We have a number of different programs that we are working on. We do have a chronic disease prevention promotion program that is underway and we have programs like BETTER and other tools that are available in individual communities to residents across the Northwest Territories. In every one of those programs we talk about the value of not smoking, eating healthy and getting lots of exercise. Healthy people will be more productive, they will contribute to society more, they will be living better lives and, obviously, that will result in lower overall health care costs in the long term. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As indicated, we participated in the buy local, buy Great Slave Lake fish. One of the questions while we were there was, are we putting the cart before the horse? How do we promote? We have a new logo and launch, but we actually don’t put that fish in the store.

I would like to ask the Minister of ITI, how are we going to put fish into the stores and prepare that product for the stores? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Bouchard. Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Part of our plan is to have a marketing assistance available for fishers to get that product into stores. I want to thank MLA Bouchard and MLA Groenewegen for their efforts in Hay River on promoting fish from Great Slave Lake. I know we have an effort here in Yellowknife as well. At the end of the day, it is up to store owners whether or not they put the fish into their store for sale. I know, here in Yellowknife, that happens at the Yellowknife Co-op store and down in Hay River. Again, it speaks to the importance of us putting a new export grade processing fish facility in Hay River, and I think that is something that the department and the government is certainly intent on seeing happen.

We have had discussions with both the Freshwater Fish Marketing Corporation, when they were here recently last week and, as well, during NWT Days in Ottawa I had the opportunity to sit down with Minister Shea from Fisheries and Oceans and also

explained our case for some support from CanNor with Minister Aglukkaq when it comes to supporting our $1.5 million that we have to put towards a new fish processing plant in Hay River. Thank you.

Obviously, the Minister is answering some of those questions, but the $1.5 million that the government has committed, have we got any commitment from the federal government to leverage any of our money to build this fish plant? We know it is going to cost more than $1.5 million. Has the Minister been able to obtain any financing from the federal government? Thank you.

In order to get a quality fish processing plant constructed in Hay River, it is probably going to cost just north of $5 million. We will need partners. CanNor, the federal government, Fisheries and Oceans and even Freshwater Fish Marketing Corporation are the partners that we’re speaking with. We want to see this happen. We are committed to seeing this happen. The discussions are ongoing and hopefully they will, I’d like to say bear some fruit, but bear some fish.

Obviously, we have the $1.5 million in this year’s budget, so we’re looking to do this. Does the Minister have any plan going forward on when we would actually have a date to break ground on that plant?

With our discussions currently ongoing with CanNor, Fisheries and Oceans and FFMC, our hope is we’ll have some answers here shortly. I certainly would like to see ground broken on the new facility by the end of this year.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I talked about getting the fish into different agencies and I’m wondering if the Minister could talk to the Minister of Justice and get it into our correctional facilities. Is that a possibility?

I’ve been accused of talking to myself before, so yes, that could happen.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The Member for Range Lake, Mr. Dolynny.

Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. The Minister of Health, Mr. Abernethy.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The report identified that the department is offering a continuum of withdrawal management services, although there are some gaps and there is room for improvement. One of the areas of improvement is mostly around awareness. We need to do a better job of making sure that our nurse practitioners, our nurses, our physicians and other practitioners throughout the Northwest Territories, as well as outside stakeholders like RCMP are aware of the program. We’re working on information to get out to these individuals so that they understand what is available and how we can refer our clients in. There is also a requirement for some additional training for individuals on the actual intervention process and helping individuals target people that need to go in there. Those are the types of things we’re doing now. We’re doing some training programs and we’re creating some awareness around the types of access points that do exist.

The Minister just pointed out just one of a very broad range of recommendations that have yet to be implemented in the Northwest Territories. One of the recommendations of interest was the department being asked to develop policies, standards and guidelines in common language that are to be used across the system to establish a common assessment tool to assess withdrawal severity, stages of changes and addiction severity.

Can the Minister indicate if this has been done yet?

The work has begun but it is not concluded.

One year later and it’s still not concluded, as we’re hearing from the Minister. We know our first point of contact folks such as nurses, physicians, mental health and addiction counsellors, social service workers, child protection workers and RCMP require ongoing training with withdrawal management best practices, harm

reduction and the use of a full range of assessment tools, not just awareness from what we heard today.

Can the Minister affirm that this is indeed in place?

That is work that is currently being done. That is what’s being designed and created at this time.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, we’re hearing in progress. You know what? This is just ridiculous. All Northerners were led to believe that our use of southern facilities for withdrawal management and addiction treatments were to be temporary. The Minister is even quoted in saying, “We have not lost sight of the need to develop NWT-specific options of our approach to addressing addictions.”

Can the Minister elaborate as to when we can see and expect a NWT-specific residential addictions treatment facility based in the North and run by Northerners?

At this point in time there is no intention to build a territorial treatment facility in the Northwest Territories. We will continue to utilize the incredible facilities that we use in the South that are giving a wide range of programs and services to the people of the Northwest Territories; we will continue to deliver on-the-land programming through our Aboriginal partners, which the money has been put in the budget to do so; and we are continuing to pursue the mobile treatment options, which I would be happy to discuss with Members more.

With respect to withdrawal management, that is in the Northwest Territories. When it comes to a medical withdrawal management, individuals can go to Stanton Territorial Hospital or Inuvik Regional Hospital.

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