This is page numbers 233 - 252 of the Hansard for the 18th Assembly, 2nd 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 program.

Topics

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Mahsi. Oral questions. Member for Kam Lake.

Kieron Testart

Kieron Testart Kam Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I definitely did not get a commitment, but I look forward to working with the Minister on these discussions going forward. I do think, as a champion of sport and youth, though, this should be an area that he finds easy to support, so I'll ask again if he’ll remain committed to sport and recreation in the Northwest Territories through enhanced funding, or at least keeping funding the same.

Robert C. McLeod

Robert C. McLeod Inuvik Twin Lakes

I am committed not only to the development of our athletes across the Northwest Territories, which I think has been clearly demonstrated in my time as the Minister responsible for sport in the Northwest Territories, and I remain committed to that. I would like to see not only to the athletes, but to the health and wellbeing and the physical activity of all our children across the Northwest Territories, all of our athletes across the Northwest Territories, and I will continue to do what I can on my part to see that level of commitment carried on. Again, as I said before, no decisions have been made, and we have an opportunity to debate this further. If there are opportunities somehow to enhance any of the funding that we have in the Northwest Territories, then we will seriously have a look at that.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Mahsi. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife Centre.

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today my questions are for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. The story of the rental assistance client being forced to make her children homeless because four people in the two-bedroom trailer is considered overcrowding. My first question is: What is overcrowding? Can the Minister inform us if universal uniform standard numbers are used to define overcrowding as it relates to eligibility parental assistance? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Mahsi. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.

Alfred Moses

Alfred Moses Inuvik Boot Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In terms of speaking to individual cases due to privacy laws that protect personal information, we cannot speak to personal individual circumstances or caseloads that are within our department. However, in terms of overcrowding, I don't have the exact number that the department does go by. I can inform the Member, though, that the department does currently get its guidance from sources like the National Occupancy Standards and the Residential Tenancies Act in assessing the appropriateness of housing of clients.

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Thank you to the Minister for his answer. I'm looking for two things now. I'm looking for a commitment for the Minister to provide that information about what the standard is for overcrowding that the department uses, and my second question is: Who enforces these standards?

Alfred Moses

Alfred Moses Inuvik Boot Lake

When a client comes to the office, our CSOs, I believe, do a great job. Within the last government, a lot of changes and improvements and developments have been made, compliance and audit of the files have been developed, our regional managers actually do a monthly compliance of the workloads that their CSO's do. We have increased the staff training, as well as development. We also got to understand that in some cases, with some of our clients, they also need to live up to what is in the lease agreements with their renters as well, when going through this. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Thank you to the Minister. My questions the Minister is: Can he make a commitment to inform this side of the House what overcrowding is in terms of rental assistance and who enforces these standards.

Alfred Moses

Alfred Moses Inuvik Boot Lake

As mentioned earlier, we do take guidance from the National Occupancy Standards, as well as the Residential Tenancies Act. That was reviewed in the last government, but we don't have a specific policy related to overcrowding. Obviously, we do want to provide the best possible outcomes for families and those that are in need of being housed, but it is a shared responsibility of individuals as well as the social departments within the governments. If that's something that we do need to set as a policy or standard, like I mentioned, we'll have to look at what the National Occupancy Standards do have and maybe also bring it before committee to see any recommendations that they might provide as well.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Mahsi. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife Centre.

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker, and thank you to the Minister. What I heard the Minister say here is that there are no specific standards for overcrowding as it relates to rental assistance, and so I'm wondering on what basis any standards are enforced in terms of how many people live in one dwelling. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Alfred Moses

Alfred Moses Inuvik Boot Lake

As mentioned, when clients do go on income assistance or need that top up for market rental rates, the clients also have to adhere and still need to live up to the elements of what's in the lease agreement. When they get income assistance, they have to also abide by what they signed in the forms. Our Client Service Officers are just following policy, following legislation, and the landlords are also following what's in the lease agreements. When we fill out forms, we've got to make sure that we do it in the best way that's going to keep the family in the home.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Mahsi. Oral questions. Member for Nunakput

Herbert Nakimayak

Herbert Nakimayak Nunakput

Quyanini, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today my question is for the Minister of Health and Social Services. Suicide is a major concern in the NWT and particularly in the Beaufort Delta region where we have the highest rates of suicide in the territory. Suicide is preventable and most people who die by suicide show warning signs. What is the department doing to prevent suicide and raise awareness of the issue in the NWT? Quyanini, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Mahsi. Minister of Health and Social Services.

