’ejee K’eh.

The department is looking at that now. We have already had communications from the Member that this was an issue. We looked into the storage of the food, the country foods and so on. I’ve asked the department, specifically Health and Social Services, to look into that issue at this time.

Yes, as the Member responsible for Seniors that is my intention, is to work with the Department of Education on the Seniors Fuel Subsidy Program. Sometimes – the Member is right – the individuals are living with the elder and supporting the elder, but because the policy indicates that they need to have a Revenue Canada form filled out to determine their income, the individual senior loses the fuel subsidy. Also in public housing, sometimes the seniors who are eligible for no rent in public housing will sometimes end up paying rent when they’re getting support from their family.

As the Minister...

Some of the organizations that I spoke of do deal with the fact that individuals, prior to attending treatment, have to essentially be alcohol or drug free for several weeks prior to attending. There’s also a program in the Sally Ann where there’s a withdrawal management system. There’s a unit there that individuals go, to go through withdrawal. With those programs, the intention is to use individuals that are serious about coming to treatment to deal with their issues, they go there, they remain essentially drug free or alcohol free for a certain period of time before they go for treatment...

The department is spending about $6 million on mental health and addictions. In the city of Yellowknife the department is supporting programs and the Tree of Peace for addictions programs at the Sally Ann, at the John Howard Society. As far as straight detox goes, at this time we have a ward at the hospital, which is not specific to addictions, but does include addictions. Then there’s also the Nats’ejee K’eh Centre in Hay River that’s there for the treatment of people with addictions. Right now that unit is running at about 50 percent capacity each time they have an intake. Thank you.

Both NWT Disabilities Council and YACL have agreed to provide data to the department in order for the department to develop the program outside of Yellowknife.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Sorry about that. The department is completing a review. It is not complete. The plan is to expand the program from what was in only Yellowknife, to expand outside of Yellowknife. A few of the committees have been established. A territorial advisory committee has been established by the department to assist with a working group that has been developed, a territorial respite model framework that is the strategy that will take us to 2017.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, colleagues. My condolences go out to Pierre’s family.

A church service for Pierre was held on Saturday, December 3, 2011, which I attended. Pierre will be buried in Fort Reliance on Saturday, December 10, 2011, alongside his wife, Judith, and son Lawrence, as was his wish. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I don’t have the date right now but I can get back to the Minister with the date.