This is page numbers 5431 - 5456 of the Hansard for the 16th Assembly, 5th Session. The original version can be accessed on the Legislative Assembly's website or by contacting the Legislative Assembly Library. The word of the day was health.

Topics

Kevin A. Menicoche

Kevin A. Menicoche Nahendeh

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to ask my questions to the Minister of ENR with regard to the buffalo issue in Fort Liard. During my constituency visit last month it was raised again and residents are continually raising the issue of damages to their vehicles, their property, et cetera. Part of the buffalo management plan was to have more resources available for the community to manage the bison and buffalo issue there. What is currently being done to assist the community of Fort Liard with their buffalo issue?

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The honourable Minister responsible for Environment and Natural Resources, Mr. Miltenberger.

Michael Miltenberger

Michael Miltenberger Thebacha

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I agree with the Member that this is an ongoing issue. I have raised the matter with the deputy and his officials. We’re looking at some options. There’s going to be contact with the community to see the depth and degree of the community concerns. One of the options I mentioned possibly to the Member is if there is a bunch or number of incorrigible buffalo, as there are on Highway No. 3, for example, when the hunting season starts, the buffalo are not to be seen after the first couple of shots or the first couple of bison are brought down. We’re prepared to consider something of that nature in the Fort Liard area as well.

Kevin A. Menicoche

Kevin A. Menicoche Nahendeh

It sounds like one possible solution. It would be like culling the herd, I guess. In terms of numbers, how many buffalo are around Fort Liard?

Michael Miltenberger

Michael Miltenberger Thebacha

I don’t have the exact number before me, but clearly too many.

---Laughter

We’re prepared to work with the Member and the community to resolve this issue.

Kevin A. Menicoche

Kevin A. Menicoche Nahendeh

Certainly there is one too many. The Minister is talking about going to the community and providing some options. When would he be doing that? Hopefully sooner rather than later.

Michael Miltenberger

Michael Miltenberger Thebacha

Given the length of time left in the life of this government, I will assure the Member that it will be sooner rather than later.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Final supplementary, Mr. Menicoche.

Kevin A. Menicoche

Kevin A. Menicoche Nahendeh

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Definitely before Christmas would be a good time to get to the community and provide these options and how it’s worked in other jurisdictions such as Highway No. 3.

One other option, as I was watching the news, is that there is a revitalization of buffalo herds in Saskatchewan. I’d just ask the Minister if he and his department could check that out. I believe they were looking for some buffalo. Residents of Fort Liard are really frustrated enough that they’re saying to get rid of these buffalo, move them out of here. They’re not local to here.

Michael Miltenberger

Michael Miltenberger Thebacha

I will confirm with the Member the time. We’ll try to work with the before-Christmas date suggested by the Member. The Member has mentioned the possibility of a buffalo drive to Saskatchewan. Once again, we want to check with the community to see the degree of their concern and is that the best option. We’re not going to rule anything out at this point.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Norman Yakeleya

Norman Yakeleya Sahtu

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to ask my questions to the Minister of Health and Social Services. I spoke earlier in my Member’s statement that 2,300 people in the Northwest Territories are without health care coverage today. I want to ask the Minister if she’s, in her government, working on any type of information implementation plan so that they can get health coverage as soon as possible.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Minister responsible for Health and Social Services, Ms. Lee.

Sandy Lee

Sandy Lee Range Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I stated in my statement yesterday, we will be working hard on a number of fronts as per recommendations of the Supp Health Joint Working Group. That includes encouraging employers to provide employment insurance or employers insurance, encouraging our residents to get private insurance where it’s possible, and to look at some savings through use of generic drugs. The department will be pursuing all those three options, and we will be doing some cost-benefit analysis and looking at ways to see how we can help those who are not without health care coverage or health benefits coverage but are currently without minimal dental or vision care.

Norman Yakeleya

Norman Yakeleya Sahtu

I want to ask the Minister about some families and children who are in the working poor who are today, as we speak right now today, in the last couple years do not have basic health care coverage. Again, I hear from the Minister that they’re working hard in this government to see what kind of coverage they can implement, but as each day that we sit here and talk, these families have to deal with this type of issue that they’re not covered like the rest of us are. I want to ask the Minister, can she and her government implement a plan as soon as possible to help those poor families in the Northwest Territories. The number 2,300 rings a bell. Can the Minister tell me when?

