This is page numbers 1113 - 1136 of the Hansard for the 17th Assembly, 3rd 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 services.

Topics

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Blake. The honourable Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Beaulieu.

Tom Beaulieu

Tom Beaulieu Minister of Health and Social Services

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We heard a lot about this when we travelled in the Mackenzie Delta. The fact that there is no long-term care facility, as we refer to long-term care facility where there is nursing care and all of that, in the Mackenzie Delta in the three communities that this Member represents. However, they did talk about reopening and re-profiling the Joe Greenland Centre from the type of care that was being provided and shut down to where the Housing Corporation will be renovating that facility and then allocating those for elders within the community of Aklavik and perhaps communities from the other two communities in the Mackenzie Delta. Thank you.

Frederick Blake Jr.

Frederick Blake Jr. Mackenzie Delta

Mr. Speaker, I strongly believe that the care of the elders is with the Department of Health and Social Services. I believe that we are delegating that responsibility over to Housing. Does the department plan to take that portfolio back and look after elders in the Mackenzie Delta? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Tom Beaulieu

Tom Beaulieu Minister of Health and Social Services

Mr. Speaker, the Department of Health and Social Services is trying to use the integrated service delivery model to try to address issues with seniors’ care right across the territory. We do recognize that the numbers indicate that we should be providing more home care services to allow seniors to live independently.

As far as the responsibility for individuals that can no longer safely care for themselves, the option is going to a long-term care facility in Inuvik. We can’t afford to build that type of long-term care facility in all of the communities, but there is one in Inuvik, although these units fill up almost immediately as they are built. That is our answer and to try to prevent people from going there is also our responsibility, and we can do that by providing home support workers, home care workers and so on for the citizens in the Mackenzie Delta. Thank you.

Frederick Blake Jr.

Frederick Blake Jr. Mackenzie Delta

Mr. Speaker, as the facility in Inuvik does not have adequate space, what is your backup plan? Thank you.

Tom Beaulieu

Tom Beaulieu Minister of Health and Social Services

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We are slowly expanding long-term care in the territory. Right now we are increasing long-term

care in the Tlicho region by nine beds, or I think 10 beds, going from an eight-bed facility to an 18-bed facility. We’re expanding regionally again in the Sahtu by providing an 18-bed long-term care facility. Unfortunately, in the plans we don’t have an additional long-term care facility going into the Mackenzie Delta. We have one in Inuvik, as I indicated, but we don’t have a plan to build a long-term care facility in the Mackenzie Delta. So we’ll have to work with Health and Social Services to see what type of services we can have to try to keep people in their homes as long as possible. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Blake.

Frederick Blake Jr.

Frederick Blake Jr. Mackenzie Delta

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Just recently we added two facilities for elders in the Northwest Territories. I’d like to ask the Minister, can the Mackenzie Delta be next in line for an elders facility. Thank you.

Tom Beaulieu

Tom Beaulieu Minister of Health and Social Services

The capital planning process is going to determine where the next capital projects will occur. It will be very difficult for me to indicate that that would be the next capital planning project that we would build. As far as long-term care and as far as health facilities go, we can seriously look at a long-term care facility over there, but how it competes against other capital projects is determined by the capital planning or infrastructure committees set up within the infrastructure we have here as a government. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Item 8, written questions. Item 9, returns to written questions. Item 10, replies to opening address. Item 11, petitions. Item 12, reports of standing and special committees. Item 13, reports of committees on the review of bills. Item 14, tabling of documents. Mr. Beaulieu.

Tom Beaulieu

Tom Beaulieu Tu Nedhe

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following document, entitled “A Shared Path Towards Wellness: Mental Health and Addictions Action Plan, June 2012.” Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Mr. Ramsay.

David Ramsay

David Ramsay Kam Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following document, entitled “Communities and Diamonds: 2010 Annual Report of the Government of the Northwest Territories under the BHP Billiton, Diavik and DeBeers Socio-economic Agreements.” Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Pursuant to Section 21 of the Legislative Assembly Retiring Allowances Act, I wish to table the Legislative Assembly’s Retiring Allowances Fund Financial Statements for the Year Ended March 31, 2012.

