Good afternoon, colleagues. Item 2, Ministers’ statements. The honourable Minister of Transportation, Mr. Ramsay.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to update the House on the progress being made to advance the Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk Highway Project. This winter we plan to begin constructing the final link between the NWT highway system and the Arctic Coast community of Tuktoyaktuk. This all-weather highway will be constructed in one of Canada’s most challenging environments.

The Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk highway is a legacy project of this government that will help reduce the high cost of living in our most northerly region and will assist in opening up new economic development and tourism opportunities for residents of the Inuvik region and the Northwest Territories.

On behalf of the people of the NWT, I would like to thank the federal government for their funding support for this project. Thanks to the Prime Minister’s vision of establishing Canada’s first permanent road to the Arctic Coast, and the strong support of the Members of this House, we have established a strong partnership arrangement to fund construction of this important new section of NWT highway. The project will produce significant employment opportunities for area residents and will assist to develop new workplace skills that may be applied to future projects at other NWT locations.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to report that the Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk Highway Project is proceeding according to the plan. We anticipate receiving the necessary water licence, land use permits and

fisheries authorization to begin constructing the new highway in December 2013.

A significant amount of work had to be completed before achieving this milestone. The Department of Transportation staff and consultants have been dedicated to the project for the last four years to produce volumes of studies, geotechnical investigations, design work and environmental management plans. The department held numerous consultations with regulators, stakeholders and co-management groups, leading to commitments under 12 management plans and over 250 commitments to the Environmental Impact Review Board.

The final geometric design and the individual designs for the 68 watercourse crossing structures for the Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk highway are complete. These detailed designs include special innovative engineering features to preserve the sensitive permafrost in the region and to ensure the quantity and quality in the adjacent water bodies.

Over the past year the department has been working successfully with a regional contracting company to begin upgrading Navy Road in Inuvik and the Source 177 access road south of Tuktoyaktuk to enable efficient construction of the highway over the next three winters. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to report that this contracting approach has resulted in significant employment and work for many contractors and service providers in the Inuvik region. Over 10,500 person days of employment were secured by NWT residents.

The department has also advanced several other initiatives to maximize oversight and stakeholder engagement on the project. The Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk Corridor Working Group will hold its first meeting on November 5

th in Inuvik to discuss

the first year of construction. This working group consists of 12 regional and government stakeholder groups dedicated to sharing perspectives on how to improve the effectiveness of construction activities and to how to minimize adverse effects on the land, water and wildlife.

Coordination and collaboration of efforts by government is very important in a public project of this size. The department is contributing to establish a project coordination office in Tuktoyaktuk and partially funding a career

development officer in Inuvik. It’s important that we work closely with our colleagues in the Department of Education, Culture and Employment and Aurora College to train local residents so they may participate meaningfully in this construction project and develop new skills improving their ability to secure future jobs in the NWT. The first driver training program toward a Class 1 driver’s licence with air brakes is scheduled to begin in mid-November in Inuvik.

We are also working closely with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and regional management stakeholders to ensure wildlife and the environment are properly protected as the project is being delivered.

Mr. Speaker, as we ready ourselves to begin constructing the northern-most section of the Mackenzie Valley Highway, planning work is also moving ahead for the southern portion of the highway from Fort Good Hope to Wrigley. We are closely monitoring the construction schedule and budget and this is on track.

The department is working closely with Aboriginal and community stakeholders along the Mackenzie Valley corridor to ensure the planning, design, construction and operation of the permanent highway will meet the needs and expectations of NWT residents and businesses.

The Mackenzie Valley Environmental Impact Review Board held public meetings in Mackenzie Valley communities in September to determine the scope of the project developers’ assessment report. The government continues to discuss the project with stakeholders throughout the Mackenzie Valley to gain valuable perspectives from the people who will be most affected by its construction.

Work is also proceeding to complete the collection of essential baseline data along the Mackenzie Valley corridor to support and initiate the required business case for the project to leverage federal funding and meet the requirements of the project’s environmental review.

I will continue to provide Members with regular updates on our progress to advance the entire Mackenzie Valley Highway from Wrigley to Tuktoyaktuk. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister Ramsay. Item 3, Members’ statements. Member for Range Lake, Mr. Dolynny.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The guiding principles of the 17

th Legislative Assembly

clearly state that under extraordinary circumstances, Members of the Legislative Assembly should have the opportunity to discuss significant announcements, changes or initiatives before they are released to public. Unfortunately, it appears that the Minister of Health and Social Services and his entire department failed to dust off these principles, as numerous cavalier actions took place during the summer months that affected our dealings with addictions and health governance. Of course, Mr. Speaker, I’m talking about the closure of our only residential treatment facility and the removal of the Deh Cho Health Authority.

You might see a little theme happening here today and I would like to set the stage by reading some excerpts from a government document. “The greatest problem facing the people of the Northwest Territories in the year 2002 is addiction of substances such as alcohol, nicotine and marijuana, and addiction to problem gambling.” It goes on to say, “Improved economic opportunities as a result of oil, gas and mineral exploration have done little to decrease the incidence of addictions in the year 2002. Many problems related to addictions remain prevalent.”

These excerpts come from a document, entitled A State of Emergency: A Report on the Delivery of Addiction Services in the NWT. If, back in 2002, addictions were declared a state of emergency, sadly, in 2013, we must now be at a state of Armageddon. Ironically, if one didn’t know any better, this 2002 document mirrors many of the current documents such as our Shared Path Towards Wellness, Mental Health and Addictions Action Plan 2012-15 and the recent Forum on Addictions.

My point is that we are plagued with study after study after study and still we are no further ahead than we were decades ago. We have a way of repeating the scabs of our past and it is painfully obvious that we attempt to recycle failed directions and repeated patterns. This pattern of activity needs to stop, Mr. Speaker.

