Good afternoon, colleagues. Welcome to the Chamber. Orders of the day. Item 2, Ministers’ statements. The honourable Minister of Transportation, Mr. Michael McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Investing in infrastructure to improve access to communities is a key priority of the Government of the Northwest Territories. When the Deh Cho Bridge is complete, it will benefit NWT residents by providing a safe, reliable all-weather link from the South to the North Slave region, providing access and economic benefits to all residents.

Today I rise to respond to the mid-project performance audit of the Deh Cho Bridge construction project by the Auditor General of Canada.

The Auditor General identified concerns with the management of partnership risks in phase 1 of the project, which led to project delays and cost increases. We acknowledge those concerns. She also notes that the Department of Transportation has put a framework in place to manage key risks in phase 2, and that quality assurance and quality control have improved on the project as a result.

The government has accepted the three recommendations of the Auditor General and incorporated lessons learned from phase 1 into future capital project management. These steps are already underway as part of our commitment to best practices and prudent management.

I note that the Auditor General took no issue with our belief, which I have often stated, that the Deh Cho Bridge is being built to the highest standards of safety and quality, meeting best practices for design quality and construction standard. The

Auditor General pointed to the need to assure the Legislative Assembly and the public that we are effectively managing the remaining risks on the project. This is something that I am pleased to do.

I’m proud of our project team. They have identified and addressed each and every quality assurance and quality control issue on the project. Steps have been taken to ensure that any additional risks are identified, mitigated and managed to ensure a sound and safe bridge.

Our risk management processes were designed to be worthy of this important piece of infrastructure by reflecting the most current best practices in bridge building. We’ve engaged risk management experts to provide input and advice on risk issues. We put in place an effective project management process and our team is expert in the roles they play. We require industry best practices for quality control and quality assurance. Finally, we continuously identify risks and track mitigation measures. I’m confident that we are adequately managing risks to ensure the high standards of quality and safety are maintained on this project.

This is not to say that we can prevent all risks. As with any capital project, there are risks related to schedule, cost and technical issues that we are addressing.

Despite the current schedule delays caused by the late steel deliveries, we project that the bridge will be built within budget. The contractor has added an extra shift to help ensure the north side launch of the superstructure is completed before breakup. All bridge components will be delivered and on site before then. The contractor has provided us a revised construction schedule which we’re evaluating to determine whether the contractor completion date can be met without compromising quality and safety. I will update this House when that review is complete.

Finally, we’re refining our toll collection system to ensure we’re able to capture all the revenue that is due from commercial operators using the bridge. We have a team working hard to address administrative details that remain, particularly the capture of revenue from occasional traffic. This will be completed before the bridge opens to traffic.

Members of the Legislative Assembly have visited the project and I would like to again extend an

invitation for Members to come and see the work that has been done and talk to our world-class project team who are building a safe, reliable, high-quality all-weather connection that will contribute to sustainable, vibrant and safe communities. This will be a bridge that our children will be proud of and that people from all around the world will come and admire.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Minister responsible for Municipal and Community Affairs, Mr. Robert McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Supporting a healthy and sustainable volunteer sector is one of the priorities that the government is addressing as part of the Building Our Future Initiative. Today I am pleased to advise Members on an important opportunity to recognize the significant contribution volunteers make to all our communities.

Launched in 1991, the NWT Outstanding Volunteer Awards Program celebrates exceptional volunteer service in the Northwest Territories. In the 21 years the program has been operating, over 700 individuals and groups have been nominated for awards by others from their community who want to recognize the contributions they are making. These are only a small portion of the thousands of people who generously give their time each year.

Volunteers provide a critical service to our communities. They are the coaches who give their spare time to train others, the firefighters who help keep us safe, the caregivers for people in need and the neighbours that help the elderly with snow or groceries.

Recognition of individuals and groups for their contribution promotes the importance of volunteerism and showcases the need for others to help out.

Mr. Speaker, the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs is now accepting applications for the 2011 NWT Outstanding Volunteer Awards. Individuals or groups can be nominated in four categories: elder, youth, group, and individual. Nomination forms are available at all community government offices and on the Web at proud2beNWT.ca and the department’s website. The deadline for nominations is March 25, 2011. An announcement of this year’s recognition event will be made in early May.

Members are encouraged to support volunteer recognition by inviting their constituents to nominate that special volunteer or group in their community.

Recognizing outstanding NWT volunteers is an important part of the Government of the Northwest Territories Building Our Future Initiative, which

aims, in part, to improve support to the voluntary sector. Strengthening the voluntary sector supports our goal of healthy, educated people and sustainable, vibrant and safe communities as envisioned in the 16

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Assembly’s vision of

Northerners Working Together. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Power Corporation, Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The purpose of my statement is to update Members on the Taltson Hydro Expansion Project.

Late last year I asked the chair of the Northwest Territories Power Corporation to review the proposed business model for this project. Based on what has been reported to me, it is clear we need to adjust our course.

Earlier today, the chairman of Deze Energy submitted a letter to the Mackenzie Valley Environmental Impact Review Board requesting more time in the environmental assessment process to address economic gaps.

Recent discussions with the diamond mines clearly indicate that their collective mine life and commitments to buy power cannot, on their own, support financing and construction of the project at this time.

The development of the Taltson Project was premised on Deze Energy’s ability to finalize power purchase agreements, secure regulatory approvals and make a construction decision in time for mobilization on the 2012 winter road. Given current project timelines, this objective is no longer achievable.

While the project has effectively lost a year, through the unique Deze partnership we have invested in business capacity and important environmental and technical knowledge that will hold value well into the future.

Mr. Speaker, tapping in the NWT’s hydro potential continues to be a goal for the Government of the Northwest Territories. Access to clean energy and a renewable source of energy will help power industry, cut energy costs and reduce our dependence on expensive imported diesel fuel.

We have developed valuable expertise over the past months and plan to build on this important work. We want to find the right formula to revitalize this project and work with us to connect our residents, businesses and communities to this important energy source.

This decision gives us the time for a broader perspective, to come up with a business model that will provide real benefits to the people of our

Territory, and allow us to preserve our investment made so far.

