This is page numbers 2143 – 2196 of the Hansard for the 17th Assembly, 4th Session. The original version can be accessed on the Legislative Assembly's website or by contacting the Legislative Assembly Library. The word of the day was services.

Topics

The Chair

The Chair Wendy Bisaro

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. To the motion.

Some Hon. Members

Question.

The Chair

The Chair Wendy Bisaro

Question has been called.

---Carried

The Chair

The Chair Wendy Bisaro

Mr. Yakeleya.

Committee Motion 12-17(4): Funding For Youth Addictions Education And Prevention Programs, Carried
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters (Reversion)

February 25th, 2013

Norman Yakeleya

Norman Yakeleya Sahtu

Thank you, Madam Chair. I have a motion. I move that this committee strongly recommends the government take immediate action to supplement funding that is currently identified for youth addiction education and prevention programs. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Committee Motion 12-17(4): Funding For Youth Addictions Education And Prevention Programs, Carried
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters (Reversion)

The Chair

The Chair Wendy Bisaro

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The motion is in order. It is being distributed. To the motion, committee. Mr. Yakeleya.

Committee Motion 12-17(4): Funding For Youth Addictions Education And Prevention Programs, Carried
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters (Reversion)

Norman Yakeleya

Norman Yakeleya Sahtu

Madam Chair, with the support of the committee, this motion is on the floor to talk about the funding that is needed for our youth. There is a high population of youth in our community, and education around addiction and prevention programs needs to be fully supported and recognized for the amount of issues that the young people are dealing with and the harmful effects, the community effects, the impact of addiction and prevention programs that have taken our young population, and that this motion comes from the committee to see the priority in our funding of these types of programs, especially for our young generation. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Committee Motion 12-17(4): Funding For Youth Addictions Education And Prevention Programs, Carried
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters (Reversion)

The Chair

The Chair Wendy Bisaro

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. To the motion.

Committee Motion 12-17(4): Funding For Youth Addictions Education And Prevention Programs, Carried
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters (Reversion)

Some Hon. Members

Question.

Committee Motion 12-17(4): Funding For Youth Addictions Education And Prevention Programs, Carried
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters (Reversion)

The Chair

The Chair Wendy Bisaro

Question has been called.

---Carried

Committee Motion 12-17(4): Funding For Youth Addictions Education And Prevention Programs, Carried
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters (Reversion)

The Chair

The Chair Wendy Bisaro

Mr. Moses.

Alfred Moses

Alfred Moses Inuvik Boot Lake

Thank you, Madam Chair. I have a motion. I move that this committee strongly recommends that the government take immediate action to identify the funding necessary to develop and establish a territorial detox program model and implementation plan that will lead to the creation of four detox beds – two each in the northern and southern parts of the Northwest Territories – during the 2013-2014 fiscal year.

The Chair

The Chair Wendy Bisaro

Thank you, Mr. Moses. A motion is on the floor. To the motion. Mr. Moses.

Alfred Moses

Alfred Moses Inuvik Boot Lake

Thank you, Madam Chair. Before I continue on with this motion, I do want to put on the record that during the current sitting of this session the Minister of Health and Social Services did commit to implementing two detox beds in the north and two in the south. I would like to make sure that we do hold him to that commitment as the people of the Northwest Territories did hear that and are expecting that in this fiscal year.

Detox beds are something that are truly needed in the communities and hospitals. We do have a policy that anybody who wants treatment does, in fact, need to be sober for, I believe the policy states, or even if there is a policy, but what is known out there is 30 days. When people who do need the treatment and can’t be sober for the 30 days, and that when our emergency staff let these people back out into society or on the streets after sobering up after being in the emergency ward, that’s where our government starts failing and is not seeing the appropriate need and help for these individuals. It’s putting an added stress on emergency staff, it’s putting added stress on our RCMP staff who deal with a lot of these cases in terms of the jail cells, and we need to find a way to help the people that are recurring in the emergency rooms as well as recurring in the jails.

Speaking to nurses and RCMP officers, they say the same thing, they support the idea. We can free up some of our staff to do other important work rather than continuing to deal with an issue that has been not addressed and overlooked for so many years. I commend the committee and the hard work that the committee has done to support this idea, and I commend the Minister of Health and Social Services for committing to this, as well, during this fiscal year.

The Chair

The Chair Wendy Bisaro

Thank you, Mr. Moses. To the motion.

Some Hon. Members

Question.

The Chair

The Chair Wendy Bisaro

Question has been called.

---Carried

The Chair

The Chair Wendy Bisaro

Page 8-31, Health and Social Services, activity summary, community wellness and social services, operations expenditure summary, $89.259 million. Mr. Hawkins.

Robert Hawkins

Robert Hawkins Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Madam Chair. I move that this committee strongly recommends that the government take immediate action to identify the

funds necessary to allow for the establishment of ongoing contribution agreements for the management and operation of day shelters.

The Chair

The Chair Wendy Bisaro

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. A motion is on the floor. To the motion. Mr. Hawkins.

Robert Hawkins

Robert Hawkins Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Madam Chair. Certainly it’s a pleasure to move this motion. This is about two particular issues at large, if I may speak to it in that manner. Our committee believes in supporting the shelter that has been established here in Yellowknife, but at the same time we said in a plural form, which is we believe that the communities deserve these much needed opportunities of day shelters as well. This motion’s intent is to extend ongoing services to the Yellowknife day shelter, but at the same time, we think it’s critical that the communities and the regions cannot be forgotten because this problem doesn’t always exist here and they need full support from this government as well.

The Chair

The Chair Wendy Bisaro

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. To the motion. Mr. Dolynny.

Daryl Dolynny

Daryl Dolynny Range Lake

Thank you, Madam Chair. I do support this motion. I like how the motion was worded, because it was for the management of day shelters, which really talks about not just the requirement in our major capital city here, which we all like to refer to as more of a territorial day shelter, but the operation of future day shelters across the Northwest Territories. We need to always remind ourselves of that.

It’s obvious that the approach that we’ve done for day shelter management has been piecemeal at best. The continuity and ongoing stewardship that we require from people who do our programming need consistency and we need to have a strong message collectively from this government, that we’re supporting this on a long-term basis and not year to year. I do support this motion and I look forward to my colleagues doing the same.

The Chair

The Chair Wendy Bisaro

Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. To the motion.

Some Hon. Members

Question.