The compass waypoints that this Department of Health and Social Services are using have been changing constantly. Until we put serious dollars into quality programs and strategic infrastructure to deal with these issues, we will lose the fight to addictions. History has taught us this lesson more than once, yet it appears we are too stubborn to listen.

As a Member of this House and a Member of the Standing Committee on Social Programs, all I ask the Department of Health and Social Services and its Minister is to…

I ask for unanimous consent to conclude my statement. Thank you.

---Unanimous consent granted

All I ask the Department of Health and Social Services and its Minister is to select one proven pathway for addiction treatment, stop shooting from the hip, put the right amount of dollars to address the needs of all Northerners, not just a select few, and stop changing your minds every couple years. That’s it. Simple. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.

Mr. Speaker, I do not believe we have ever given consideration of a fully supported alcohol and drug addiction treatment centre the attention it deserves. We need thorough, informed debate to examine the pros and cons leading to a clear, evidenced-based decision and commitment to act.

Ministers have frequently said they are considering various forms of treatment. We’ve played regional politics, closing one centre to open one in another region, only to close it a few years later and never providing the support and oversight needed.

We need to remember that beating an addiction is not like going to the hospital because you cut your finger. Beating an addiction is one of the most difficult things a person can do in their lives. We need to treat the issue with the respect it deserves.

The recent Minister’s Forum on Addictions was a respectful process and many people made the effort to express their views. Action taken so far by this government does not match that effort and many people are disappointed. Closing the only NWT addictions treatment centre was a shock. Though, in my mind, not unwarranted, it was poorly communicated. Hiring a coordinator to try to figure out what an on-the-land process might look like is a beginning, but does not, again, meet the people’s expectations.

Let’s take the momentum that the Minister’s Forum initiated and springboard to a clear assessment and debate on what a comprehensive treatment centre can do or not. Let’s set a timeline, do the research and commit to making a decision to pursue a centre or abandon the idea and focus elsewhere. Let’s not bury this potentially critical and currently festering question as a potential action and a Mental Health Strategy that we hope to do someday. Enough dithering, pose the question, encourage research and debate to answer it, make a decision and move on.

In the past I have suggested a promising but modestly tested treatment model developed in the Yukon that showed real evidence of success, which relies, to some degree, on a treatment centre.

Other jurisdictions may have programs we can adapt and base in the North as well. I’m not talking some point in the future. Let’s have the Minister of Health come forward during this session and announce a timeline to make this final assessment. While on-the-land treatment is going ahead and I don’t want to detract from that, we should not be making this up as we go along. We need to look at the latest research and make an objective and soundly based decision on whether or not a treatment centre is a necessary part of our treatment program in the NWT.

We need to put as much resolve into this as we are asking from those who are trying to break their addictions. Let’s get it done. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. The Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. For years the mental health worker position in Fort Liard has been filled by temporary contract workers. Residents are tired of professional staff turnover at the Deh Cho Health and Social Services office in Fort Liard. They’re always dealing with inconsistent service delivery.

It’s hard enough to build trust and to share painful, intimate details and it’s harder still when you’re constantly facing someone new. Getting help with your mental health isn’t like getting your car repaired or your house painted. Residents need dedicated, full-time mental health workers who can provide a complete range of referrals and treatment options.

It’s great to see the government making headway with its Regional Recruitment Program, but here’s the tricky part: The Department of Health and Social Services now handles its own recruiting, so finding full-time health care workers in places like Fort Liard is outside the mandate of the Regional Recruitment Program.

It’s difficult to untangle the reasons for high staff turnover. One factor isn’t specific to the North; there is a nationwide shortage of health care professionals. Another factor is leadership. Evidence clearly shows that people don’t stay in jobs if they don’t have strong leadership. This should be on the government’s radar as it tackles health care governance. There’s also the question of competitive benefits and training opportunities.

These are proven ways to build capacity and keep staff engaged and upbeat. These are smart ways of heading off the constant staff turnover.

The final consideration is that work done by health care professionals in the small communities often leads to burnout. This government isn’t doing

enough to find seasoned employees and professional couples who are genuinely able to handle the intensive workload and make a commitment.

Residents in my communities want this government to build a strong and steady northern workforce. Quite frankly, there’s no greater urgency than in the area of mental health and addictions. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On June 12, 2012, the Minister of Health and Social Services tabled the Mental Health and Addictions Action Plan 2012-2015. One year later, June 3, 2013, the Minister’s Forum on Addiction and Community Wellness Healing Voices report was tabled.

A year ago, as the Minister was setting up this forum, I rose in this House and I complained about the lack of action on the issue of addictions by the Department of Health and Social Services. I felt that the Minister should be taking action, not consulting. Now, one year later, I’m again complaining about the lack of action on addictions and community wellness.

Five months ago a very comprehensive forum report was received. It makes 33 primary recommendations and 34 secondary recommendations. But since June, what has the Health and Social Services department put in place to work on addictions problems, to take action on some of these 67 recommendations? Not much, from what I can tell.

Well, there has been some action. The Minister has closed the only treatment centre in the NWT, but we have yet to see any northern treatment programs to replace what has been lost, even though those treatment programs are called for in the forum report.

Addictions, drugs and alcohol are huge afflictions for our territory. We all know that. We knew that a year and a half ago when the 2012-15 action plan was tabled. We knew it a year ago when the Minister’s Forum was set up. We knew it five months ago when the forum results were tabled, and we know it now as Members all speak to the problem. What has changed in the last 18 months? What progress has been made to attack the issue of addictions?

