This is page numbers 4463 - 4502 of the Hansard for the 16th Assembly, 4th 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.

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Question 394-16(4): Nursing Services In Wrigley
Oral Questions (Reversion)

Range Lake

Sandy Lee

Sandy Lee Minister of Health and Social Services

Nursing coverage for Tsiigehtchic and Wrigley is my priority and I am happy to commit to do as much or more than what the Minister of Justice is doing in that regard.

Some Hon. Members

Whoa...

Kevin A. Menicoche

Kevin A. Menicoche Nahendeh

The Minister is going to have to explain how her commitment translates into real resources for those communities. Thank you.

Question 394-16(4): Nursing Services In Wrigley
Oral Questions (Reversion)

Range Lake

Sandy Lee

Sandy Lee Minister of Health and Social Services

I have committed that in the past. We understand and we accept that the RCMP for Wrigley is based in Simpson and they have increased their visits to Wrigley and that’s the proposal we have for communities in Deh Cho and that’s what we continue to work on for the region in Beaufort-Delta. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Final supplementary, Mr. Menicoche.

Kevin A. Menicoche

Kevin A. Menicoche Nahendeh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Just for clarification, did the Minister say there was going to be a dedicated position for Wrigley in Fort Simpson? Can she answer that? As well, again, I would like to get a commitment that services, nursing services will be enhanced at least in 2010 as we work towards this dedicated position? Thank you.

Question 394-16(4): Nursing Services In Wrigley
Oral Questions (Reversion)

Range Lake

Sandy Lee

Sandy Lee Minister of Health and Social Services

Currently we have four dedicated nurses in Simpson that services Wrigley, Nahanni Butte, Trout Lake and Jean Marie River. Yes, we have a proposal that would enhance nursing coverage in Wrigley and those three communities in 2010. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Ms. Lee. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.

Question 395-16(4): Nursing Services In Tsiigehtchic
Oral Questions (Reversion)

February 23rd, 2010

David Krutko

David Krutko Mackenzie Delta

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, following up on my colleague’s questioning. I, too, would like a commitment from the Minister. This issue has been raised, like I say, in several different formats, not only in this House, but other venues such as the Gwich’in assemblies and the Beaufort leaders’ meeting.

Mr. Speaker, we do have to show that we really care for the people in the Northwest Territories. We talk about healthy and vibrant communities. The critical aspect of that is to have service providers there to assist the communities to make sure they are delivering those programs and services. One of the key positions in the communities is the nurse. So I’d like to get a commitment from the Minister stating how soon can she have those positions filled in the communities of Wrigley and Tsiigehtchic so we can see that responsibility function fully for those communities.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. The honourable Minister of Health and Social Services, Ms. Lee.

Sandy Lee

Sandy Lee Minister of Health and Social Services

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we are working on a project to look at enhancing nursing services in small and remote communities. We believe the proposal we have could shed light on what we can do and do services in other communities like the Mackenzie Delta. It is something we are working on with the authority. I have always stated in this House, Mr Speaker, that we are looking to enhance our services in small communities like Tsiigehtchic, but the Member also has to understand that we, at the moment, block fund our regions and we work under a system where the authorities share the resources within the authority to stretch those resources as much as possible. Thank you.

David Krutko

David Krutko Mackenzie Delta

Again, the Minister’s answer was going in the right direction until she came to the health board and their authorities. This government has the ultimate authority. This House has the ultimate authority by approving the budget. We’re going through that process now. But also we have the accountability authority through the Financial Administration Act to ensure that those boards are spending the money where they’re supposed to and not running deficits year after year after year. I think as the Minister, you’re responsible for ensuring that other acts are followed in this position such as ensuring those positions are being fulfilled. It’s critical that the Minister carry out her ministerial responsibility to direct those departments to fill those positions in those two communities and

ensure they use the money they have in house and not say we’re already spending money. There are tons of vacant positions in the Beaufort region that are not being filled and the dollars are there.

So when can we see those positions being filled in Tsiigehtchic and Wrigley and ensure that dollars expended to those communities are earmarked for those communities and those positions are filled in those communities.

Sandy Lee

Sandy Lee Minister of Health and Social Services

The Member is aware that the Beaufort-Delta Health and Social Services Authority uses every dollar they have to provide those services. Vacant positions don’t mean they have money set aside sitting in the bank. Vacant positions, in fact, mean more expenditures are required because they do fill those positions with locums and casuals. Mr. Speaker, the allotment for Tsiigehtchic, for example, are being used to provide nurse coverage because they do get nursing coverage for about half of the year, which is equivalent or better than what communities that size receive in other parts of the Territories and many of them don’t have a one-hour drive access. So, Mr. Speaker, the board is clear in their understanding that our commitment is to enhance our health care coverage in small communities and we will continue to concentrate on that. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Short supplementary, Mr. Krutko.

David Krutko

David Krutko Mackenzie Delta

Again, Mr. Speaker, it’s a game of playing who’s got the money and who’s going to go get it.

The other thing is we are spending $285,000 in the community for social services and health care services in that community. The information I got from the Minister stipulates they spent $60,000 last year. Again, we’re short $200,000 for those health care providers. You don’t have a drug and alcohol program in Tsiigehtchic. You don’t have a full-time social worker in Tsiigehtchic. You don’t have a nurse in Tsiigehtchic. Those positions were all filled positions prior to division. I’d like to ask the Minister to fill the full-time positions. I don’t care where you find the money to supplement the $60,000 you’re spending now, regardless if it’s another $100,000, find it within, get the job done and, more importantly, get a nurse in these communities.