Sandy Lee

Sandy Lee Range Lake

I do appreciate the Member’s strong advocacy for the protection and provision of services to the working poor. He’s been a strong advocate throughout this supp health benefits review process and in the last Assembly as well.

Mr. Speaker, we need to work this in a package. We need to address all of these things at the same time, because the Member knows already that our Supp Health Program is already over-expended and we need to find some savings and find ways to help those who are without minimal dental and vision care at the moment. Thank you.

Norman Yakeleya

Norman Yakeleya Sahtu

Mr. Speaker, I know that there are some things within the Health department that we certainly can do without in terms of putting some coverage to these people. There are children, there are families in the Northwest Territories, as we speak today, that do not have the basic health coverage that we in this room enjoy in terms of our own coverages. That’s the one I want to ask the Minister. What will it take for her to, by the end of this month or next month, say, yes, we will have coverage for those families who are the working poor, children, who do not have coverage?

Mr. Speaker, I grew up poor. I know what it’s like. That’s who I’m advocating for. What can the

Minister do to help us get coverage for these low-income families?

Sandy Lee

Sandy Lee Range Lake

What we need from the Member and this House is continued strong support for the government to implement the recommendations that were made by the Joint Working Group. We’re going to need some really strong fortitude to implement the third-party use and encouraging people to get third-party insurance where they can afford to. We need to find some equity and parity between NIHB programs and Supp Health Programs. We are going to need to be strong to implement some of the changes to the pharmaceutical strategy so that we would encourage the use of generic drugs. All those things will require strong support from this House. We are moving as expeditiously as possible. We want to make some progress by March/April. That’s a very aggressive timeline. We need to do a lot of work on that, and I look forward to continued support from the Member. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Your final supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.

Norman Yakeleya

Norman Yakeleya Sahtu

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to ask the Minister in terms of what is preventing her from implementing the use of the non-insured health benefits rules right away for the various supplementary health benefits programs that we have made suggestions to. What’s preventing her from making these changes right away?

Sandy Lee

Sandy Lee Range Lake

The work is underway, so nothing is stopping us from moving forward on this. I made a commitment as per the advice from the Standing Committee on Priorities and Planning. I believe we have strong support from the Members on the other side to move forward in finding solutions on the recommendations made on the report. We are committed to working out the plan and implementing it. I will be working closely with standing committee on that. We need to lay out the plan and we are working on that. We are following an aggressive strategy and schedule. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Ms. Lee. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Abernethy.

Glen Abernethy

Glen Abernethy Great Slave

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister responsible for Health and Social Services. I talked earlier about the consolidated clinic here in Yellowknife and, once again, I think it’s a great facility and there are great programs that are being offered out of there. But as with new programs, there are some growing pains. I know the Minister has probably heard a lot of these concerns that are brought up by the public. I know

that I’ve taken a couple to the Minister and they have been addressed.

What I’m interested in now is in order to ensure that this facility continues to be the excellent facility that we hope it is, we need to have some sort of mechanism that will allow individuals who are utilizing those services to get their comments and concerns straight to the authority, right to the individuals who are front line, who can start making some of those changes to improve the efficiency. I’m curious whether the Minister has directed the authority to put in some sort of mechanism where information can flow to the right people. Or is it more of an open process where they contact their MLAs and we take it to the Minister? Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. The honourable Minister responsible for Health and Social Services, Ms. Lee.

Sandy Lee

Sandy Lee Range Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. First of all, I’d like to thank the Member for the positive statements he made with regard to this important project. It is an important initiative for our health and social services system, because the Yellowknife primary clinic services not just Yellowknife residents but residents from surrounding communities.

I agree with the Member that the facility is going through, and has gone through, some growing pains, and I agree with him that we need to be able to give that feedback. What I’m going to suggest to the Member is, I’m going to ask the authority and the management there to have a suggestion box, suggestions on the website, and get all of the feedback that people have been giving us and giving the Members about some of the things we can do better there, and I will report back to the Member on what changes they could implement to improve that. Thank you.