Thank you, Member from Range Lake. Minister of Health and Social Services.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it is more complex, and so in order for to get the okay, we have to go through the -- I think it's information systems. And so that is a critical part of this. The other piece is it's not connected to our EMR, and that is the system that they use for appointments in our EMR system, and they will not talk, and therefore it will duplicate work making more work for the frontline staff if there were more processes. We are looking at options in the interim; however, you know, we are just looking to replace our EMR. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So just for absolute clarity, the issue is a system's issue and not a legislative issue? Thank you.
For that level of detail, I will have to get back to the Member. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, I have spoken to information system's consultants, and this is a concern. So will the Member -- the Member's going to get me information -- will the Member -- sorry, will the Minister explore this with her department and see if there are holdups in the Health Information Act and identify any legislative change that needs to be done and report back to either me or the House? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. What I will do is I will have my staff talk to the information protection of privacy, and we will get back to the Member. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister of Health and Social Services. Oral questions. Member from Yellowknife Centre.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm going to ask the Minister of housing about transitional housing. So why don't we just start with the question, what is the minister's understanding or definition of transitional housing? Because we hear that phrase all the time. So we want to make sure we're talking about the same thing and the right thing. Thank you.
Thank you, Member from Yellowknife Centre. Minister responsible for Housing NWT.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In terms of the definition for transitional housing is individuals that are in transit, so they're looking for independent living and, unfortunately, many times in the Northwest Territories we have people on the waitlist for many, many years. We have over 900 families on the waitlist in the Northwest Territories. So they're on the waitlist waiting for independent housing or public housing, as many people call it, and the idea of transitional housing, it provides some housing but it's in transition. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Okay, I like to use the phrase setting the table. Now we have a sense of what we're talking about. So here we go, Mr. Speaker.
Is the Minister aware of how often we actually have people who transition out of transitional housing into regular, private housing? In other words, we've helped them, and now that they're able to survive and proceed on their own? Could the Minister answer that question. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, transitional housing and the idea of transitional housing just came up in the last few years where many communities and shelters are looking at different options for clients or for tenants. A recent trip to Behchoko, I talked to a transitional housing client, and he had been in transitional housing for 11 years. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister responsible for Housing NWT. Final supplementary. Member from Yellowknife Centre.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Transitional housing, given what I've heard today, sounds like the whole idea is to help you out. But is it to help you out just to get you in the public system forever, or is it designed to help you out so you can become independent and, you know, a contributor or balance the appropriate needs in your lifestyle and your family in the community on your own with the independence philosophy? Can the Minister help with that? Because all I know is people, once they get into transitional housing, it's almost like they're there forever. So I need some clarity on that. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think it's important that we understand that right now in the Northwest Territories we offer public or market housing, and we're offering shelter space across the Northwest Territories in seven different communities, or seven different shelters, plus we have a Northern Pathways program, plus we have some transitional housing after addictions treatment that recently opened in Yellowknife and Inuvik.
In terms of transitional housing, this is not meant to be permanent, Mr. Speaker, but it provides those that are in kind of, like, suspension right now, they're waiting for housing or they're waiting for independent housing to provide them their own space rather than living in a shelter. So the idea is that we transition many people on the waitlist to transitional housing, or if they need that supportive living component, add them to the transitional housing -- council them into transitional housing.
What we're finding right now that many people living in public housing need extra supports, and this is a concern across the Northwest Territories, especially with Housing NWT, especially concerning much of the damage across the North with Housing NWT units, Mr. Speaker. So we're trying to offer different ideas, different solutions along the housing continuum, and this is one idea. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister responsible for Housing NWT. Oral questions. Member from Range Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I just want to follow up on questions that my learned friend from Frame Lake asked the Minister of Environment and Climate Change.
