Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In 2011 the Nats’ejee K’eh Board funded an organizational review, which made many observations about the issues at the facility that impacted negatively on programs, clients and staff. We worked closely with the board to try to find some solutions. Unfortunately, they were unable to implement any of the solutions to improve the situation there.
In 2013 the executive director advised that no further intakes should take place due to the risk of client safety in that particular facility. When that happened, we were in no other position than to withdraw funding from that facility and prioritize it into other areas that it was going to meet immediate demands.
We recognize, as I said the other day, that the people of the Northwest Territories want a continuum and a range of services, including on- the-land
programming,
community
treatment,
community
counselling-type
treatment
in
communities. We’ve offered the Matrix program and we have contracts with four southern facilities that are providing those services that we’ve never been able to get through facility-based treatment here in the Northwest Territories.
Having said all that, I have been working with the chief of the KFN to try to find a solution for that building. We’ve funded them $44,000 to hold a workshop in 2014 where they brought residents from across the Northwest Territories together to discuss possible options, not including a treatment facility but a wellness centre, a training centre for mental health and addictions, a spiritual centre for Aboriginal people, as well as possibly the home location of what will be the future of a mobile treatment option. All of these seem reasonable. We
discussed those with the chief at the time. Even the chief, at the time, indicated that they did not want to open a facility; the facility they had had too many challenges and even their board were the ones who directed that it be shut.
I’m absolutely interested in having a relationship with KFN to find a way to use that building outside of a dedicated treatment facility and we will continue to work with KFN to do that. Thank you.