I look forward to keeping Members up to date as we pursue regional development that supports our shared vision of strong individuals, families and communities benefitting from an environmentally sustainable and prosperous Territory. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Item 3, Members’ statements. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have over 120 elders over the age of 70 in my constituency, all the way up to 98 years of age. Mr. Speaker, most of these elders have lived independently all their lives. They own their own homes. They’ve worked hard all their lives. Now, Mr. Speaker, they depend on a fixed income, which is their pensions.

Mr. Speaker, so many times as an MLA we get calls from the elders in our communities about the challenges they face trying to access government programs and services, and especially when realizing that they have a fixed income, being told to fill out tons of paperwork, account for the people who spent the weekend in your homes, and more importantly, asking for your pension statement annually.

Mr. Speaker, I think the frustration that these individuals feel, and ourselves as MLAs, is having programs and services there to assist elders retain that independent lifestyle, remain in their homes and not to have the worry if I am going to have enough fuel in my fuel tank this month or will I run out, what are my options or alternatives.

The same thing in regards to the different programs and services through the Housing Corporation in regards to the seniors emergency repair programs. Mr. Speaker, a lot of these seniors don’t have mechanical skills or even the physical skills to deal with the restraints of upgrading their furnaces, doing the fundamental maintenance that you require to basically maintain your home. Again, Mr. Speaker, I think it is upon us as legislators and government departments that we do everything we can to take down those restraints and the burden that a lot of the elders face, the emotional, physical, and more importantly, the stress we put them under simply to apply for a government program.

I think ourselves, as government, have to get rid of the red tape. We have to deregulate the programs. They are accessible. They are achieving results and they are helping the people they are supposed

to serve, especially our elders who basically have worked all of their lives for an independent lifestyle to show the rest of us that if you work hard, you achieve a healthy lifestyle and you can be independent. You don’t have to end up in a home, but you basically will be supported during the remaining days of your lives in comfort without having the stress and strains of applying for a simple program from the Government of the Northwest Territories.

With that, Mr. Speaker, I will be asking the Premier some questions on this matter later. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to speak today on one of the tragic realities facing our elders: the huge yet hidden prevalence of elder abuse.

The NWT Seniors’ Society has been working hard to push this reality out into the open through their Building Networks on Elder Abuse Project. The project’s three phases were reviewed at a two-day symposium in Yellowknife, November 30

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and

December 1

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, attended by more than 100

participants drawn from all regions.

Community and literature research was reported. National experts shared their wisdom on the state of knowledge on elder abuse. The results of the 12-community survey of 528 adults aged 50 and older and the survey of 98 service providers and policymakers was provided. The survey results are startling: 71 percent of respondents said elder abuse is a problem in their community; 77 percent reported financial abuse; 68 percent neglect; 62 percent reported emotional abuse; 54 percent verbal abuse. Half said they didn’t know how to protect themselves from abuse. A third said they didn’t know where to get help. Only one out of three said they knew elder abuse is a crime.

Elders said abuse isn’t reported for a number of reasons: shame and guilt; fear of authority or reprisal, including losing their independence; lack of knowledge was a clear finding. Service providers and policymakers cited familiar factors creating the situation: poverty and lack of affordable housing; addictions; unemployment; ageism; lack of community and agency supports; lack of clear elder protection policies.

What did people say about attacking the problem? The answer takes itself in the name of the symposium, Building Networks. People said we must get together to respond. Get community people together on programs such as home visits, whole community training workshops and other

local steps. The people know the answers must come from the communities.

It has been said that the public consciousness on elder abuse is where awareness of family violence was 20 years ago. The work of the NWT Seniors’ Society is forcing this issue into the open and I applaud them for helping us all to understand and leading the drive for action. We must help, but how?

Mr. Speaker, I will have questions for the Minister responsible for Seniors on how this government will pitch in. Mahsi.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In recognition of our theme day on seniors, I would like to highlight the work done by the NWT Seniors’ Society.

This non-profit organization established in 1983 is the only volunteer agency representing the interests of all seniors in the Northwest Territories and a resource for any of our residents aged 60 and over. Its mission is to ensure dignity, independence, participation, fairness and security for our elders within our communities. The society’s goals include effectively dealing with elder abuse, promoting healthy lifestyles, involving elders in the preservation of Aboriginal languages, and lobbying to integrate more seniors’ issues and perspectives into school curriculum.

The NWT Seniors’ Society wants to reach out to the community to narrow the generation gap and give the younger population a better understanding of seniors’ issues. Low literacy issues among elders, as well as the loss of language and cultural wisdom are serious issues.

Tobacco, drug, alcohol and gambling addictions are problems for seniors whether personally or among their relatives. Family violence, elder abuse, effects of crime and feeling safe in one’s home and community are constant concerns for many northern elders.

As a person’s mobility decreases, some people become very isolated. In larger centres we like to think that this is less of an issue, but just because we don’t see these people doesn’t mean that they’re not there. Seniors living on fixed incomes struggle to make ends meet when cost of living increases are not reflected in their benefits.

The NWT Seniors’ Society encourages us, the government, to rethink all or nothing subsidy policies. We create inequality among our people when someone only $1 above the income threshold

cannot collect the benefits that someone else does if their income is just $1 below. There is inconsistency between communities and housing standards for seniors. The services offered in Yellowknife are not a clear reflection of what is available to elders in the Territory as a whole.

The NWT Seniors’ Society is doing its part to address these issues by encouraging seniors to become more proactive and supportive of the individuals and communities and to mentor youth. Mr. Speaker, more and more people are choosing to stay in the North after they retire. Many of the North’s finest volunteers are among our elderly population. Our seniors are a dynamic group that can offer a wealth of wisdom, insight and experience. I’d like to applaud the NWT Seniors’ Society’s efforts to provide them with the dignity, independence, security and opportunities they deserve. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. I rise with my colleagues to speak on the seniors’ issues that are very important to us all. Over the course of this budget session I have raised this issue and many others until my voice is hoarse.

---Laughter

Firstly, constituents who have their elderly parents refused the seniors home heating subsidy believe that our system is broken. Aboriginal seniors in our small and remote communities are faced with government guidelines, procedures and rules, which are often difficult to interpret and understand. Myself and my colleagues look forward to the review of the Income Support Program that the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment spoke about and I hope that it is more streamlined for our elders in the small and remote communities. Show some flexibility for those who wish to stay with the seniors who are there to support, as our government should.

