Good morning Members of the Legislative Assembly and all the staff. Thank you, Mr. Chair. I want to congratulate all Members on their campaign to be here, and I look forward to working with each one of you as we work for all NWT residents. I am honoured and humbled in being here today. I want to say mahsi cho to my team, my official agent, and all who supported my campaign. I also want to thank the Deh Cho constituents for their belief in me to be their voice in this Assembly. I want to thank my husband Norman and my children for their support, my family and friends. I could not do this without them by my side.
Today I want to talk about what I heard in my campaign going door to door in my riding of the Deh Cho. I want to thank the constituents and elders for taking the time to meet with me and discuss the issues that are of concern to them. During my campaign, I heard many concerns and I know I won't be able to mention every one of them. But here is a highlight of some of what concerns the residents of the Deh Cho talked about.
To begin with, we all know about the forest fires that occurred this summer and the impacts that occurred in in the communities of K'atlodeeche and Enterprise. The devastation that occurred there and how the residents are trying to pick up their lives and continue was at the forefront of these discussions. Some of these residents do not have insurance to rebuild. They all want to return to their homes. How can we assist with this?
The residencies of Enterprise are concerned that their local workforce is not being utilized now with the cleanup of their communities, the residents who need this income to keep food on the table and pay their bills. Why aren't we supporting their efforts to rebuild by contracting them directly?
Another community impacted by the forest fires was Kakisa, Kakisa Lake. Many may not be aware that during the peak of the forest fires in the Deh Cho region, the community of Kakisa was evacuated however they did not know about it. Their evacuation was to occur at a time when communication systems went down and when they did not know they were in danger. There was no phone call or anything to advise them of the dangers. This has shown us that we need another communication system in the NWT as there are so many communities without any phone access in the midst of a forest fire crisis. We need to ensure this does not happen again.
Later I'll be supporting an independent review of the fires in K'atlodeeche and Hay River -- Enterprise. Sorry, Enterprise. Fort Providence was thankfully not negatively impacted by the forest fires. They stepped up to help the evacuees who stayed in their community during this time.
The residents of Fort Providence would like to see more amenities in their community. The community of Fort Providence is situated on one of the main highways in the NWT and is without an ambulance service or trained medics. There is no trained medics to help deal with medical crisis in Fort Providence or on the highway if required. The people want a larger recreation centre where more activities can take place to keep the residents and youth busy. They would also like to see a cultural centre, a place where -- a place that can foster a connection to their culture, land, and family.
We know what we experienced in this past summer and are currently experiencing is a result of climate change, forest fires, drought conditions, low water levels. We need to change the way we do things going forward. We can't use the old ways to address these things when we are dealing with different conditions.
Housing was another issue that everyone was talking about. I believe we all heard about the housing shortages in our communities, regions, and the NWT as a whole. Not only are families unable to find a home to live in but our young single adults, how are we going to keep our constituents in our communities if they have no place to live? There are also concerns from people who are in the housing units. They are expected to live in the homes where repairs are not done. One example is an elder, has to put plastic on his window for the last two years so the window stays in. There's no sight of repairs in the near future for this elder.
Health is another huge topic of concern in the Deh Cho. Medical travel has so many issues. There appears to be a breakdown in communication between Yellowknife and the communities. Often patients find out about appointments at the last minute which impacts their ability to travel. There's also concern about having to share your room with a stranger when in the medical boarding residence or hotel. This is unacceptable. I know if I was not feeling well, I would not want to have to share a room with a total stranger. I don't think you would either.
We are not seeing consistent medical care in the communities. Kakisa Lake is a community that does not have any medical services. They have to go to Hay River or Fort Providence to seek care. In addition to this, they continue to fall through the cracks because they don't have a health centre in their community. They often don't get the followup care they require. Need for more -- and there's a need for more health promotion and prevention resources. No health promotion on diseases like the outbreak of STDs in our communities and the need for educational resources. Mental health and addictions program and the need for aftercare, once people return from treatment centre, is required.
The need for a long-term care facility in Fort Providence. Older residents don't want to leave the community. They want to age at home. Need more training and support for community wellness workers to be able to develop and quality wellness initiatives in the communities, which we are hoping would relieve the strain often put on our community nurses who are often overworked. The increase of drug use has gone up. We need to address these issues.
Education is a concern of the Deh Cho residents. We are not seeing the graduates we used to see. We are not seeing the youth continue their schooling. There's a lot of concern that there's a lack of motivation for youth to remain in school. How can we address these issues?
Residents want to see a cultural orientation on the land for all new and returning teachers as well. There is a need for more training for trades in the communities. We need to consider how we can train local people to gain the skills that are required in our communities. We need to have skilled carpenters to build the houses we so desperately need.
The Indigenous and territorial government need to work together. There is a need to improve the collaborative relationship. The Deh Cho residents want to see the Deh Cho process move forward. We need to have this collaborative relationship be committed to have meaningful discussions to see movement. We have been promised movement for the last two governments without success. The Deh Cho residents want to see relationships that will foster good governance and create economic prosperity for all.
In conclusion, I also want to send my sincere condolences to Monique Saborin and family on the loss of their youngest son Lawrence. There are so many who are dealing with grief and loss at this time, and my thoughts are prayers are also with them.
In conclusion, in order for us to realize the potential of the NWT we all need to work together. Mahsi.