There's a land transfer memorandum of cooperation. There's a lot of memorandums out there. But I think what the city wants to know is when will their application for land be granted? Does this agreement give timelines to that effect? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from Range Lake. Minister of ECC.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I currently have a meeting scheduled with the mayor on October 30th to discuss the memorandum of collaboration and how we can ensure that all of the interests of all of the parties involved are addressed, and we can address some of the challenges that we faced over the last while and find a path forward. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, we've been at this for ten years, whether it's an MOU, an MOC, an MOA, M-O-U-S-E. Can the Minister just commit to transfer the land to the city of Yellowknife and to all municipalities as laid out by several motions that have been brought to the floor of the Assembly before, that's been passed in this Assembly. Will the Minister just make the decision today to transfer the land so our communities can grow? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, although the Member makes it sound very simple and straightforward, it's not as simple and straightforward as it sounds. There's consultation involved. There are a number of moving parts. I am certainly am committed to the conversation with the mayor on October 30th and very hopeful that we can find a path forward that will resolve this issue. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of ECC. Final supplementary. Member from Range Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there are no land claims issues here. We're talking about GNWT land within municipal boundaries. Will the Minister commit to closing this deal by the end of this fiscal year and get Yellowknife and every community in the Northwest Territories the land so they can access it, so they can grow, so we can build an economy that is currently, as I remind the House, in a red alert? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as I've said in this House before, I'm committed to moving this forward, and there's certainly a lot of work that is required to work with the different municipalities. There are requirements for bylaws, etcetera, land use plans. All of these components come into play as we talk about this type of land transfer and committed to continue to work toward a solution. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of ECC. Oral questions. Member from Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So I wanted to ask questions of the Minister of housing. I appreciated today's update on the homelessness strategy and the news that they expect to be opening up the transitional housing complex out near the airport, near the Folk on the Rocks site outside Yellowknife before Christmas. I wonder if the Minister has any updates she can give the House in terms of any of the regulatory approvals or logistics that they've been trying to get sorted out to get this project underway. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from Yellowknife North. Minister responsible for Housing NWT.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And the transitional housing complex at the Folk on the Rocks site near the airport is -- had to go through a number of regulatory approvals and including Transport Canada working with the infrastructure team at Government of Northwest Territories, but also with NAV Canada because it's near the airport. And normally that process could take up to six months for approvals, and that approval through NAV Canada was approved today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So that is excellent news. Can the Minister explain how quickly they expect to be able to staff up, you know, get the site ready, but particularly in terms of staffing, because I know that's one of our biggest challenges, including training of staff. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, it's a big challenge to staff up and to operate a facility, especially a transitional housing facility. And we do have the request for proposal out. It's out for public procurement, and we hope to select an operator very soon. I'll check on the date and follow up with the Member. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Minister responsible for Housing NWT. Final supplementary. Member from Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I know that one of the big challenges around staffing these kinds of operations is being able to pay staff an equivalent wage to, say, government-run operations such as the day shelter and sobering centre. Has housing considered or put in the budget for the RFP considerations of having the wages come close to or match some of the other opportunities in town for similar work to ensure that we can really attract the right people and get it staffed up as soon as possible? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, at this time, I don't have the information of how much will staff be paid through the operations of the transitional housing facility. I do know that shelters across the North, some are government run and some are run by NGOs. So some that are run by NGOs, like in Hay River for example, the wage could be a lot lower than the Government of Northwest Territories run facilities in Inuvik. We have two facilities in Inuvik. We have the warming shelter, and then we have the homeless shelter. So the homeless shelter and the warming shelter have been run by government since 2020, just right after COVID or right during COVID. And those facilities are costing government a lot of money, and -- as you could see in the main estimates.
The Hay River facility is run by an NGO through the Hay River Metis local, so we're lucky that the Hay River Metis local is able to provide that facility at a lower cost than government would normally provide. In Yellowknife, we have the Salvation Army, and we're so lucky again to have people like the Salvation Army that provides the support at the local level, and they're a wonderful partner with the YK Partnerships Committee. We have the Yellowknife Women's Society, another NGO, that's providing shelter supports. And we have the YWCA, another society that's providing shelter supports. So finding that balance between government run facilities and NGOs is -- it's a critical balance, and we're trying to meet those needs.
In Fort Simpson, Mr. Speaker, as you well know, with the Deh Gah Society, we are offering the shelter there and, again, it's run by the NGO. So finding that balance for supports is critical.
The wages is something we have to analyze, but I'd have to look at the operational budget to see what kind of salary is included in the overall budget. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister responsible for Housing NWT. Oral questions. Member from Yellowknife Centre.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The health Minister's pointing at the housing Minister. Mr. Speaker, I feel it's time to bring up the Pharmacy Act again. I haven't spoken about it in a little while so that will be going to the health Minister, not the housing Minister, despite her pointing the finger.
Mr. Speaker, I'd like an update as to where this particular work is given the fact that I've raised several times that this is an opportunity for us to save money as well as an opportunity to do business better; and lastly, everyone else in Canada, outside of the two territories, not three, two territories are doing this -- because it's become modern business for pharmacists to be able to dispense certain particular drugs. Would the Minister give this House an update as how close or how soon will we see this? Thank you.
Thank you. Minister of Health and Social Services.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I believe that the regulations are -- I'd have to get -- they're within the next year that -- with the health -- Health and Social Services Professions Act, when we bring that to the floor then there's the -- all the regulations that are being done underneath that. I know that we just did What You Heard, so that is -- that is the component as to how they're drafting the regs right now. So I will get back to the Member on the timeline. I do have it, but not at my fingertips. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This Pharmacy Act update, including the regulations, is very important to me and many of the constituents that I talk to about this, and they would like to be able to see the system move faster and more responsive. Can the Minister tell me that -- is the regulation update the only thing holding this from being implemented? Or sorry, I should say, Mr. Speaker, holding it back from being implemented? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, the scope of the pharmacists, they are as a working group working with the pharmacists that is help -- that has helped to get to this point. Right now, with the What We Heard report, that is where we are to do that. Like, all I can say is this is an important piece for the Northwest Territories. It is an important piece for us to free up, you know, some of our clinic space that we continuously hear about so that pharmacists can do their expanded scope as they do in many other jurisdictions. And as I mentioned, I will get back to the Member on the timeline for this. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister of Health and Social Services. Final supplementary. No more questions.
