As I have said many times, in the last Assembly, the Minister of Health and Social Services conducted a working group of stakeholders to go around the Northwest Territories and talk to people about what they foresee or what they would like to see with respect to supporting individuals with addictions. What was clear is that facility-based treatment centres is not the only option that we needed to consider. We heard loudly and clearly from residents that they want options, not one program that is going to be appropriate for everybody. One of the key things that was identified was more on-the-land programming.
In the Northwest Territories, we support on-the-land programming as an option. We have a mobile treatment option that can go around and use existing facilities, which is an option. We have medical detox available in a number of our hospitals and health centres in the Northwest Territories, and we are looking at seeing how we can expand that over time. We do have counsellors in place in all regions and most communities in the Northwest Territories. We have great partners outside government who are providing different types of programming. We have contracts with treatment facilities in the South that can provide a range of programming that we have never been able to provide in the Northwest Territories due to economies of scale.
We are currently looking at implementing a sobering centre here in Yellowknife. That would be a great transition for individuals who are struggling with addictions today who need a safe place to sleep, but can also start to receive counselling and supports that can lead them to taking up some of the other options, whether it is on-the-land programming or some of our facilities in the South. If that program works here in Yellowknife, Mr. Speaker, there are certainly options to looking at expanding that to the South Slave and to the Beaufort Delta, as examples. There is a lot happening, Mr. Speaker. There are more programs today than there have ever been before. The Member is right; we need to continue to do more, but there is a lot happening.