Item 15, notices of motion. Mr. Moses.

Alfred Moses

Alfred Moses Inuvik Boot Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I give notice that on Thursday, June 14, 2012, I will move the following motion: I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Thebacha, that notwithstanding Rule 4, when this House adjourns on June 14, 2012, it shall be adjourned until Wednesday, October 17, 2012;

And further, that any time prior to October 17, 2012, if the Speaker is satisfied, after consultation with the Executive Council and Members of the Legislative Assembly, that the public interest requires that the House should meet at an earlier time during the adjournment, the Speaker may give notice and thereupon the House shall meet at the time stated in such notice and shall transact its business as it has been duly adjourned until that time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Moses. Item 16, notices of motion for first reading of bills. Mr. Miltenberger.

Michael Miltenberger

Michael Miltenberger Thebacha

Mr. Speaker, I give notice that on Thursday, June 14, 2012, I will move that Bill 9, Supplementary Appropriation Act (Operations Expenditures), No. 1, 2012-2013, be read for the first time. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Item 17, motions. Item 18, first reading of bills. Item 19, second reading of bills. Mr. Abernethy.

Bill 5: Legal Aid Act
Second Reading of Bills

Glen Abernethy

Glen Abernethy Great Slave

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Thebacha, that Bill 5, Legal Aid Act, be read for the second time.

Mr. Speaker, this bill repeals and replaces the Legal Services Act and continues the Legal Services Board of the Northwest Territories as the Northwest Territories Legal Aid Commission. Transitional matters provided for in Schedule A of the Financial Administrative Act are consequently amended to refer to the commission. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Bill 5: Legal Aid Act
Second Reading of Bills

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. Bill 5 has had second reading and is referred to the standing committee.

---Carried

Item 20, consideration in Committee of the Whole of bills and other matters: Tabled Document 2-17(3), Commissioner’s Opening Address: Creating the Conditions for Success; Tabled Document 17-17(3), Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 7, 2010-2011; Tabled Document 18-17(3), Supplementary Estimates (Operations Expenditures), No. 4, 2010-2011; Bill 1, An Act to Amend the Student Financial Assistance Act; Bill 3, An Act to Amend the Human Rights Act; Committee Report 1-17(3), Standing Committee on Government Operations Report on the Review of the 2010-2011 Annual Report of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of the Northwest Territories; Committee Report 2-17(3), Standing Committee on Government Operations Report on the Review of the 2010-2011 Northwest Territories Human Rights Commission Annual Report, with Mrs. Groenewegen in the chair.

By the authority given to me as Speaker by Motion 2-17(3), I wish to hereby authorize the House to sit

beyond its daily hour of adjournment to consider business before the House. Thank you.

Consideration in Committee of the Whole on Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

The Chair

The Chair Jane Groenewegen

I’d like to call Committee of the Whole to order. The Speaker has listed the items that are before Committee of the Whole today. I would like to ask what is the wish of the committee. Mr. Menicoche.

Consideration in Committee of the Whole on Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

Kevin A. Menicoche

Kevin A. Menicoche Nahendeh

Thank you very much, Madam Chair. Committee wishes to deliberate Tabled Document 17-17(3), Supplementary Estimates, No. 7; and Tabled Document 18-17(3), Supplementary Estimates, No. 4. Thank you very much.

Consideration in Committee of the Whole on Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

The Chair

The Chair Jane Groenewegen

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. We will proceed with that after a very brief break. Thank you.

---SHORT RECESS

Consideration in Committee of the Whole on Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

The Chair

The Chair Wendy Bisaro

Committee, we will reconvene and come back to order. We are dealing with Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 7, 2010-2011. Mr. Miltenberger, do you have opening comments for us?

Consideration in Committee of the Whole on Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

Michael Miltenberger

Michael Miltenberger Thebacha

Thank you, Madam Chair. I am here to present Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 7, 2010-2011. This document outlines an increase of $8.5 million for capital investment expenditures in the 2010-2011 fiscal year for the Department of Transportation to provide appropriation authority to record the valuation adjustment on the long-term debt associated with the Deh Cho Bridge Project. I am prepared to review the details of the supplementary estimates document.