Thank you, Madam Chair. There is the potential that the declining caribou herds will have an impact on the ability of residents in some communities to eat a healthy diet. In isolated communities, it may be too expensive for residents to replace caribou with store-bought meat, and the availability of other country food may be limited or foods not readily adapted to the local diet or culture. The committee believes there is a clear need for the government to develop contingency plans.

The department has agreed to provide the committee with a draft summary of options in the near future.

The committee will continue tracking this issue and will discuss the impact that potential conservation efforts will have on community health. This issue will also be mentioned in the transition document to the next Assembly.

Revitalization Of Social Worker Profession In The NWT

During discussions on the business plan, Members expressed concern about the state of the social work profession in the NWT. It was acknowledged the Northwest Territories is well served by members of the profession, however, many of these professionals, particularly at the community level, are nearing well-deserved retirement. The problem is there is reluctance on the part of northern students to consider social work as a profession. In some years, Aurora College has been unable to deliver the social worker diploma program because of a lack of interest. The committee notes that the Social Work Program will be delivered at the Yellowknife Campus this year.

The department's response indicates that it is willing to work with the other departments that employ social workers and the Department of Human Resources to come up with a strategy to meet the needs of the social worker profession.

The committee notes that there is important ongoing work relating to the on-the-job safety of social workers, a review of the Social Work Program at Aurora College and, in conjunction with the Association of Social Workers in Northern Canada, the development of a legislative proposal and the regulation of the social worker profession in the NWT.

The committee looks forward to the results of these important initiatives and progress on the development of an interdepartmental working group.

Madam Chair, Members strongly encourage the department to be aggressive in staffing these positions. Recent media reports seem to indicate that audiologists are in high demand and that the NWT's pay scale may no longer be realistic or a sufficient incentive to attract experienced and qualified candidates. The department, within the context of the Collective Agreement, will have to look for solutions to this dilemma.

Once the teams are in place, it is expected that wait times for rehabilitation services should be dramatically reduced and that services to children in the school system will improve. It is extremely important that the rehabilitation teams establish a close working relationship with schools, educators and child psychologists.

The one area of concern for the committee was the workload that the Yellowknife-based team would have in meeting the needs of the residents of the Tlicho, Sahtu and Deh Cho regions. Some members of the committee believe there should be regularly scheduled visits to each community within these regions, while others would prefer the workload to determine the service patterns. The department is encouraged to monitor the workload of all the rehabilitation teams to ensure there is a proper distribution of resources and that extra help is provided to those teams that require it.

That concludes our comments, Madam Chair.