It’s well known that our jails are mostly populated by inmates who are there because their addictions led them to break the law. It’s well known that family violence in the NWT is associated with, and the result of, alcohol and drug abuse. I’ve previously called alcohol a scourge on NWT

society. It still is. Unfortunately, I see little improvement in alcohol and drug treatment and prevention programs from the first time I stood in this House to address the issue.

As we will hear later today, the Standing Committee on Government Operations, while consulting on the Liquor Act, heard story after story of the negative impact of alcohol and drugs on Sahtu communities. Everywhere in the NWT, our residents are asking for help with the effect of addictions on their lives.

I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted

Everywhere in the NWT our residents are asking for help with the effect of addictions on their lives. What is the government actually doing about this? Very little, from what I can see. We have to stop talking and start doing.

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. The honourable Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, Mr. Moses.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. You’re hearing that there’s a theme here today, and we’re speaking about mental health and addictions in the Northwest Territories. It’s a sad day that we have to speak about this again. I think this is our second or third time that we’ve come to this government talking about the importance of getting a treatment centre or getting some kind of programs in place for people that are battling addictions and have no place to turn except go down south without the support of their family and their friends.

I’ve spoken up in this House before, where I’ve talked about reports that have been shelved. A lot of people have done good work for these reports that have been shelved and no action has been taken to them. I looked on the website dating back to 2002, looking at some recommendations that came out of that report, which was, back then, entitled, A State of Emergency. Back in 2002 it was an emergency then and it’s an emergency now. We’re getting into more and more worst-case scenarios that are happening in the NWT. All you have to do is look at the coroner’s reports of the last few years and all the deaths that have occurred that were alcohol related.

Back in 2002 there were recommendations looking for medical detox services across the Territories, yet, we still don’t have any. There was also talk about having mobile treatment back in 2002, and yet we have to spend all this money to go out to hear it again in 2013. They also talked about youth in crisis and affecting working with our youth. Our

youth are in crisis. Speaking of reports, there was another report in the last Assembly, called Forging the Future, where our young leaders, our youth leaders brought to this government two recommendations. One of those recommendations was the recommendation for a youth treatment centre, and yet we don’t see any action taken on that.

This government has been doing a lot of investment in a lot of different areas in the short time that we’ve all been here together in the 17

th Legislative

Assembly, but we’ve got to start looking at investing in our biggest and our greatest resource in the NWT, and that’s our people. We have to start investing in our people and making them healthy. We want a healthy economy, but we have to have healthy people. When we get more money and continue to allow these oil and gas companies to come in and do work, we’re not meeting the needs, because our people aren’t healthy to work in those companies. It’s about time we should start investing in our people and get them healthy so that they can be part of society and be part of the workforce.

Thank you, Mr. Moses. The Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, want to speak on this topic here. Someone told me that quitting addictions, quitting alcohol is easy. Staying sober or staying free from that is challenging. Also, somebody told me that when you overcome your own addictions, it is very, very difficult and our greatest battle starts with ourselves.

We have to clearly acknowledge our fears and be willing to follow certain prescribed remedies to stay free of our addictions. Countless men and women I have known have gotten and stayed sober and clear of addictions. Some of them may wonder how they did this. Well, I have also heard that each of us, within us, have our own solutions, our own methods of resolving our own issues in life, and I say good for them, pass it on. Others need mentors and supports for them to be there, to guide them as they walk this road. Of course, there are the treatment programs. There are some that provide some relief for people to go to look at their issues with addictions and the impact that has caused them in their life.

We have heard people in the Sahtu, as my colleague Ms. Bisaro said, talk about the impacts of alcohol addiction. We have seen people and heard people who want to sober up and be free of addiction, people who want to have healthy families and live in healthy communities. People are asking

for support for themselves and their families. We can, as legislators, be there for them, make a difference in life by saying no to addictions.

I call upon this government to implement recommendations from the Minister’s Forum on Addictions that was over the last summer that they went through. I will ask the Minister of Health as to the follow-up on the recommendations to the report. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Obviously, we are having a theme day on addictions. Addictions is one of the most challenging and perplexing issues that faces the North. Substance abuse permeates every health indicator that we claim. Addiction shows itself in our institutions of education, our corrections, in court facilities, our health facilities and in just about every other social indicator that we could possibly list.

Addictions are robbing many of our residents of their potential, their dignity, their valued relationships, and trapping them in the throes of poverty, low self-esteem, and often depression and anxiety. As my colleague from Range Lake has stated, enough studies. Enough platitudes. Enough political correctness. There is a thief in our midst. There was an international outcry of the global community when they drew the line on the weapons of mass destruction that we heard about so much in the media recently.

I would tell you that the addictions that are trapping and slaving the people of the Northwest Territories and killing and debilitating our people, young and old, has gone on too long. It is mass destruction. If a force from without was inflicting these conditions on our people, we would mount the biggest public safety laws, harm and loss reduction laws. We might even call in the military if this was something that was coming from without, but this is something that’s coming from within. Largely under the radar, we continue to grow accustomed and acclimatized to the ravages of addictions.

If what we have done in the past isn’t working, it is time to think outside the proverbial box. It’s time to sound the alarm, as my colleague Mr. Moses said. It is time to call this what it is. It is a crisis. It is an emergency. How many accidents, how many drownings, how many assaults, how many deaths, how many family break-ups, how many more statistics of all of these things are we going to, as legislators, stand by and observe and not do something radical to try and address this in our communities and in our North?

Later today I will have some questions with some ideas for the Minister of Health and Social Services. Thank you.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Member for Deh Cho, Mr. Nadli.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. An on-the-land program has been mentioned many times in this House. It is important we understand what communities view as on-the-land programs, which is using the land to heal ourselves, living upon the strengths of local traditional knowledge and also healing philosophies.