Sandy Lee

Sandy Lee Minister of Health and Social Services

The Member knows that the Beaufort-Delta authority is in a deficit situation. There is no money for them to fund from within. Secondly, I’m not sure where the Member gets that we’re only spending $60,000 in Tsiigehtchic. Mr. Speaker, the GNWT spends a lot more money than $280,000 in Tsiigehtchic for health and social services. We have a full-time community health rep there; we have a full-time home support worker there; we have visiting nurses that go there for 89 days of the year; we have doctors’ services; we have a specialist service; as well, a social worker that goes there, Mr. Speaker. So there has been a

lot of information provided to the Member in answer to his questions, but I guess it’s up to him how he reads that.

But, Mr. Speaker, as the Premier indicated, if it was my wish tomorrow, I would have a nurse and doctor and hospital and everything that everybody wants in every community, but, Mr. Speaker, we have a $1.4 billion budget. We already spend almost a million dollars a day providing health and social services to 40,000 residents and we are working at our backs to be fair and equitable and make sure everybody has access to health care, which we do in the Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Krutko.

David Krutko

David Krutko Mackenzie Delta

Again, Mr. Speaker, it’s sounds like the Minister is a broken record and she basically blames everybody else but the person that’s responsible, which is ultimately the Minister who should be the one making sure that these programs and services are being delivered under the mandate that you have as a Minister, but, more importantly, not continue to say, well, the health authority has a deficit. Well, excuse me, if they have a deficit. As a Minister you should intervene and find out exactly why programs and services aren’t being delivered in communities and why they continue to run a deficit.

So I’d like to ask the Minister why is it that you continue to put the onus on the health board. Why don’t you use your authority as Minister and, basically, appoint an administrative officer to run that health board, like you’ve done in other cases, if they’re not doing the job to provide a simple thing as a nurse in the community? If they can’t do that, I don’t know what else we expect from them. So I’d like to ask the Minister, if you’re really serious about doing something, you have an opportunity to prove yourself as a Minister that you actually can accomplish something here. Thank you.

Sandy Lee

Sandy Lee Minister of Health and Social Services

Mr. Speaker, the Member knows that the budget we approve in the House, it is a work of our collective decisions. We work under a regional health delivery service model. I don’t think the Member is convinced of that. If we have any facts to suggest that, if we dissolve the board and hired a public administrator today, that that would get an enhanced…or have full-time positions in every community, I believe all of us would do that. Delivery of health care is much more complex. We have our challenges. It’s not just about issuing an edict tomorrow and say let there be. Mr. Speaker, we are faced with the challenges of using the resources we have fair and equitably to all of the communities. So, Mr. Speaker, we will continue to work on that. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Ms. Lee. The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.

David Ramsay

David Ramsay Kam Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I want to ask some questions. I suppose I’ll ask some questions of the Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment, and it gets back to some of my previous questions to the Minister of Justice. From where I sit, Mr. Speaker, I think the government is letting opportunities slip past us. I believe we’re soundly asleep at the switch oftentimes, and I think somebody has to ring the alarm clock and wake these guys up over here so that they understand that there are opportunities out there. We have to multi-task. If you’re a Minister, I don’t understand how a Minister could stand up in the House and say they have other priorities when, you know, they can’t write a letter and deal with other priorities. That doesn’t make a lot of sense to me, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to ask the Minister of ITI what exactly the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment is doing to attract new economic activity here to the Northwest Territories. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The honourable Minister responsible for Industry, Tourism and Investment, Mr. Bob McLeod.

Bob McLeod

Bob McLeod Yellowknife South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We spend a lot of money promoting the North and making different investors aware of opportunities in the North. Where possible, we take trade missions to other countries, and I’m glad that this Member is starting to support some of those initiatives so that we can go out and make the world aware of business opportunities here in the Northwest Territories. We’re doing that even without royalties from the federal government, and we are taking every advantage to partner with the federal government and, certainly, we will look for any opportunities that are out there where it will create jobs and provide benefits to the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

David Ramsay

David Ramsay Kam Lake

Mr. Speaker, when I was speaking earlier I talked of other jurisdictions, other provinces and territories, for that matter, in this country that, to me, seem much more aggressive, they seem to pursue things with much more vigor and passion than our government does. I’m talking about opportunities like I mentioned earlier: federal penitentiary; I’m talking about opportunities for an increased military presence here in the North; I’m talking about the jobs that are located in Ottawa; I’m talking about the film industry, looking at innovation and technology and opportunities in that regard.

You look at the province of Saskatchewan, that’s a good example, Mr. Speaker, and I think we could take a lesson from Premier Brad Wall in Saskatchewan. The man is aggressive. They go

after business opportunities. They attract people to Saskatchewan. They took Fortune Minerals from us. I know my colleague Mrs. Groenewegen was talking about the Nechalacho project and Avalon Ventures earlier today, and I’d hate to see us lose yet another opportunity, Mr. Speaker. So I’d like to ask the Minister what they are doing in regard to trying to be aggressive and get these opportunities here on the ground in the Northwest Territories. Thank you.

Bob McLeod

Bob McLeod Yellowknife South

I’m certainly pleased that you used the reference of Saskatchewan, because to attract investors you don’t just wave a magic wand and people appear. You have to have a strategy; you have to have resources; you have to have people; and you have to have programs that cost money and will attract investors into the Northwest Territories. I think that we can all borrow a page from Saskatchewan. If we had additional resources we could go out and lobby all of the different sectors that are out there that potentially are looking at building new facilities. We could lobby the federal government. We’ve been trying to promote a convention centre for the Northwest Territories, or a number of convention centres. All those things take resources and this is certainly something in the direction that we want to move into. Thank you.