Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. To the motion. The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I won’t talk about all the important things that my colleagues have already raised when it comes to supporting this motion, but obviously I’m going to support the motion. I would like to thank the mover of the motion, Mr. Bromley, and the seconder, Mr. Yakeleya, for bringing it forward.

The big thing for me is the cost of living. I’d hate to see our government forcing people an increase,

even as small as this might be, onto the backs of residents. The recycling is good and, as others have said, the effort of ENR to get milk containers into the Waste Recovery Program is admirable. However, I believe the $70,000 to $75,000 it’s going to cost the government spread out over the whole year is not a big sum of money. The government should be taking that on, not the consumer, not the folks that are trying to get this healthy, nutritious product like milk to children and families around the Northwest Territories. I do support the motion.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. To the motion. The honourable Member for Nunakput, Mr. Jacobson.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Like my colleague Mr. Ramsay said, I am supporting the motion. I am really happy that we’re getting full-fledged support on the Regular Members’ side. The cost of living in the communities is high enough that we do not need another for milk products and that. In my home community of Tuk I think it’s $22 for a four-litre of milk. I think passing this on to the people in the smaller communities, we’re going to be always hit first.

I’m in full support of the motion and I thank my colleague Mr. Bromley for bringing this up. You have my full support.

Thank you, Mr. Jacobson. To the motion. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Speaking to the cost of living, if there was one reason to consider on that level, the cost of living is certainly not something to brag about in the Northwest Territories. Adding the service fee to an important product such as milk seems to be a bit of a shame. I wish the government from ENR had seen that this does not help people in that form. I realize it’s a noble cause, trying to bring the containers back for recycling and I think that’s important, but to see that they’re going to keep it on such a critical product that’s so important to the health of people, I have no other choice but to imagine why wouldn’t I want to support a motion like this.

To another issue of nickeling and diming our territorial residents in every form, it still relates back to the fact that the cost of living is a difficult challenge that many of us face. Adding that to the mix, of course.

On the last principle of health, I think it’s one product we need to continue to champion in ways to make sure it’s affordable and accessible to all our people of the North. With that, I will leave us with the thought that if this was a road to show people a method of discouraging a particular important product of milk, it seems like this is the

one that they have taken. This motion speaks loud and clear to the fact that we need to find ways to make sure that healthy products are encouraged and certainly embraced by our constituents. Allowing them to have the full return of the deposit seems to be not just the right choice, but the only choice.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. To the motion. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Beaulieu.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I support the motion. Obviously I think recycling of these containers is a positive thing for our environment. Doing that without adding more cost to already high costs of living in small communities, although it’s not a major cost, does add a little bit to the cost that’s already too high for the individuals to afford. So this will at least keep the costs the same as it is now, for now.

I guess the only issue that I have is that hopefully the people in the smaller communities will have the opportunity to recycle, that there are depots available for them to take these recyclable containers back to. I will support the motion, because the intent of the motion is to not increase the costs of milk products across the small communities.

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. To the motion. The honourable Minister responsible for Environment and Natural Resources, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. When we did the review of ENR’s budget, the Member for Weledeh raised the issue about the handling fee. At that point I indicated that, yes, we will look at that and, yes, we will look at suggestions similar to those made by the Member for Frame Lake about possible additional cross-levies on pop or alcohol.

I think we would all agree that having a healthy environment and having healthy families and children are two very compatible goals and we intend to make sure that we maintain both initiatives.

I have heard very clearly what the Members are saying. I just reiterate the commitment I made when we were doing the budget for ENR, that we are going to move on this. Folks are now looking at it and in the coming weeks we should be able to come up with a plan to address that concern.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. I will allow the mover of the motion closing comments. Mr. Bromley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to start by recognizing the commitment made by the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources, which I very much appreciated and encouraged me

to get this motion going with the good support of my colleague Mr. Yakeleya.

In summary, this motion is all about controlling the high cost of living. It’s about building strong minds and bodies. All of this while being environmentally responsible. What it takes is a small, low-cost investment for returns on all these fronts: social, economical, and environmental.