I’m concerned that this government, in the great spirit of devolution, is offloading responsibilities to communities and leaving the crises of addictions services to communities. I understand there are some successful initiatives in some communities. In the small communities, we are challenged with local capacity. I encourage the Department of Health and Social Services to not abandon our communities. I strongly recommend that this government work closely with local communities such as interagency groups and also with local organizations.

In Fort Providence there is a very special place called T’elemie, which is the site of the local healing lodge. It was built in 1996. The facility was developed by local leaders and people who envisioned helping their people with alcohol and drug addictions. The location is about 20 minutes from Fort Providence. With an arbour and encircled by sleeping cabins, the T’elemie Healing Lodge has been extensively used by the Residential School Society, local school and friendship centre. The T’elemie Healing Lodge is the place for meeting and gathering for the local community. It represents the symbol of community resourcefulness.

I have asked the Department of Health and Social Services what is an on-the-land program. To that, I was told it is really up to the communities. So I have gathered what I think is an on-the-land program. It’s somewhere in the bush, on the land, the water, with animals and nature. It relies on the power of nature and the environment as the healing elements. It also has a facility and it’s accessible. The program will be designed and implemented and also, at the same time, monitored and evaluated. It’s based on healing and also the recovery philosophy and also on the alcohol and drug philosophy, also on the Dene and on-the-land philosophy. It also features individual and group counselling.

I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement. Mahsi.

---Unanimous consent granted

Mr. Speaker, the on-the-land program will also feature a 30-day program or something like that, with preparation and follow-up. It will also provide counselling, and counsellors will have safety measures in place and also, perhaps, a coordinating body. I hope the Department of Health and Social Services will provide leadership and immediately begin working with communities. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Nadli. Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think everyone knows how I feel about this particular issue but, just in case someone hasn’t heard, I’m certainly willing to share it, once again, in this Assembly.

How far have we carried this message of addictions and the need for action? Study after study keeps telling us the same things our Minister’s Forum on Addictions keeps telling us. What have we learned? We’ve learned the same things over and over again, yet we’ve realized nothing.

What we have realized is we’ve seen the closure of the Nats’ejee K’eh. That was a bombshell. That was a shocker to every single person who was caught by surprise.

I’m mad that that happened. You know what? I’m very upset that that happened. I’ve always said that there was a place in our North for that particular facility, and anyone who would shut that down has done an insult to the treatment of the addictions. I’ll tell you why. This story doesn’t end there. If you go to the Forum on Addictions recommendations, the forum says they’ve heard repeatedly that residential treatment centres, such as Hay River’s Nats’ejee K’eh Centre, are important and they need some changes and they need some help.

The Forum on Addictions panel was a waste of time if it just gets shut down. Why did we even bother? People know how I feel about this particular issue. We need to do something.

We heard recently: If you had a broken arm, what would happen? We’d send you to the hospital, because you deserve treatment, you need treatment. If you have a mental health and addictions problem, where do we send you? My answer drove silence, and that’s the problem.

What has the public learned from this? Their government continues to ignore their issues, people feel lost and helpless, and the fact is homes and good families are being destroyed. I’ve talked and characterized addictions like a cancer, watching people fall apart, families be destroyed. If this government was writing its story, I would call it a

narrative. I would certainly describe it more of a tragedy than any hope or inspiration.

Do not give up on our people. Do not give up on the fight for addictions. We need to be relentless every day. We will be back every day, if necessary, because this problem matters and we need action. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Member for Hay River North, Mr. Bouchard.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I applaud all the Members here talking about drugs and alcohol, addictions and facilities. This summer we definitely were frustrated with the process that was in place from the closure of the only drug and alcohol facility in the Northwest Territories. This affected three MLAs, the Member for Deh Cho and the two main Members from Hay River.

There were six positions at K’atlodeeche and eight from Hay River. Those people were in the community. Those were people that were given very short notice that their jobs were done. There are 14 families that have been affected by this closure, and that’s not answering any of the addictions issues that we have in the Northwest Territories, as my colleagues just mentioned.

I have no problem and I don’t disagree that in some instances on-the-land programs work. Youth definitely need support. The difficulty is how this information was given to us. We sit here as MLAs on a steady basis going to meeting after meeting, discussing issues a year in advance of what we’re going to do, and we get notice a week before the actual closure of the facility was going to happen.

The three MLAs that were affected have been asked on a daily basis for the last three or four months since the closure, where were you guys in supporting this. Did you guys support this? Why didn’t you guys say something to the community? Because we got sideswiped. The department, the Minister sideswiped us. You know, shame on the government for doing this to us. My colleagues here in Social Programs have spent hours discussing this and they were told last minute as well.

I understand that the closure is complete, but this government has to come up with a solution. What is going to happen to that facility? Is that facility going to be mothballed and another facility that’s closed throughout the Territories is never used when we’re sending people from the Northwest Territories to the South again? Don’t we have a solution that we can do in house, in the Northwest Territories? We promote this as business, we promote this on a steady basis that we want to do things in the North. Why didn’t the department, when they decided to

close this facility, have a solution for the use of that facility?

The problem is larger than that. What is happening with other addictions like cocaine, solvents and prescription drugs? The department has no solutions, yet they’re willing to close the facility as a kneejerk reaction.

It’s a shame for the government to do this and I do not appreciate it. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Bouchard. Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Blake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This Assembly needs to prioritize the importance of our community members who wish to take programs to help themselves and their families to live a healthier lifestyle. The recent shutdown of the Nats’ejee K’eh Centre in Hay River has caused great concern for Northerners. As a result, clients are now looking at similar programs in the South.

Clients who wish to lead sober lives and who wish to go for treatment and counselling services should be given the highest priority. Rather, they are told to stay sober for one month and then we’ll send you to treatment. In most cases, some clients need help as soon as possible and have a hard time leading that one-month sobriety.