I have also spoken about the NWT Housing Corporation not having senior-specific programming that will take care of their needs. They have been lumped in with everybody else for much needed programs. Also, I take issue that our seniors are not eligible for NWT Housing programs if they exhaust all existing programming.

I’d like to thank my colleagues who supported me last week for a motion to support seniors’ targeted-specific programming with the NWT Housing Corporation. I look to our government to take these concerns seriously and I’d love to see action on these issues this coming summer. Mahsi cho.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to join my colleagues in speaking out today against elder abuse. I was disgusted and sickened by a story on the CTV two days ago where a man and his wife had left his elderly mother in an unheated garage for an extended period of time. Mr. Speaker, this action was reprehensible and highlights the fact that elder abuse is happening every day, not only in communities in our Territory but across this country. In this case, laws were broken, but the abuse can take many forms, Mr. Speaker, such as financial abuse, people stealing money, belongings, forging cheques or tricking an elderly person into giving away their money; neglect, when a caregiver does not provide adequate food, medicine and proper living conditions; physical abuse, rough treatment through slapping, hitting, punching or pushing and threatening to hurt an elder; sexual abuse, when elders are touched sexually without their consent; and perhaps the most common form, Mr. Speaker, emotional abuse, which includes threatening, swearing, keeping elders from friends and community members, and guilt trips.

The only way to stop the abuse from taking place is to report it. Elders have every right to feel safe in their homes and in their communities. They also have every right to manage their own money and belongings. If you know of any of this abuse taking place, you can help by telling someone about it. If you are the victim, then you should talk to a friend or the RCMP.

Again, other colleagues of mine have mentioned the NWT Seniors’ Society and I wanted to publicly thank them for all the work they’ve put into addressing the issue of elder abuse in our Territory. I’d also like to thank this government and the Department of Health and Social Services for the material and the campaign to tackle elder abuse in this Territory.

In closing, please, if you see someone – anyone -- being abused in our communities, report it. It’s the only way to stop it.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I also join my colleagues today in talking about elder abuse. I’m sorry to say that elder abuse does go on in our country and does exist in the Northwest Territories.

Elders are the maturity and wisdom of our nation and it’s appalling for me to hear some of the stories of abuse that go on behind closed doors. We hear of stories of physical and emotional abuse and these things truly upset us. I was going to tell the same story that was just cited so recently in the news that Mr. Ramsay has cited. I’m not going to speak to that.

I’d like to look for tangible and practical ways of how we individually in our lives can reach out. Mr. Bromley touched on Building Networks. I think that’s very important. How many times do we sit down to a family dinner at Christmas or Thanksgiving or sometime a year and do we have our minds trained on the fact that perhaps there is a senior out there who is away from family and friends that we could set an extra place at our table for?

When my son was married about 10 years ago, a post-war family friend of my father’s showed up for the wedding unexpectedly. His name was Grandpa Ken. My father had since passed away. We invited Grandpa Ken to come and stay with us for a few days. He stayed for four years. You might remember him. You would see him around Yellowknife sometimes wearing placards. He wasn’t the most politically correct person in the world. Grandpa Ken did stay with us for four years and our kids were accustomed to the fact that when there was something going on in our family, it was time to run down to the Harbour House and pick up Grandpa Ken. I do apologize to those people. He was a retired pastor. Some of the people who stayed in the Harbour House got an unexpected sermon or two when they stayed there, so I do apologize for that. He was eccentric but beautiful and we loved him. It was an opportunity.

Not everybody can do that, what I just stated, but I bet you there are many times when we can reach out, build a friendship, make a connection to a senior in the community. My children did not have the advantage of growing up with their grandparents nearby. My father was in Ontario. So we can look at other people and think that could be your father, that could be their grandfather, and when those people may need at a time when they come into a difficult time in their life, how wonderful it would be for them to have a family that they were connected to.

We have programs like Big Brother and different things that try to link people in the communities. I think this is something we could extend to the elders community, as well, and we could all be on the lookout for opportunities where we could network with and reach out and be a servant to those who are our seniors.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Beaulieu.

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. Today I would like to talk about seniors also, senior homeowners specifically that are in need of programs to assist them to maintain their homes.

As it stands now, the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation has programs that can provide what is needed for seniors. However, accessing the current programs is more difficult than it needs to be.

The NWT Housing Corporation has a CARE program that can provide both maintenance and repairs but the seniors are not a priority and if they can’t get themselves to the officers that are delivering the program, they are missed.

Earlier in this session we passed a motion asking the NWT Housing Corporation to introduce a program that is targeted to seniors that only seniors are eligible for. In addition, I have asked on many occasions to have staff of the NWT Housing Corporation visit seniors in their homes during the initial application stage. I even provided a list of seniors to the Minister that may have mobility issues. The officers did not go into the homes during the initial application stage and many of the seniors did not get assistance.

I want the Housing Corporation to develop a seniors-specific program or programs for repairs and maintenance. I also would like the staff of the Housing Corporation to go into the homes of the seniors to collect the necessary documentation for the application stage.

I have spoken many times in the House about the benefits of keeping seniors in their own homes, the benefits that could be accrued to both the senior and the government overall. The cost benefit to the government could be high. For example, if a senior was no longer able to live in his home, the government would provide rental accommodation at a cost substantially higher than that of repairing the home. If a senior gets to a stage where the home is in that condition and does not wish a rental accommodation, the government would have another option: leave the senior in the dilapidated home or replace the house at a cost of $200,000 to $300,000.

The Housing Corporation has to get serious about this request. We were told by the seniors this is what was needed. In addition, a seniors-specific program would not cost the Housing Corporation extra money. The money can be flowed from the existing programs.

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. A number of weeks ago I raised in this House the need for our government to develop a seniors charter that speaks to the dignity and care that our seniors rightly deserve. A seniors charter could be called by many names; perhaps a blueprint of our care, a manifesto of our stewardship, or even a statement of values and commitment by our politicians and government as to what we truly believe.

As the present, leaders of this Assembly, let us not forget we are the shepherds of our present and future generations, both young at heart and certainly young of age. As I stated a number of weeks ago, in 2006 the House of Commons adopted a similar concept for recognizing the importance of seniors through a seniors charter of Canada.

Seniors are an integral part of society as they are the pillars that have gotten us here today. Let us never forget that.

