Minister of Health and Social Services.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I've already mentioned several times in the House over the last couple of weeks that we're currently working on the Continuing Care Services Action Plan for the Northwest Territories which includes review of our home care services provided to date and what level of services we need to provide to meet the needs of our residents, you know, addressing the fact that we do have an aging population in addition to demands on home care. It's also looking at our long-term care demands and how we're going to address those as well as our palliative care demands and how we're going to address those. We're hoping to have that action plan out by the end of the fiscal year. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I'd like to ask the Minister what actions were taken this fiscal year, 2016-2017, to improve the home care services even if it's within the continuing care?

Mr. Speaker, we have been working on some of our respite and home care services for seniors across the Northwest Territories. We have identified respite beds that are available across the Northwest Territories in our different facilities, and we're looking to get more information out there about the types of programs that we provide under home care.

We do provide home support in most communities and certainly all regions in the Northwest Territories. They are based on a medical referral. You do have to be referred for home care and a physician or a practitioner will identify the degree or range or level of support you need under home care.

We do provide that across the Northwest Territories, but we do acknowledge more needs to be done. We do acknowledge with our aging population we do need to put in some additional supports.

I'd like to ask the Minister how the department is working with the NWT Housing Corporation on the whole idea of aging in place?

Mr. Speaker, one of our key partners in aging in place within the Government of the Northwest Territories is the NWT Housing Corporation who has a number of programs for seniors so that they can make modifications to their homes as they age to help them stay in their homes for as long as possible. There is a recognition that even if we provide greater levels of home care and the housing corp. does provide some programs to help modify homes, unfortunately, some individuals will have to go to different living situations like independent living units.

The Housing Corporation is building five independent living units throughout the Northwest Territories. We just recently attended the opening of one in Fort Liard. One of the nice things that has happened as a result of our relationship with the Housing Corporation is in those independent living units they've allowed for some programming space, for group activities and for other things to happen, and it's also an opportunity for Health and Social Services to have the home support workers come in to those facilities and do some interaction and supports for the residents who happen to live in those buildings.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to ask the Minister if there will be financial resources available in 2017-18 for enhanced homecare services or if it is part of the continuing care services? Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, we won't have a clear indication of whether or not we need some additional resources, how much those additional resources might be until we're actually done the Continuing Care Action Plan. I'm certainly going to bring that to committee so we can have some discussions.

Before we ask for more money, Mr. Speaker, one of the things that we have to do is make sure that the current dollars available for homecare are being spent wisely and that we're getting maximum benefit for every dollar that we're spending; that we're getting the outcomes that are intended.

The Members know, all Members in this House know that we do have some limiting fiscal situation on top of us, and any money that we're going to spend on homecare has to come from somewhere. So we're going to have to work together as a legislature to identify where resources are in order to re-profile them.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Kam Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, honourable Members raised the issue of 911 previously in this session and were told that the department is not in a fiscal position to provide this, more research would be done, and the Minister has committed to working with standing committee on developing some options. However, the honourable Member for Frame Lake just asked the Premier some questions and we heard that they are now working on legislation for 911. Can the Premier please clarify whether or not 911 is coming to the Northwest Territories? Thank you.

Honourable Premier.

We always work with the Members on the other side; we are looking at 911.

I'm always willing to work with honourable Members on any side of the House. Are we currently developing legislation? Not just working on it, not just exploring options, but developing legislation.

As we indicated, that is our intention and that is part of the business planning process of the Government of the Northwest Territories.

Mr. Speaker, perhaps my memory is a bit foggy, but if it was included in the business plan it certainly was an oversight when we developed the mandate but it is an issue that is important to Northerners so I'm pleased to see that we have some willingness here; however, previously in this Assembly we were told that it was not in the cards. So can the Premier explain that? Is this a knee-jerk reaction to some questions that were raised in this House or is this a long-standing initiative that we've just simply never been told about?

We have said in the last Assembly, I believe, and also that we would work with Members to find the commitment. I'll go back through Hansard for the Member and see where the discussions on 911 took place.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Kam Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I can tell the honourable Premier now that won't be required. Can the Premier tell this House when Northerners will be able to dial 911 on their phones? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I don't like to speculate so I'll respond to his question when I have the exact date.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we are a government that is taking necessary steps to conduct our affairs in public, and I would like to ask the Minister responsible for Public Engagement and Transparency if he could provide the House an update and maybe some specifics, if possible, on what work is being done with regard to the Open Government Policy? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

We have created a working group that is guiding the development of the Open Government Policy and part of this work, of course, will be consulting with residents and we will be undertaking to do that in the early part of the next year.

Masi. Member for Yellowknife North.