My concern is that we lose too many of our people to alcohol and drugs, and if we can help them when they need that extra support, we should be looking at alternative methods and getting them the help that they wish to receive.

I’d like to go back in history. In the late ‘70s there was an alcohol centre established in Fort McPherson. The founding members took it upon themselves to go through an alcohol and drug treatment program in Alberta and went on to get further training so that they, in turn, could help members of their community. The success rate of the community programs that were offered in the 1980s is extremely high. We have many of our community members in each of our ridings that have 20, 30 and 40 years of sobriety. Similar programs are being practised in some of our communities through various funding organizations, but we all know funds are limited and come with criteria. We need to sit down and analyse what’s working and what’s not working.

Thank you, Mr. Blake. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. It gives me great pleasure to recognize in this House again, my partner, Lucyanne, step-daughter Brittany Jewel, and a big special welcome to my daughter, Deidra Villeneuve.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Mr. Blake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, would like to recognize Lucyanne and Brittany Kendo, originally from Tsiigehtchic.

Thank you, Mr. Blake. I would like to welcome everybody here today. Thank you for taking the time and taking in our proceedings here today in the House.

Item 6, acknowledgements. Mr. Yakeleya.

50

TH

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I would like to recognize two distinguished couples, Andrew John and Marie Therese Kenny and John and Camilla Tutcho, who celebrated their 50

th wedding anniversaries on September 23

rd in Deline.

These two couples are well respected throughout the Sahtu communities and the North for their traditional knowledge and traditional contributions to our youth.

On behalf of the Sahtu, I’d like to congratulate them and wish them a continuous lifetime of happiness. Mahsi cho to their children and grandchildren.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Item 7, oral questions. The Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Earlier I spoke about not having a full-time mental health worker in the community of Fort Liard. I would like to ask the Minister of Health and Social Services when will there be a full-time mental health worker in the community of Fort Liard.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There are many vacancies in the Health and Social Services department and health and social services authorities. Specific to the full-time mental health worker in Liard, I don’t have the information on exactly when that individual position would be filled, but we do know that it’s one of the positions we are having difficulties filling. We do have a system that we are trying to employ. The Member referred to Health and Social Services taking over the human resources section to fill the vacant positions. That’s exactly what we’re doing. We’re expecting that we would have a good plan in place in March of this coming year that will give us a better handle on how and when to fill all the vacancies that we have across the North.

I know that with Human Resources we went through great strides of improving our recruitment, including a Regional Recruitment Strategy as well. I would just like to know, just in terms of that, has the Department of Health and Social Services undertaken a parallel type of move, because the real question is the sooner we get mental health workers and social service workers into the community of Fort Liard, the sooner we can establish consistent health and mental wellness approach in that community.

Yes, the Department of Health and Social Services works in partnership with Human Resources and Aurora College to develop some supports that would put a number of initiatives in place that will allow us to recruit and retain positions at all levels throughout our system. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, has the department, as well, addressed the concern about the high turnover rate in small communities? Are they looking at any type of programming or systems to help these professionals stay in the community longer and thereby provide a better service to the community and residents? Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, as I indicated in my response, we are going through the recruitment aspect of it. Also as important, if not more important, is the retention aspect of the job. We recognize that we have a high vacancy rate. I think we have a vacancy rate of 26 percent in social workers. I do believe that is the highest number of any particular profession in the health and social services system at this time. Therefore, I have actually met with all of the CEOs at the Joint Senior Management Committee. One of the priorities that I have given to them was to develop a recruitment and retention system for our system for both health and social services. Thank you.

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

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Some of the successes in the Education

department in the smaller communities is hiring couples and/or seasoned teachers that are willing to stay in communities. I would just like to know, will the Minister and will the recruitment department as it were, be looking at those kinds of strategies to keep people in the communities for longer and longer stays? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I’m not sure we spent a lot of time on tying in other professions going into the community. One of the main things that we’ve discovered, certainly, are that when the RCMP moves into a community, they often come with a spouse that is also a professional, whether a social worker or often a nurse, so we utilize that employee as well at that time. The problem with that is that the RCMP stay two years, or three years if they ask to stay the additional year. Often the partners of the other professionals that are coming into community also end up being short term. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister of Health and Social Services. I think it’s safe to say that the Minister doesn’t have a magic wand. This is not a problem with an easy solution and that’s why we highlight it and bring it up here again today. I believe that when we are identifying a problem, if we have any ideas about what some solutions might be, it might also be good to bring those up as well.

We have tried a lot of things. Let’s not say that our government has done nothing to address addictions because we certainly have tried a lot of things. Unfortunately, they have not addressed the problem to the degree that it certainly needs to be addressed.

As a result of the Minister’s Forum on Addictions that went around and did consultation, some health care officials came to Hay River, met with our local Metis government and I was fortunate enough to be invited to that meeting. In that meeting there was discussion of a new model that I have not known of ever being tried in the Northwest Territories before. That is sending professionals, not taking the people out of their communities, but sending professionals or a group of specialists into the community to work with the community to have people receive counselling and treatment in their own community, in their own space.

I would like to ask the Minister what is the status of that idea that was shared with us that night. Thank you.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Beaulieu.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. A mobile treatment was one of the recommendations of the Minister’s Forum. We think that mobile treatment is certainly a possibility. Mobile treatment has been tried in other jurisdictions. I believe that mobile treatment has also been tried in the Northwest Territories in the past. So far what we’ve done is we’ve recognized that mobile treatment is something that is possible. We are developing a program around what mobile treatment could look like. We’ve talked to Poundmaker’s Lodge, which is a healing lodge in Edmonton, and found out if they have had individuals involved in mobile treatment, to see if they could assist us in developing something for the NWT. Thank you.