Clearly an NWT seniors charter, if adopted, would recognize older Northerners as creative, active, valued members of our society. As I stated earlier, it would serve as a mission statement and set up the government’s commitment and goals to their well-being, equality and certainly a standard of living.

The NWT seniors charter would also speak to such issues as income security, housing, wellness, health care, our commitment to stopping elders’ abuse, accessibility options for recreation, education and training, and timely access to government services. Those are only just a few.

Now, if that sounds familiar to some, I certainly think it should. Back on September 22, 2006, in fact, the NWT Seniors’ Society created their own Charter of Rights and Freedoms for Older Adults. That charter, drawn out for guidance, hangs in many seniors’ meeting rooms and long-term care facilities in the NWT. Later today I will be tabling a copy of that for the benefit of this House. At the time I should also mention that the board of directors got well enough to pass on this information to the responsible Minister of the day who took care of seniors. Like many great ideas, those calls for action and support have fallen deafeningly silent.

The information I researched on this particular issue is in the hands of the Minister for Seniors. What would be important here today is that our government, the Minister for Seniors be prepared to commit to work with our northern seniors and take the first step to develop an NWT seniors charter that would definitely recognize the valued contributions our seniors have made to our North

and demonstrate that commitment by more than words but certainly be standing with them.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The honourable Member for Nunakput, Mr. Jacobson.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. People in my riding are used to harsh weather but it seems that that are some still very difficult times like these last few days. Situation at Reindeer Point, seven kilometres outside of Tuk, still a part of Tuk, is still having a tough time. The power went out there February 27

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and it took 24 hours to

restore the power. The power line problem, once the lineman was there it only took an hour to repair. It had been broken in high winds of 90 kilometres. Twenty housing units froze up. Many have broken pipes. Once the tenants ran out of white gas for their primer stoves they had to move out. They had no heat, no power, no phones, and no Internet, and the winds are still blowing. All these people had to stay with relatives and friends. I’m proud to say that the people of Tuktoyaktuk are still taking care of each other as we always do. It’s still hard for the people to leave their homes.

Once the weather cleared, the kids still had to go to school. It’s hard to stay organized when your life is disrupted. Most of the families are now back at their homes but their lives are not back to normal. You either have heat and power or your pipes and pumps still have to be replaced. No water.

The housing crew is working on this but there’s a lot of work and patchwork to do. It’s a real hardship for the people. It’s especially hard when there are three private homeowners who have to pay for their own repairs. It’s ironic that Richard Cockney is one of those people. He’s a superintendent at the Tuk power plant. He kept working for the two or three days that the blizzard was going on. He really served his people of Tuk but he lost the furnace in his house at Reindeer Point; it froze up. I want to thank him again for his hard work. Private homeowners are facing expensive damages that they should get some help.

I told you the phone lines are still not working at Reindeer Point. This incident makes me wonder if we’re well prepared in our communities. This government and the services for big emergencies, how ready are we when a crisis comes? It seems when the power goes out and the damage is done, people are on their own.

I will have questions for the Premier at the appropriate time.

Thank you, Mr. Jacobson. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In December last I attended the NWT Seniors’ Society symposium held here in Yellowknife. It was called Making Connections: Building Networks to Prevent Elder Abuse. There was lots of grey hair in the room, but oh, the knowledge and the experiences to be shared. I felt privileged then to be part of such a group and I still feel that way.

The symposium was the second phase of a three-phase NWT Seniors’ Society Elder Abuse Project. One of the symposium sessions shared the results of the society’s research findings from phase 1 and I was particularly struck by a couple of the findings. First, that 71 percent of the 450 or so older adults surveyed said that abuse of older adults is a problem in their community. Second, that one of the biggest contributing factors to elder abuse is silence. People do not speak out about the abuse that they experience or that they see around them.

For a very long time, abuse of older adults has been a taboo subject. It’s not acknowledged publicly and it’s gone unnoticed in our communities. In the last 15 years or so the NWT Seniors’ Society has been working hard to change that. Due to their efforts, elder abuse is starting to get the recognition it should. We are starting to better understand the breadth, depth and magnitude of this problem.

Abuse of older adults is not something that can be left to an NGO to fix. It’s too big an issue. The government must shoulder some responsibility and assist the NWT Seniors’ Society in their endeavours. There needs to be a different kind of assistance than what the government normally considers. What is required is to give a higher profile to elders in our government hierarchy. GNWT must start to consider elders as a cohort of their own, gather statistical data for elders, and fund elders as a distinct segment of our society, much as we do for our youth.

The Elders Parliament held last May passed a motion calling for an elders secretariat. That’s one possibility. As well, this House recently passed a motion calling for targeted funding for a seniors home repair and maintenance program. That’s another possibility. Paramount is the need to fund programs to reduce and eliminate the abuse of older adults as a separate program.

At the moment, funding comes under the umbrella of a Family Violence Action Plan. Funding for elder abuse programming needs to be separated out and funded on its own.

I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted

Funding for elder abuse programming needs to be separated out and funded on its own, within the Family Violence Action Plan but funded as a separate line item. Until we do that and until we speak out about elder abuse, a lot of our elders and seniors will not improve. Certainly abuse of NWT adults will continue and that is a shame. I will have questions for the Minister responsible for Seniors at the appropriate time.

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize Barb Hood, executive director, and Ron MacLellan, researcher, with NWT Seniors’ Society. I’d also like to recognize Yellowknife Seniors’ Society president Merlyn Williams, executive director Vivian Squires, and program coordinator Yvonne Quick. The NWT Status of Women executive director Lorraine Phaneuf is here, community development coordinator Sammy Dechief, and program staff Annemieke Mulders, Lois Little of Lutra Associates and Weledeh resident for sure, and of course, we can’t forget our seniors amongst them, Mr. Ed Jeske, again, one of my mentors from the early days. Greetings to Ed. I also want to mention Reverend Ron McLean and all the others who are volunteers on elders’ issues that are with us today. Mahsi.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize a constituent of the Great Slave riding, Mr. Merlyn Williams. Thank you.

Thank you. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to make special recognition again of Mr. Ed Jeske, Yellowknife’s very own Mr. Hockey. As well, at the same time, I’d like to recognize Vivian Squires, executive director of YK Seniors, as mentioned. As well, as mentioned earlier, I’d also like to make note of our Reverend Ron McLean. Thank you very much for joining us today.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It gives me great pleasure to recognize a Frame Lake constituent, Yvonne Quick, who is here. I’d also like to thank Mr. Bromley for mentioning all the people that are up behind me there who I can’t see, but the Status of Women Council staff are here, the staff of

the NWT Seniors’ Society, and I’d like to recognize, in general, all the older adults who are up there today. It’s lovely to see you all and welcome.