Colleagues, before I call -- thank you. Before I read oral questions for the last time, I'm going to say this: I said it in my House planning. Preambles, short. Start out doing that. Ministers, answers within a minute. I've asked you guys in meetings. I'm now telling you publicly I will turn the mic off if it continues to happen. Thank you very much.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have a written question for the Minister of Health and Social Services regarding changes to child and youth counselling services.
So it has been just over two years since health and social services child and youth counsellors were shifted out of schools and the number of health and social services counsellors reduced, so my questions are to the Minister of Health and Social Services:
1. Can the Minister provide the number of children and youth, broken down by community or region, who have been accessing child and youth counselling services over each of the past two years.
2. Recognizing that the scope of the program has changed since 2023, it would still be helpful if the Minister could provide the number of children and youth, again broken down by community or region, who previously accessed child and youth counselling services over each of the prior two years before the changes were made in October 2023.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, your Standing Committee on Social Development is pleased to provide its report on the statutory review of the Legal Aid Act and commends this report to the House.
The Legal Aid Act requires the Legislative Assembly or one of its standing or special committees to commence a review of the Act and its operations by December 28th, 2014, and every ten years thereafter. The review shall examine how the Act is administered and implemented, assess the effectiveness of its provisions, and may include recommendations for legislative changes.
The Northwest Territories's Legal Aid Act was passed on November 6th, 2012, and came into force December 28th, 2014. The Act repealed and replaced the Legal Services Act and substituted a Legal Aid Commission for the previous standing Legal Services Board. The Act provides a framework for the delivery of legal aid services for residents of the NWT, including the governance and operational structure of the NWT Legal Aid Commission, which uses an integrated staff lawyer/private practitioner model. The Act aims to increase access to justice for eligible residents by offering legal aid services, promoting public knowledge of the law, and operating in an independent but accountable framework.
The Standing Committee on Social Development has conducted the review process for the Act’s first statutory review and presents this report, with thirteen recommendations to the House.
Between February 2025 to July 2025, committee engaged with the public. On April 4th, 2025, committee received a public briefing from the Minister of Justice and the NWT Legal Aid Commission. Committee also received a briefing from a criminal law lawyer on recommended amendments to the Legal Aid Act and the legal aid program in the NWT.
Committee received one written submission from the YWCA-NWT. The presentations and written submissions are included in Appendix A of this report.
Committee wishes to thank those who offered their feedback and perspectives at public meetings and in written submissions. This input helped shape committee's understanding of the Act and the recommendations for change. Committee categorized public comments received into four themes:
Administration,
Provision of legal aid services,
Legal aid lawyers; and,
For governance.
On April 4, 2025, committee received a presentation from John Hale, a criminal law lawyer practicing in the NWT. Committee was provided with context on the legal aid program in the NWT and was presented with recommendations to improve the Legal Aid Act and its regulations. Section 6 of the Act currently requires that the executive director of the Commission be a lawyer. It was noted to committee that whether or not the candidate for executive director is a lawyer is one factor to be considered, along with other experiences and qualifications. Therefore, the recommendation brought forward was section 6 of the Act to be amended to remove the requirement that the executive director of the Legal Aid Commission be a lawyer. Committee agrees with this suggestion and presents the following recommendation:
Recommendation 1
The Standing Committee on Social Development recommends the Government of the Northwest Territories review and amend section 6 of the Northwest Territories Legal Aid Act to remove the requirement that the executive director of the Northwest Territories Legal Aid Commission be a lawyer.
Section 9 and 10 of the act relate to the eligibility for Legal Aid services and whether eligible persons should be authorized or approved to receive legal aid.
In his presentation to committee, Hale recommended changes to these sections, suggesting that individuals who have an active Legal Aid approval in place, or who have been approved in the past 12 months be deemed to be eligible for Legal Aid services upon advising the Commission that their financial situation has not materially changed. Committee agrees with this feedback and believes this suggestion will significantly streamline the administration of legal aid and potentially reduce administration burden.
The following recommendation is presented:
Recommendation 2
The Standing Committee on Social Development recommends the Government of the Northwest Territories review and amend sections 9 and 10 of the Northwest Territories Legal Aid Act to deem individuals automatically eligible for legal aid if they (a) already have an active Legal Aid application approval in place, or (b) have been approved in the past 12 months so long as they confirm with the Northwest Territories Legal Aid Commission that their financial situation has not materially changed.
Committee had discussions during the April 4th public ministerial briefing about the expansion of legal aid services available in the Northwest Territories. During the briefing, the Department of Justice noted the current legal aid services, including services for criminal offences, child protection matters, family law matters, NWT Legislative offences such as Motor Vehicle Act and Liquor Act offences, and for youth in youth court. They also noted that the Act does not allow legal aid services for defamation actions, business or real property transactions, labour matters, or election dispute matters.
During their briefing with the Minister and through committee's own research, committee noted legal services that are needed in communities across the NWT such as legal assistance with land entitlement, with the drafting of wills and estates, with access to justice for evictions and housing and related matters, as well as legal assistance for those held under mental health legislation.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I request that my committee colleague, the Member from Range Lake, read the next section of the report.