I think it’s a good idea. I think if we could harness the efforts of the local people that are involved with people who are dealing with addictions, such as the RCMP, the local nurse, interagency groups in communities like Hay River, if we could involve those people in finding solutions and addressing the problem, not on a one-time basis where a team comes in, but where there could be continuing follow-up and continuing interaction with the community, so that they could monitor and people would have a place to reach out to if people needed counselling or needed an anchor or a sponsor or somebody to talk to about the situation as they progressed down that journey.

I’d like a little bit more detail when the Minister says mobile treatment and we’re all supposed to understand what that means. Could he add a little bit more detail to that as to what that might look like and if that might be something similar to what I’ve described? Thank you.

All indications that we’ve had for mobile treatment are actually what the Member is describing; they are professionals in a certain facility that design their program, their healing program, around going out to the communities rather than bringing people into a centre for residential treatment. They meet them in their own environment. One of the treatment options that we are looking at is where a team of three counsellors are going into a community and work with the community. That was targeted at addressing youth treatment. We found that to be a way where we can treat youth without sending youth out to facilities down South that specialize in treatment. Thank you.

I think the issue is of trust and building relationships. So if you did have these professionals that were providing this mobile treatment, I would like the Minister to confirm if

there could be continuity, if there could be a long-range relationship developed with the community or the people who could be the helpers also in the community going forward, not just a one-time deal where some people you don’t know come into town, everybody is all excited, everybody jumps on board and says let’s do this. I want something that’s sustained, that is supported and that will see some results. Thank you.

Part of any treatment program, whether it be residential treatment, on-the-land treatment, mobile treatment, in order to have any treatment programs have success, we have to have an after-care program. That is one of the other recommendations that were made in the Minister’s Forum and also we recognized that just by talking to the community counsellors. An after-care program is very important and how we develop an after-care program, depending on the size of the community, will determine its success. Thank you.

So we’ve had this idea shared with us by the senior officials in the Minister’s department. The Minister has shared this mobile treatment idea with us here in the House today. It’s not a cheap solution. It’s going to take money. It’s going to take a lot of money to see this laid out and rolled out in an effective way.

Does the department have the financial resources to back up this idea of mobile treatment and how soon could we see it started? Thank you.

The department has been working on wellness plans. Right now, we are funding the communities to develop wellness plans to do some of this work. We’re also going to use some of the money that we were using in Nats’ejee K’eh to do some of this type of issue. I’m not sure we are going to have all the money to do all of the programs, but the idea, I guess the general idea would be that once the mobile treatment team has gone into a community, then the after-care program will come into play. We’re assuming further on down the road there could be a follow-up mobile treatment. That could be coupled with on the land, it could be coupled with treatment of youth. So the idea is it will continue to flow, so once mobile treatment is started in the community it will continue.

We know that the addictions are very high, especially in Aboriginal communities; therefore, we are trying to address that issue by sending mobile treatment people in. That’s once we’ve had an opportunity to evaluate a pilot of such so that we make sure we are doing the right thing. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to follow up on my Member’s statement from earlier today. Of course, we’re focusing on treatment for alcohol and drug addictions, so my questions will be for the Minister of Health and Social Services. We’ve heard the Minister explain in the past that there are many options for treatment in the South. Could the Minister explain how the department selects these addictions treatment centres? In other words, how does the department decide which are eligible and which are not?

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

Treating people in southern institutions is not a new thing. Treating people in southern institutions is not something that happened because Nats’ejee K’eh shut down. This is something that was ongoing. Individuals have come to us and have gone for treatment while Nats’ejee K’eh was still operating, have gone for treatment in the South. How the department selected this is after working with the various treatment centres down south, they looked at the places they felt would best suit our needs for the people of the Northwest Territories and had signed contracts at four treatment facilities down south.

Thanks for that response and I’m certainly aware that we’ve done this for a long time and this is not something that we just started. I imagine that these different treatment centres use different approaches to treatment and that may be appropriate for people with different backgrounds.

Could the Minister provide an overview of the main schools of thought in terms of how to treat addictions? Thank you.

I guess, in general, there could be a treatment centre down south that we are in a contractual relationship with that may be able to address more complex types of treatment. It could be dealing with harder drugs. There could be a treatment centre down south that could treat alcohol. There could be a treatment facility that would deal with a lot of the traditional and cultural type of treatment. And there’s a treatment facility down south that may be able to address women’s treatment. Thank you.

If we’re going to make progress on this, we need to be able to define what we think success looks like and find a way to measure it.

Could the Minister explain how the department currently defines and measures success in terms of addictions treatment? Mahsi.

That’s a very difficult question. Success is largely measured by the individual themself who is attending treatment. Sometimes the counsellors and individuals determine success by the individual attending treatment. Sometimes they determine success by the individual finishing treatment and sometimes they determine success by the length of time the individual stays clean and sober after treatment. There’s no specific time. Some people say they have reached success if they have been sober six months, some is a year and some don’t ever believe they will ever reach success because they will never feel they are completely away from addictions and addictions is a daily battle. So success is very difficult to measure. If we were to develop a program to follow an individual once treatment was completed, then we would also have to get some approvals from individuals that had gone through treatment. Once an individual has finished treatment, they don’t want to be in touch with that facility. Some do, but not everyone. But a lot of them say no, once I’m done here, I’m done. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Bromley.

Thanks to the Minister for that. I believe the Minister provided a range of possible measures. I was hoping to hear how he defines success, what we mean by success. So I’d appreciate any comments the Minister might have on that.

Could the Minister commit to provide this House with an evaluation of the success of each of the current addictions treatment centres that we refer people to? At a minimum, statistics on short-term and long-term relapse rates would be useful, but I imagine the department has other measures of success it could report on. Mahsi.