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. If we’ve missed anyone in the gallery today, welcome to the Chamber. I hope you’re enjoying the proceedings.

Item 6, acknowledgements. Item 7, oral questions.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my Member’s statement today I raised the issue, once again, regarding a seniors charter. Since three weeks ago I made sure that the Minister of Health and Social Services, who is also the Minister responsible for Seniors, received a copy of the matters I was raising as well as the corresponding research on the particular issue, Mr. Speaker, I’d like an update from the Minister responsible for Seniors. Has she had a chance to evaluate the merits of a potential seniors charter for the Northwest Territories and what are her plans with that matter? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The honourable Minister responsible for Seniors, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As the Member stated, he was kind enough to give me a copy of that charter on February 13

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, and it is

under review. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, the charter that I’ve spoken of as well as the particulars I’ve spoken to in my Member’s statement talk about a lot of things: recognizing the dignity, stopping elders’ abuse, among many, many other things. Does the Minister responsible for Seniors agree with that type of merit and believe that a seniors charter could help us achieve a manifesto of our principles that we believe strongly here? Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, I couldn’t argue with the Minister. I think she’s quite right. We have a lot of fantastic programs for our seniors. I believe strongly, as do many, that an NWT charter for seniors would certainly be, as the old saying goes, it’s finally when the rubber hits the road it sort of locks into our position on how we feel.

Mr. Speaker, in 2006, a copy of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms was delivered to the then Minister responsible for Seniors. Mr. Speaker, this is not a new issue for this department. When will the Minister be able to commit one way or the other if the department and certainly if the Minister is behind an NWT seniors charter? Thank you.

As I indicated, I received this about two weeks ago. It’s under review and I will have to get back to the Member in due course. Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Beaulieu.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my Member’s statement I talked about the homeownership programs, specifically homeownership programs for seniors needed to be developed by the Housing Corporation. I have some questions for the Minister of the Housing Corporation. Mr. Speaker, will the Minister direct his staff to develop a seniors-specific program for repairs and maintenance of senior homeowner units? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. The honourable Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation, Mr. Robert McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We do provide a lot of assistance to seniors, and as I quoted some numbers the other day when I was speaking to the motion, the number of seniors that are accessing our programs, our CARE program, for example, which allows them to access more money than they would have under the old system, we had quite a few seniors that took part in that. But I’ve heard the Member’s concern and I heard the motion the other day. I haven’t had an opportunity yet to sit down with the senior staff, but I do know that we are doing an evaluation of our Housing Choices program and hearing the concern of this Legislative Assembly, it’s one area that we’ll have to have a look at. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, can the Minister direct the staff at the Housing Corporation to develop a strategy to ensure that all senior homeowners are contacted during the delivery stage? Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, we give opportunities for seniors to contact us and in the response to some questions on the floor last year I did commit to the Member that those seniors that wanted us to come to their units, we would come and we would provide an interpreter so they can best understand the programs and some of the options that are available to them. As far as going door to door, again, we like to work with the seniors and obviously we want to help them, and if the seniors feel like they are in need of work on their home, then we give them the opportunity to contact us and we go to their homes with an interpreter and work with them to fill out an application. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, prior to or during the program delivery stage, at the application stage, will the Minister direct his staff to go to the homes of the seniors and not wait for the seniors to make contact? There are only a limited number of senior homeowners in the communities. Will the Minister direct his staff to actually go to the homes or the staff to go to the homes? Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, we do like to assist our seniors. We have the government service offices that are going to be in some of the communities which would be able to assist some of the seniors. As far as going door to door, that’s a topic that I’ll have to take up with senior management and see if it’s something that we would consider doing. Again, like I say, we like to have the clients initiate the contact and then we’ll do what we can from there to accommodate them. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Your final supplementary, Mr. Beaulieu.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Although I think it’s essential that the staff go into the seniors’ homes, I don’t think it’s a difficult task. There is probably enough staff to be able to go into all the homes. Aside from that, whether the officers are going into the homes or not, will the Minister direct his staff to do all that is necessary to gather the documentation to ensure that the initial application is completed? Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, that is one of the reasons that I had to go into the seniors’ homes and bring along interpreters so they can best understand the options and what they may be getting into. That would be a good opportunity to make sure all the proper documentation is placed so they can have a complete application that doesn’t hurt their chances of getting assistance.

I can say again that we do provide a lot of assistance for seniors. Under the old program, it was a fixed 10-year forgivable period so they had to wait 10 years before they were able to apply again. Now, with the new program, it can be from one to 10 years, so in three years seniors would be able to apply again. I think this is a benefit to seniors. The

money is a lot more, from $20,000 to $90,000, that they could possibly qualify for. Of all the CARE applicants we had last year, 71 percent of those approved were seniors. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Member for Nunakput, Mr. Jacobson.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. For my Member’s statement today, we had the power outages in Ranger Point subdivision of Tuk. Will the NWT Power Corporation compensate private homeowners for the damages it has done, not only the private homeowners but the NWT Housing Corporation for the 20 units that are frozen up and that need repair because of the power outage? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Jacobson. The honourable Minister responsible for the NWT Power Corporation, Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Power Corporation does have a policy that looks at claims filed for reasons of failure on the Power Corporation’s part, but I would say, as the Member has highlighted, the issue that was facing many communities in the Beaufort-Delta in the last week were high winds and storms and the failures were due to the weather. We had a number of outages around the North that we had to send staff. We are very thankful for the staff in our communities. The Member has highlighted the dedication of our staff in the community of Tuktoyaktuk.

