Lesa Semmler

Mr. Speaker, last week we announced two significant bilateral agreements with the Government of Canada. These agreements secured two federal investments totaling $36.38 million and demonstrate a shared commitment to both improving health care services for NWT residents, generally, and to enhancing the supports for NWT seniors and elders to stay at home longer as they age with dignity, close to their loved ones and community.

Of that total investment, $24.18 million will be provided over three years, under the Working Together to Improve Health Care for Canadians Agreement, to help strengthen...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I don't have that level of detail for the Member, so I'll have to get back to the Member for that. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, if I want to answer that as best as I can but I might you might cut me off. So I'll highlight some of the areas. And I want to be clear that, you know, it's important to note that the use of agency nurses is always the last resort. It's aimed at preventing unit or health care health centre closures and to increase to keep adequate staffing levels, you know, and we've seen that we've had to close areas in our health care before. And right now and I you know, I'll continue to repeat it because it is across Canada that we're having a health care shortage of all...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I want to be clear. There seems to be confusion around this, and there so within this announcement, I guess what happened was that there is COVID funding that is ending at the end of this fiscal year but there is no layoffs in the NTHSSA as a result of this sunsetting funding. It's important to understand that many positions that were added in this with this funding were never we were never able to staff them, so we were using what we used as casuals. We used float. We used relief workers in a lot of these positions to make sure that these extra...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, with that question I'll have to get back to the Member. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, you know, as to what the department and what has been done, you know, there's been a long engagement within the city of Yellowknife. As a Regular Member who sat on the other side, I am not from Yellowknife, but I know I sat in many conversations and many concerns that other Yellowknivs Members that were bringing forward, so I know that there's been long ongoing conversation. If the Member wants to discuss further what is being done and what needs to be done, I'm willing to have that conversation with the Member. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, yes, I will work with my department to make sure that the steps of the process are public. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, within the wellness recovery centre in Yellowknife, as many may be aware, that there was a large federal announcement for that and right now, the Member is accurate, there are the as sorry, as there is moving forward on the accessing the land from the city and then for the permits and stuff, and then I guess they'll be the plan is to have it I think it's 2024, this coming year, to have the RFP go out, so for the building. And then, you know, if everything moves along smoothly, I think it would be hopefully before the end of my term, then we would have...

Mr. Speaker, you know, I'm not going to be committing anything on the floor of this House today without any information and a time to speak with the different NGOs and so therefore I've committed to meeting and speaking with the NGO and the city, and I'll leave it at that, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, what I am willing to do is I'm willing to meet with the city of Yellowknife. I already have received an invite to meet request to meet with them on some of the programs that they have and discussions. Becoming a new Minister, there's a you know, there was a lot of things going and then session. So my office is aware, and we are we don't have a scheduled date yet, but I'm hoping that it will be before the end of this fiscal year. So thank you, Mr. Speaker.