Thank you. I view success as a change in life, a complete change in lifestyle of individuals from using or consuming to not using or consuming, but also change other parts of their life as well. We can do that. We can go and try to determine what we consider to be success for the facilities that we’ve engaged in and will be in a contractual arrangement until March 31, 2014.

We can also go back to the records and maybe look at some success rates at Nats’ejee K’eh to see what type of rates they felt were success rates. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Blake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Just a follow-up from my statement. The Minister of Health

and Social Services mentioned that there will be a lot of on-the-land programming. Has the Minister been working with the Gwich’in to offer programs at the Gwich’in Wellness Centre? Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, we have. We’ve met with them. We had some discussions. The deputy minister went up to Inuvik one time when I was not able to go and also had some further discussions with them. I met with the vice-president of the Gwich’in Tribal Council here in Yellowknife about two weeks ago, I would say, and we talked specifically about the use of that facility. He recognizes, and the Gwich’in recognize, that it would just not be able to be completely a centre used for only treatment, but that that centre could be used for other things. It could be seasonal. So we’ve had that discussion and we’re willing to work with the Gwich’in to use that facility for something.

Thank you. I believe this facility is ideal, as there are no distractions. I’d like to ask the Minister, can we expect to see programs offered this winter. Thank you.

Thank you. That is my hope, but I don’t have the information here with me on the treatment options that we’re moving forward with at this time. But I do believe that we’re definitely looking at something with the Inuvialuit further north and we’ve had these discussions with the Gwich’in. So I’m hoping that something can come out of this this winter and I can certainly update the Member on that, if that is the case. Thank you.

Thank you. I realize it takes time to develop the proper policies to operate this facility. I’d like to ask the Minister again, will we see programs offered at the Gwich’in Wellness Camp within the next year. Thank you.

Thank you. If the Gwich’in are able to line up some other uses for the facility. I recognize that they have talked about the other departments that may be able to use that facility and then it becomes feasible for them to operate. At that point, they said that that building could be available for a treatment program or two. So if they’re able to run some other programs and I can’t remember specifically, but he mentioned that they had worked with ENR, they’ve worked with Justice to make that a possibility. If that place is operational and we have a program developed, we certainly want to put a program in there, certainly before the next year is up. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Just from what the Minister has said, it sounds like funding is

an issue here. If this is a focus of the department, will the Minister agree to help the Gwich’in to take care of the maintenance of the building? Thank you.

Thank you. I think what we would rather do, I suppose, is to get into a contract on the number of people who would be taking the treatment and then pay the rate for that treatment as opposed to agreeing to pay for the operating costs of the facility. So I think that is probably the way we would go, certain costs for a certain number of people that are in treatment. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I talked in my Member’s statement about some of the support that’s needed in someone’s life when they want to put away alcohol or any type of addiction. Coming from a small community, in communities the people are listening to me now, today, at this very minute. They have enough motivation and courage to say I want to do something with alcohol, put it away or do something with addictions, drugs or whatever type of addictions they have.

Are there any types of programs right now, from listening to the Minister’s Forum, where they can take their family who say we want to go up to their cabin and stay there for a bit to deal with those issues?

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Minister of Health, Mr. Beaulieu.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. From October 23

rd to 25

th last week, we had

gathered 50 people, 60 people in Fort Simpson to look at the development of an on-the-land youth treatment program. We need to be able to get that information and we’ve hired an individual specifically to develop that program. We need to look at what the youth had to say, how they see the program developing.

Now, I have to say that when we were travelling in the Sahtu, the people over there certainly want to see not only the youth go out on the land but the elders and the youth together to go out on the land for treatment. I’ve seen that in my own riding as well. So we kind of have a general idea of what on-the-land treatment with youth and on-the-land treatment is going to look like. So, certainly, we could end up with that type of treatment.

Thank you. It’s said that we need to think like our ancestors had been thinking. They knew the culture and the customs, Mr. Speaker. The culture taught them how to live in harmony with each other, so the people are saying we need to

think like this again and that we must rely on a power greater than ourselves and that they don’t need alcohol in their lives.

So I say this: When will the Minister present a concrete on-the-land program for people in the small communities so they can take advantage of this service and this program?

Thank you. I think we have to really look at the philosophy of on-the-land treatment. We’re asking Aboriginal governments to provide us with proposals on what they see as something that will work for on-the-land treatment for the people, whether they be elders, the youth or families. This is not going to be a program where the government is going to come in with a program and then determine how the program will be set up. On-the-land treatment is something that would be community driven. We’ve received proposals from counsellors in the Sahtu even, and they’re very good, but what we’re trying to do is get the Aboriginal government to present that, whether it be the same thing or not. That’s how we wish to address those issues.

Certainly, the Sahtu people have been asking for on-the-land treatment programs ever since I became the MLA 10 years ago. With the closure of the Nats'ejee K'eh program, now the focus is coming back to the on-the-land treatment programs. I would ask the Minister to look at the programs. It may not fit within the prescribed policy or requirement, and this is coming from an Aboriginal community, government, that this is how they see it.

I would ask the Minister if he would dust off the proposals from the Sahtu to say yes, this could work for Colville Lake, Tulita or Deline. This can work in Fort Good Hope or Norman Wells. Would the Minister be willing to do that, to say yes, we can work on something like this? It’s been done already.

I can say that on-the-land treatment program is going to be very specific. It’s going to very specific to that community. I doubt if one program is going to even fit into two communities. Just about every individual community would have their own on-the-land program. There is going to be slight differences in every one of them. That’s why we’re really relying on Aboriginal people in the communities that said to us when we travelled and when the forum travelled, we want on-the-land treatment, so we’re asking them to come to us, bring us a proposal on what it is that they see on the land, and we will go out and try to find the funding to do that.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It seems that we have a disconnect. The Minister is asking the Aboriginal governments, the

communities, to give us the proposal for on the land. The communities are saying this is what we believe is an on-the-land program and it seems that we’re not connecting as we need to sit down together and talk about this. We do have the proposals, I’ve seen them myself and I actually passed them on to the Minister.