What we do have available to us is through the Housing Corporation, the Emergency Repair Program that is administered through the Housing Corporation and CMHC. Homeowners may be eligible through that. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, I am pretty sure I counted nine houses in Tuk, private homeowners. Would the CMHC funding still affect the amount of income that they make per year even though, under the CMHC funding, or could it be just because the Power Corporation Premier set precedents in Inuvik when the power surges of paying for the property damage? Now is it going to happen with the housing units? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, the issue of the outages in Inuvik and the surge that occurred that caused the equipment to fail in Inuvik was a result of the Power Corporation’s power plant operations. The issue in many of the other communities across the North is the fact that when weather comes into it, we can’t control what Mother Nature does in the Territory. As I was saying, there is funding available through the Housing

Corporation Emergency Repair Program which provides up to $11,000 for assistance for low-income earners in our communities. We would be more than happy to try to align the people to the right resources. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, under the CMHC funding for the $11,000, is that the capping? Is that the people’s income again? Does it come into effect for the funding? Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, it is income tested and it is a program through the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation administered here in the Territory by our Housing Corporation. The other factors there, if those homeowners have insurance, that insurance would help them in these repairs. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Final supplementary, Mr. Jacobson.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I do myself, too, want to thank all the Housing people in Tuk that are working so hard to get these units back up and running for the people. There are a few lessons following that incident with the wind that we could learn from across the Territory. We should be, through the Minister’s office, through community preparedness, going through tabletop exercises and stuff like that. Is the Minister willing to speak with the Minister of MACA if we could do that this summer so we could be more prepared for the next go around of the weather? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I know in the past that the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs has spoken about working with communities on emergency preparedness plans in those communities. We would have to work with the Hamlet of Tuktoyaktuk to see what plans they have in place. As well, we do have other responses around the region that we do involve when there are large problems, so the weather, for example, the communications issue that affected the whole Beaufort-Delta, we had incorporated our teams to become involved in that. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are directed to the Premier in light of the program services we have to offer for our seniors and to ensure them that they do live independently, more importantly, that there are supports for them to remain in their home communities in their homes and not have to leave our communities to other facilities such as, say, long-term care facilities in Inuvik and elsewhere. I would like to ask the

Premier, would he take it into consideration that there is also an economic cost of having to move people into those types of facilities, the daily cost, the operational cost versus keeping them in their own homes? Would the Premier consider looking at the program services we have for seniors and look at the net fiscal benefit of retaining them in their own homes than having to send them into an institutional setting? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. The honourable Premier, Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is one of our goals, is to keep our family members in their homes for as long as possible. When we design some of our programs, we try to be as much assistance, for example, on property tax breaks, fuel subsidy issue, or housing repair programs. We do try to take that into consideration before looking at the institution side of the equation. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, I think that we also have to realize that there is a cost associated with the operation of a long-term care facility, incarceration programs. I will use the Arctic Tern Facility in Inuvik where we had one inmate which was costing this government some $5,000 a day to keep that one inmate in that facility, in excess of $150,000 a month. I think that we have to be realistic. The cost of keeping elders in their home is a lot cheaper than providing them that assistance and putting them in long-term care facilities where you have 24-hour care and provided by their families. I would just like to ask if he really seriously consider this and take down those barriers and keep their families in their homes, give them their family supports they need, and more importantly, bring down the cost of having to move them out of their communities and live out their days in their home communities. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, in fact, I think we are in full agreement in our goal, is to keep our family members, seniors, in their homes as long as possible before having to look at settings of long-term care, for example. We have tried to design many of our programs. As we continue to look forward, we continue to look at how we can try to better address the needs of our seniors throughout the Territory. We are in agreement that the cost of having seniors or any individual in an institution setting versus a home setting is much more costly. When we look at those programs like our fuel subsidy, our power, land tax, home care, home repairs, we look at those and, in our design, try to meet the needs as best as possible of our elders in our Territory. Thank you.

Thank you. Those are all good programs, but the downfall of that program is the way that you do the household income testing. As soon as a family member comes to visit their parents or a relative or a grandchild comes to

spend some time with their parents, they’re penalized, and for me that is the problem with the programs. We have to remove those barriers where you penalize families for visiting family members. I think that is the key in making sure this program works. So could we remove that clause that discriminates families from being families? So I’d like to ask the Premier if he can clearly stipulate or clarify that policy so that we allow family members to do what families do, and that’s reunite them, live together and help their seniors go through their aging process, but also with some enjoyment of their grandchildren and their children living with them? Thank you.

Thank you. The program that we do have in place and the programs we have in place do take into consideration the seniors are exempt from any of these. For example, public housing, rent free, other housing programs that we have, it is household income, but it is the income of a person that doesn’t qualify as a senior or an elder in our communities. So we have taken that into consideration as we look at the design of our programs. I know that the Minister of the Housing Corporation is looking at a Shelter Policy for the Government of the Northwest Territories as well. So when we look into the future, we have to ensure that our programs do make sense and provide the best of services available, but the other side is we have to ensure that we can afford it overall to be able to provide the level of service we can. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Your final supplementary, Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to thank the Premier for his comments, but again, we do have to remove those barriers that do put barriers on families, and more importantly, the elders, because at the end of the day the elders are being penalized. They’re not accessing those programs simply because they didn’t have the paperwork. They didn’t have the income requirements that are needed by the program. So I’d just like to ask that they allow for some flexibility, some exemptions where a family member is there taking care of the person, which is saving the government costs, and that we’re able to show that those type of requirements will be allowed and it will allow for those types of exemptions in the policies. Thank you.

Thank you. Again, the overall programs and the list we have and the criteria for the programs do look at the consideration of having people and seniors in their own homes versus a separate. For the areas of ensuring forms and our programs are understandable, through the Department of Executive we’ve recently put in place community service offices in a number of our smaller

communities to try to reach out, as well, to our seniors. In fact, they do have a program where they go and visit the elders in our communities to make them aware of programs we have and help them through that process. In fact, as the Minister of the Housing Corporation has just shown me, on our CARE program, out of 191 applications of those approved, 136 were from the seniors side. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I mentioned, my questions today are for the Minister responsible for Seniors. In my statement I talked about the need for us, as a government, to look at a different way to fund seniors. I also mentioned the Elders Parliament from last year and in that very first Elders Parliament there was a motion passed by the members of that Elders Parliament, and I believe it was unanimously, for this government to consider the establishment of an elders secretariat. So I’d like to ask the Minister has she and/or Cabinet considered the recommendation from that motion. Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. The honourable Minister responsible for Seniors, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. That idea was brought up by the Member for Sahtu prior to the Elders Parliament recommendation and I believe the Cabinet or the government, our conclusion is that that’s not an idea that would work right now. Thank you.