So I want to thank everybody for their support and request a recorded vote. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. The Member is seeking a recorded vote. Madam Clerk, all those in favour of the motion, please stand.

Recorded Vote

All those opposed to the motion, please stand. All those abstaining from the motion, please stand.

Results of the recorded vote: 11 for, 0 opposed, 6 abstaining. The motion is carried.

---Carried

The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Abernethy.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I seek unanimous consent to return to item 11, petitions, on the orders of the day. Thank you.

---Unanimous consent granted.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

WHEREAS NWT health and social services covers the cost of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) assessment for children and not adults;

AND WHEREAS many cases of FASD in children are going undiagnosed because of the lack of awareness and stigma associated with the disorder;

AND WHEREAS undiagnosed children are growing up and struggling with physical, intellectual and behavioural difficulties in adulthood;

AND WHEREAS the government is committed to working with residents in an effort to help them live healthy and productive lives;

AND WHEREAS adults who may have undiagnosed FASD are ineligible to receive support and programming available only to those who have been diagnosed with FASD:

AND WHEREAS improper diagnosis often leads to inappropriate care, increased risk of secondary disabilities, and missed opportunities to connect individuals affected by FASD with the programs and services that will provide the support needed to promote optimal functioning and provide a better quality of life;

AND WHEREAS accurate diagnosis can speed up the development of effective prevention practices and contribute to more accurate estimates of incidence and prevalence;

AND WHEREAS with proper assessment and care, many people with FASD can lead happy and productive lives, with the right supports, approaches and services;

NOW THEREFORE I MOVE, seconded by the honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, that the Government of the Northwest Territories establish assessment services for adults who may have FASD;

AND FURTHER, that a multidisciplinary team based on the examples of the Territorial Assessment Team or the Child Development Team at Stanton Territorial Hospital be developed to provide these assessment and diagnostic services in the NWT;

AND FURTHERMORE, that programs and supports for individuals and families living with FASD be

enhanced and be available to NWT residents who need these services;

AND FURTHERMORE, that the government provide a response to this motion within 120 days.

Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. The motion is on the floor. The motion is in order. To the motion. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Abernethy.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. One of the goals of the 16th Legislative Assembly is

healthy, educated people. One of the activities identified under the goal is to improve support for children and adults with special needs and disabilities. FASD is a reality with the Northwest Territories. Unfortunately, there are many adults who remain undiagnosed in the Northwest Territories and are therefore ineligible to receive support and programming available which is available to people who have been diagnosed as children. As a result, these undiagnosed individuals may face greater challenges than those individuals not suffering from FASD or those who were diagnosed and have been able to take advantage of programming.

As a result, these individuals may find themselves more reliant on social programs and income support in order to maintain a basic standard of living. This is unfortunate, given that with a little support these individuals could develop knowledge of their condition and skills to overcome their challenges, which will give them a better quality of life and possibly avoid the necessity to access income support, thus saving the GNWT money over the long run.

The GNWT does not support or facilitate the assessment of adults. The GNWT does support the assessment of youth. Unfortunately, many cases of FASD in children are going undiagnosed because of the lack of awareness or stigma associated with the disorder. Once these undiagnosed children leave their parents’ homes, become adults and enter the world of employment and new responsibilities, they face additional challenges. Unfortunately, if they seek to understand their challenges, that they can attempt to overcome them, the GNWT is not willing to help. This isn’t so in other jurisdictions. Alberta, as an example, recognizes the value in helping their citizens and offers adult assessment for FASD to their residents.

As a government, we need to follow Alberta’s example and offer this level of support to our undiagnosed residents. With proper assessment and care, many people in the NWT with FASD can lead happy, productive and independent lives. Let’s do the right thing and support FASD assessment and diagnosis services, as well as treatment for adults in the Northwest Territories. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. I’ll go to the seconder of the motion, the honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Beaulieu.