Would the Minister then say, okay, Fort Good Hope, Tulita, Deline, Colville Lake even, we think we have a program. Let’s work on it together. I’m asking when can the Minister then say the Sahtu or any other regions, you can start having your on-the-land programs in your region.

When we discontinued funding to Nats'ejee K'eh, we had indicated to the individual governments, Aboriginal governments that approached us and asked us what we were going to do, we said at this point we had discontinued the funding and now we are working on developing something that’s going to work community by community, and we have promised them that sometime after the end of this fiscal year we would have things in place that would allow individual communities to access funding to run on-the-land programs.

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. The honourable Member for Range Lake, Mr. Dolynny.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m going to give the Minister a bit of a break on addictions. Earlier this month our Minister of Health and Social Services held a joint meeting with our federal Minister of State for Seniors, the Honourable Alice Wong, here in Yellowknife. The theme that came out of this meeting is how we can help our seniors and the challenges they face. I, like many, were interested in what exactly this territory will embark on to support our growing influx of seniors. My question today will be for the Minister of Health and Social Services.

Canada, in general, is way behind on home care help, as we have been informed by national patient advocates. Other provinces have taken steps to recognize this underfunded part of our health care system.

Can the Minister shed some light on what are his department’s plans to address our home care shortfall?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We will be coming forward with enhanced home care in the next budget session. We have been working on developing enhanced home care. We’re working with the federal government. The federal government is providing us some funding directly for home care as well. It’s part of the overall continuum of care for seniors in the Northwest Territories. We do have a strategy to develop care

for seniors and the idea is to maintain people in their own homes as long as possible.

I’m encouraged and looking forward to the strategy and the budget here coming up for seniors. For the record, I just want to let you know, my personal experience with home care workers has been excellent, professional and totally respectful.

Seniors’ safety is a paramount factor for life longevity. What is the Minister planning to do to address the growing safety needs of our seniors?

Senior safety, for me, is something that is sort of like an emerging issue. That may sound like an unusual response, but when you watch things at a national level, you’re starting to see the very beginnings of what the various provinces are doing to develop a system that tries to keep the seniors safe. Simple things like putting in peepholes, grab bars, alarms and those types of things is what the jurisdictions are working on. We, as the Department of Health and Social Services, in my responsibility for seniors, are looking at those types of things with our other national partners.

Again, I appreciate the Minister’s response on that. Seniors often deal with a rotating cast of nurses and personal care workers each with their own different style of delivering care. In fact, patients can encounter what is called a kaleidoscope of different messages that increase the risk of communication breakdown.

Can the Minister indicate what is his department doing to improve and address this kaleidoscope of different messages our seniors receive?

As the health professionals develop the electronic medical records, when the health professional comes into the home, whether it be a home care nurse or if that senior has gone to the health centre to visit with a doctor or a registered nurse, that electronic medical record is designed to be the basis of the continuum of care. So that individuals who have been given some advice on what to do, or changing medicines or any sort of issues that was in the past where there were some confusing messages coming in from the different types of individuals or nurses that they were dealing with time to time, you would see that this is there to try to address that issue.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, thank you to the Minister. Finally, the Minister is quoted in the Yellowknifer on October 14, 2013, which I’ll table later today, that is directly related to the topic that we’re talking about here today. I’m going to quote here: “If we’re able to hold 10 seniors back for 10 years, that’s $1 million a year.” Can the Minister explain this quote to the House?

On average, long-term care is about $100,000 per year per senior, so that was why. I just did the math, so 10 seniors would be $1 million for one year.

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Member for Hay River North, Mr. Bouchard.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In follow-up to my Member’s statement, my concerns on the closing of the facility on the K’atlodeeche, I’m just wondering if the Minister of Health has a set plan for that facility in the near future.

Thank you, Mr. Bouchard. Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Beaulieu.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The building will be secured by Public Works. There may be a couple of individuals that are continuing to work around the building. However, the plan, as I relayed to Chief Fabian, was to get together with the council and also ask if he had any issue with engaging the Stanton Elders Council to work with us on future use of that building. I don’t know what the future use of that building would be at this time, but we are consulting with some people to develop some ideas on what we can do with that building. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, I’m just looking for clarity. Is the Department of Health going to maintain the cost of this facility or is it being switched over to the Department of Public Works and Services in their control so it becomes a territorial facility open to any opportunities within the territorial government or is it remaining in the control of the Department of Health?

Mr. Speaker, until the Department of Health officially gives up the asset, it would remain with us. The thought is that we do that. Public Works has always maintained the building, so that’s continuing. This is a government asset sitting on reserve land, but we will continue to use the building. Public Works will continue to maintain the building. At some point down the road, if Health has no use for that building, it will be put back in the government inventory for other uses. Thank you.

Obviously, being the optimist, I’m looking at this as an opportunity for the Department of Health. I am wondering if the Minister is looking at any opportunities to decentralize positions and replace some of the 14 positions that have been lost in the region.

Mr. Speaker, that thought hasn’t been contemplated at this time. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I guess my final question would be, if the Department of Health doesn’t have a current use for it, would they be willing to turn it over immediately if an opportunity were to present itself from one of the other departments.

Mr. Speaker, I’m sorry; I didn’t hear the Member’s question.

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Mr. Bouchard, could you restate your question to the Minister?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question was if the Department of Health is willing to hand over the facility if an opportunity presented itself for some other department.