Thank you. I guess my next question to the Minister would be why does Cabinet and the Minister not consider that the idea of an elders secretariat will work. Thank you.

Thank you. Because it’s about creating an entire bureaucracy to do something that is already being done by many, many departments in the government. If you look at the entire GNWT -- and the Member’s statement stated that already -- a large part of what we do in Health and Social Services is providing services to seniors and elders, whether it be hospital care, or long-term care, or home care, extra health benefits, a large part of Housing work is providing services to the elders. There are special programs for income support under ECE. Municipal Affairs even is doing Elders in Motion. So the thing is, there are lots of things we do do for the seniors that they need that encompass a large section of our government. So I would like to personally have as much dollars and all the money go to the programs rather than

creating a bureaucracy and that is one of the reasons for not going with that idea. Thank you.

Thank you. You know, it’s quite distressing to me that when we as a government question as to why something can’t be done, the very first thing that I hear out of the Minister’s mouth is that it’s going to cost a huge amount of money. I really think that the Minister needs to think that there are ultimate ways of doing things than spending a million dollars on it. The need for coordination of any number of different programs, in this case seniors, was identified by the number of programs that she mentioned and that are spread all across this government. That said, I mentioned that the NWT Seniors’ Society is starting to work on phase 3 of their project and that will be to build networks in our communities. I’d like to know from the Minister what support does she envisage that this government will provide or what support does she intend to provide to the NWT Seniors’ Society to help them accomplish phase 3. It’s outside of their regular yearly program activities. Thank you.

Thank you. As the Member knows, I believe we are the biggest funder of the NWT Seniors’ Society. I don’t think we fund everything, because I’m sure they probably get funding from the federal government on a project-by-project basis, but we are a very close partner of the NWT society. So we will continue to work with them on proposals that they have. I’m not aware of the proposal that the Member is asking about specifically, but should that proposal come to me, I would be happy to look at that. Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Your final supplementary, Ms. Bisaro.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I guess what I need to do is advise the NWT Seniors’ Society, who happen to be up in the gallery behind me, that they ought to make application to the Minister for some funding for phase 3 of their Elder Abuse Project.

I’d like to know from the Minister, I talked a bit about recognizing our elders in a different way, recognizing them as a significant cohort and a distinct sort of group within our society. I’d like to know whether or not the Minister has ever considered that possibility in terms of funding to split elders off into their own line item and, if not, would she consider that. Thank you.

Thank you. Unless the Member has information otherwise, I do believe that the NWT society’s work on elder abuse workshops and conferences over the years has been from the funding from the Department of Health and Social Services and government. We are a close partner with the society in working on elder abuse. They’ve identified that financial abuse is the latest topic that they wanted to work on, and we put in some federal funding and our own funding to do a pan-territorial

campaign on elder abuse, which has been quite successful. So, Mr. Speaker, we fund the NWT Seniors’ Society. We also fund some of the community groups that come forward with their own elder programming, whether it be to get the community together or do awareness or to do a gathering. So, Mr. Speaker, without having seen the proposals, I cannot say right now whether we can fund it or not, but we do get those proposals. The Member is well aware of the fiscal pressure that we are in, so any of those proposals will be judged on that basis along with other priorities.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I just want to follow up on my Member’s statement, most particularly with the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment in that he had indicated that he was going to review the Income Support Program and the seniors home heating subsidy that is in that program. I’d like to ask what the timing is of that review.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The honourable Minister responsible for Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I did commit in this House a couple of weeks ago that we are looking at a seniors home fuel subsidy and if we need to make some changes, we need to work with the committee members. Those are areas that I did already commit. We will keep the Members posted as we move forward.

When they’re reviewing the Income Support Program it really covers lots of different areas. I’m just looking to ask the Minister that when it comes to income support, that the seniors home heating subsidy gets reviewed by itself and all the different concerns that I’ve raised and other MLAs have raised, particularly when people are living with the seniors, and why is it impacting their eligibility, et cetera. If that’s something that’s separate and distinct that he can look at when he’s reviewing it.

The income security framework, there was a review back in 2007. Out of the review we made some changes to reflect on the high cost of living in small, isolated communities and to provide more subsidies to those communities. On the side of that, we’ve looked at a seniors home fuel subsidy, as well, and over time we made some changes on the threshold as well. This is a policy area. We’re looking at this request that was made a couple of weeks ago on various aspects of where seniors have their

grandchildren or children living with them but they’re at 90-plus years of age. That was a scenario they were throwing at us. Those are cases we need to look at.

Representing small and remote communities I think I'm paying particular attention to how our seniors are treated there, as well, and given the program. I guess one of the other things, too, is that when workers are going to small and remote communities, the documentation is not there and there’s always a need to accept a statutory declaration because some documents are lost. What is the department’s position on using statutory declarations?

That was also brought up. That will be part of the discussion we’ll be having with my department. We need to look at the overall structure of how we deliver subsidy programming. We talk about individuals living with their parents or grandparents and some individuals can be making more money than we are, standing up here. But we don’t charge them to be part of the household. So we ask for household income so they can be part of the process. So there’s no penalization on the elders. Those are the options we need to work with.

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

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I agree with the Minister that there are people living and taking advantage of the seniors and there are people who are there to take care of them. There’s a distinction that we’re going to have to make and we’re going to have to consider that seriously, I certainly agree. I’d like the Minister to use that analogy when it comes to reviewing the income support and the seniors home heating subsidy.

Definitely that will be part of our discussion. We need to think of all the analysis that is out there. Having those individuals that are living with their parents that are working versus the ones that are looking after their grandparents or parents, those are the discussions that we need to have.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to follow up on the questions that my colleague Mr. Krutko is asking, but I want to do it from a slightly different angle. Clearly we have an aging population in Canada and the Northwest Territories. People are living longer due to

advances in health sciences and whatnot. In the Northwest Territories we’ve done a great job providing facilities to help support individuals who need level 3 and 4 care. With the approval of the capital budget we’ll soon have a long-term care facility for level 3 and 4 in every region in the Northwest Territories, which I think is great.

Research does suggest that living and aging in place has significant advantages to both the individuals and to the system by way of cost savings. The Minister of Health and Social Services has gone on the record talking about aging in place. I support that direction. I think there is significant value in helping people live in their homes. Aging in place does not just mean living in your communities, it means living in your home.