Glen Abernethy

Glen Abernethy Great Slave

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the department does have a wide range of Mental Health Programs available across the Northwest Territories. Specific to suicide prevention, the regional health and social services authorities are funded to offer the Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training. This is often known as ASIST. ASIST is an internationally recognized training program based on best practices in suicide prevention and intervention. It is a two-day workshop that trains individuals to recognize the signs of someone at risk for suicide and how to safely respond to using the ASIST Model. There are upcoming workshops planned in Yellowknife, Aklavik, and Tulita. Suicide prevention and intervention is also a component of the Mental Health First Aid for Northern Peoples Training Program, which was jointly developed by the NWT and the Mental Health Commission of Canada in partnership with the three territories. I've personally taken the Mental Health First Aid training. It's a fantastic training program, and I'd like to challenge all the Members to actually go out and actually complete this Mental Health First Aid training. It's very valuable, help break down the stigma of mental health and help your constituents, people across the territories, deal with the surge in suicides in the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Herbert Nakimayak

Herbert Nakimayak Nunakput

There is no single cause of suicide, but one of the warning signs is withdrawal from family and friends. What resources are available to directly support someone who might be thinking about suicide if they are withdrawn from those who might have intervened to help them?

Glen Abernethy

Glen Abernethy Great Slave

This is one of the things available through the ASIST training, but also Mental Health First Aid, and help is always available through the healthcare providers in the communities whether a person seeks help on their own or whether family or friends bring them to seek care and assistance. It's really important to take warning signs seriously, and anyone who is thinking about suicide needs to know that there is help available. Another source of support that we have in the Northwest Territories is actually the NWT Help Line, which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The Help Line is actually staffed by trained counsellors who specialize in mental health and addictions and who are able to assist callers with helping them to de-escalate the immediate crisis situation, answering questions on suicide and on mental health issues such as stress management and depression. The Help Line can make referrals to community-based services, including health supports and community counselling programs available throughout the Northwest Territories and it also offers the option to have follow-up calls. Just so everybody knows what it is, the toll-free, throughout the Northwest Territories, Help Line number is 1-800-661-0844. I'd encourage Members to include this in their newsletters and maybe some of the advertising that that they're putting out so that people are aware of this important help line number.

Herbert Nakimayak

Herbert Nakimayak Nunakput

Adding to that, is the department doing anything to build on these programs?

Glen Abernethy

Glen Abernethy Great Slave

Yes, the department is in the early stages of actually developing a mental health and addictions strategic framework that will aim to address the gaps in current systems, improve services and program delivery across the territories, improve inefficiencies, and ensure that the public is safe. We are seeking advice from nationally recognized experts, as well as within our own system and throughout the Northwest Territories in all of the communities. The strategy will be released in the spring. Specific action plans under the strategic framework will be developed to address the key areas including mental health services, children and youth, and addictions. In 2016-2017, the department also will be looking at expanding the NWT Help Line services to include live chat, which is a new function; telephone group sessions, which provides more opportunities for different discussions; as well as some work through Facebook pages. Health and social services authorities are funded to deliver the Mental Health First Aid training program and the ASIST Program each twice per year in every region, so Members will have lots of opportunities to get out and attend those training sessions. The department is also exploring partnership opportunities to expand training even further. We're always looking for ways to expand what we're doing in this area.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Mahsi. Oral questions. Member for Nunakput.

Herbert Nakimayak

Herbert Nakimayak Nunakput

Quyanini, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister provide some examples of things being done in the Nunakput riding to address suicide? Quyanini, Mr. Speaker.

Glen Abernethy

Glen Abernethy Great Slave

In addition to the items that I've already described specific to the Nunakput Region, in Ulukhaktok the ASIST training, it took place in November last year, from November 24 to 25. The Suicide Awareness Event Workshop was held in September 2015. It included a community feast, a sharing circle, discussions, and addressed impacts, prevention, supports, and resources available in the community. National and territorial hotline numbers were also shared with the community members during that event. In Paulatuk, Mental Health First Aid is scheduled to take place March 8 to 11, 2016, so in a week. In Sachs Harbour there was a community presentation by a counsellor in August 2015. The presentation included discussions of suicide risk in the context of substance abuse in youths, and recognizing an individual's pattern and behaviours, trying to create awareness within the community. Supports or programs available within the community were discussed, emphasizing the use of health centre staff, RCMP, and counselling, as well as continual reference to the 1-800 lines that are available. All of the suicide hotline numbers were provided at that time. In Tuktoyaktuk, once again, the Mental Health First Aid is scheduled for delivery from February 23 to 25, so that was last week. A counsellor is working in the school twice weekly with children and youth providing individual support for individual children who are struggling. A women's group has also been set up with a strong following that indirectly addresses suicidal ideation and preventative measures in the context of relationships and other stressors. There are a number of things that are actually happening in the region on top of what we're providing at a territorial level.