I’d like a little more information from the Minister of Health on what the department is doing proactively to support seniors today and in the future to live in their homes and age in place rather than have to rely on facilities. It would be a lot more affordable for us to help them stay in their homes than to put them in facilities. What is some of the proactive work the Minister’s doing?

Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. The honourable Minister responsible for Seniors, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We understand and the Member recognizes that we need to have a long-term care facility network in regional centres at least. We have a long way in doing that. We have planned for them. We have put them into capital planning. We know that has to be the last resort. Most families and elders, even, I don’t think want to go into long-term care facilities unless they have to. This is why we set up as our long-term goal to expand home care services.

We have very good home care services in places like Yellowknife, and the GNWT provides home care as an insured service, which is something different. In other jurisdictions you have to pay for those, except for those who meet income tests or something like that. We want to expand these programs to regional centres and communities and that’s one of the things we’re doing in Aklavik, whereas right now we’re looking after two long-term care elders for a large amount of money, MLA Krutko has pointed out a number of times that he believes there are, and we agree too, they are up to 100 or 30 to 60 elders who are at home doing their own thing but who need support from the government, so that we pay attention to them, that we have elders program, lunch program, where health care professionals and other community people could converge and keep an eye on our elders so that they’re supported, they’re provided with recreational programs, and just a network is built around these elders so that we prevent them from falling through the cracks. It is one that we

want to expand and that’s the goal of the department.

I thank the Minister for all those comments. I agree wholeheartedly. I think this is an important area to work on. The responses were more conceptual, they were bigger picture, and I’m kind of wondering more about the specific actions that are taking place to help us facilitate aging in place. I know that we need more home care support and we do have a great program here in Yellowknife, but what is the plan? How are we actually going to facilitate getting home care workers, whether it’s a home care nurse or a home support worker, into those communities?

I do have a suggestion for the Minister. Several years ago, probably eight or nine now, the Aurora College delivered this Home Support Worker Training Program and it was delivered by the college but facilitated out of Fort Res. I believe they trained about eight or nine local people to be home support workers. Great program, great benefits. Is this the type of thing we can expect to see in other communities throughout the Northwest Territories? Training of local people for local jobs to get them to support local people?

I didn’t know that’s what the Member was referring to. The Member knows already, and I’ve already said that in the standing committee briefing last week and throughout the Committee of the Whole debates, that that’s the direction we need to take. We’re expanding the long-term care facilities in Behchoko from eight beds to 18 beds. We’re going to have an 18-bed facility in Norman Wells. Even in those facilities we could use personal attendants and home support workers.

We want to expand the Home Support Worker Program and Home Care Program in many other regions and communities. Yellowknife, I think, is a standard. I think we have a very good programming in Yellowknife and Hay River and some of the major centres, but we desperately need to expand these programs into communities. What we have under Foundation for Change action plan is that we have set this as a goal and are moving out from where we have so much need in so many of our communities. Part of that work, and I’ve said that already, in reviewing our health training program at Aurora College, I am definitely working with the department and we are talking with HR about having Home Care Support Training Program to get ready for expansion.

Once again I agree with everything the Minister is saying and I support the direction they’re going. What I’m looking for more is sort of concrete action. When can we expect to see some of these programs rolled out in the communities? We’re not getting any younger. Now is kind of the time to get these programs in place. I

hear what she’s saying. I heard what the Minister is saying and I support what the Minister is saying. I’m glad the Minister’s doing it. When can we start to see some action rolled out? When can we start seeing some of the training on the ground for the people?

We are doing that right now so I’m not sure. A lot of people say, well, when are you going to do that? We are doing that as we speak. We are rolling out a program in Aklavik as we speak. That’s the transition between the Joe Greenland Centre and the program we are going to be offering. We are expanding the Home Care Program there. We want to deliver elders centre day programming there.

The Foundation for Change action plan includes expansion of home care but we need to find the resources to do that and that includes training and that includes having PYs set for home care. We are making that part of the business plan. We already have a very well-established Home Care Program in the Northwest Territories. I believe Ruth Spence started that 30 years ago, or Esther Braden. We have a very well-established Home Care Program history in the Northwest Territories. Our challenge is to expand that to communities outside of Yellowknife and we’re doing that right now. He doesn’t have to wait for the bell to go off and say when are you getting going. We are doing that. We want to do more of it.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think the Minister might be missing the point I’m trying to make here. I agree with everything she’s saying. I think our Home Care Program is fantastic. I’m glad it’s rolling out to the other communities. I’m talking about getting the people in those communities trained to do the jobs, trained to do the home support worker programs. I don’t actually see... If it exists, I’d like her to show me where our current home support worker training exists. That’s what I’m asking. I support everything the Minister is doing, but where’s the training program? When can we see a training program roll out so we can get Northerners doing northern jobs to help the elders and seniors in the communities? That’s what I’m focusing on, not on the great programs that exist and moving them out, because I support them. I’m talking about training. I’m just trying to be clear.

I think I should give him my profile of where we are with home care programming that we’re doing right now. I would be happy to give him information on where we need to go and where we plan to go. Obviously, all the time it’s subject to funding. I’ve presented information to standing committee about growing funding needs. We want to expand the Home Care Program. We want to do different things with mental health

programming. We have $40 million or $50 million asked right now with the Department of Health and Social Services that we will be prioritizing and bringing forward in months to come.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to probe a little further on how this government can and will assist our seniors as they struggle to deal with the issue of elder abuse. My questions are for the Minister responsible for Seniors.

At the close of the NWT Seniors’ Building Network Symposium the society stated some priorities for immediate action. They want to put in place pilot networks in communities over the next three to four years; upgrade their online support to fight abuse with information; they want to reinstate the NWT Prevention of Abuse of Older Adults Steering Committee; and they seek seniors’ agreement to rename the June Senior Citizens Week as World Elder Awareness Week in the Northwest Territories. Four specific issues. Will the Minister have her staff sit down and meet with NWT Seniors’ executive on these four specific points and report to the Social Programs committee on how this government will give their support? Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. The honourable Minister responsible for Seniors, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Our staff meets regularly with seniors’ groups including the NWT Seniors’ Society. They have very good relationships with them. I was at the elders’ conference in December on elder abuse and I am not aware if they have formally submitted those proposals. They might have but I just don’t have that in front of me. When they do and if they have, we would review them, analyse them and respond to them. Thank you.