Masi. Members' statements. Member for Kam Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it is no secret that the North faces significant challenges when it comes to the health and wellness of our residents. During the last election, and since then, I have heard many calls for a brick and mortar treatment centre or some kind of facility that can offer made-in-the-North, culturally appropriate care for Northerners.

I think, with the very recent and tragic events involving the death of an Indigenous man in one of our communities who was mistakenly thought to be drunk when in fact he was suffering from a stroke, it is further evidence that we need a system of care and treatment that is informed by Indigenous culture and Indigenous traditional knowledge.

Thankfully, we have a group in the Northwest Territories now, the Arctic Indigenous Wellness Foundation, that is actively pursuing creating a new Indigenous wellness foundation here in Yellowknife. I am very pleased to support this work. This project has been brought to the attention of our standing committees and our Members. At the time, it was very well received. I am glad that the foundation has moved forward, and we can start to take action.

These sorts of facilities are not uncommon in Canada. In fact, many other jurisdictions have similar facilities, including cities such as Toronto and Vancouver. Certainly, this is something that our residents would benefit from. As the foundation has said, it is not a gift. It is a sustainable investment in real solutions that take into account the very complex and critical needs of Northerners, who are often left outside of the health system despite our best efforts.

It is time to think outside the box. It is time to listen to the wisdom of the elders and to end the practices of colonization that often do more harm than good and start reversing the course of a legacy of colonization that continues to hold back the futures of our Indigenous people. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Hay River North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I usually take this opportunity to talk about issues specific to Hay River, but, believe it or not, there are important issues beyond Hay River's borders as well. Today, I am using my Member's statement to inform the public about an issue that affects everyone in the territory.

In 2015, the NWT's new Health Information Act came into force. The act establishes the rules for the collection, use, disclosure, and security of every resident's personal health information. It is intended to balance one's privacy with the need to provide healthcare services. The Department of Health and Social Services, regional health authorities, pharmacies, and healthcare providers in the private sector are all governed by the act.

Individuals are given important rights under the act, including the right to set limits on the collection, use, and sharing of your personal health information; the right to withdraw your consent for the collection, use, or sharing of your personal information; and the right to access and be informed about the use and sharing of your personal information.

These rights are based on the concept of implied consent, meaning that, if you access healthcare services, you are agreeing for your information to be shared. If you wish to limit the use of your information, you can do so, but the conditions must be put in writing. However, the mechanisms to enforce these wishes don't seem to exist.

In her most recent annual report, the NWT's Information and Privacy Commissioner raised some serious concerns with how this legislation is being implemented and stated there is still much work to be done to ensure compliance with the new obligations that the act places on those who can access your information and to ensure public awareness of the rights the act provides.

The Commissioner also noted that the act requires the Department of Health to undertake a privacy impact assessment whenever there is a proposed change to an information system relating to the collection, use, or disclosure of personal health information.

The Information and Privacy Commissioner stated that the Department of Health and Social Services contravened the act by not doing this in advance of the amalgamation of the health boards, which the Minister referred to today as the "system transformation." The department's decision was made despite the recommendations of the 17th Assembly's Standing Committee on Social Programs that it do so.

I agree with the Commissioner's assessment, and I believe that the department's interpretation of the legal requirement to conduct a privacy impact assessment is flawed.

The government has stated that the department takes the privacy concerns of patients and clients very seriously, yet they are refusing to undertake a privacy impact assessment, even though our Information and Privacy Commissioner is telling them that the law requires them to do so. Later today I will have questions for the Minister on the implementation of the Health Information Act. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Members' statements. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery.

Colleagues, I would like to draw your attention to a few people in the gallery. I am pleased to recognize a group of 19 international exchange students and three chaperons from the Rotary District 5370. These students represent 19 different countries from around the world and each is billeted in a different high school in a different community in Alberta for the whole year. They are in Yellowknife for three days to experience life in Canada's North and are being hosted by the Rotary Club of Yellowknife. They are also joined by Laura Morie, Rotary district governor for this region.

I would like to say masi for joining us. It is always great to have guests in as part of our proceedings. Masi. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Hay River North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize the two pages from Ecole Boreale in Hay River, Sarah Buth and Victoria Tweedie-Pitre. They have stuck with us through some late nights this sitting. I want to thank them and just say we all appreciate the hard work they have been doing. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Mackenzie Delta.

Thank you Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I want to recognize two of my constituents from Fort McPherson, Joanne Tetlichi and Perry Robert. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Yellowknife South.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize the page from Yellowknife South, Kailyn Unka, who attends St. Patrick School, and also all the pages who are here today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. If we missed anyone in the gallery, welcome to our proceedings. It is always great to have an audience. Masi. Item 6, acknowledgements. Item 7, oral questions. Member for Mackenzie Delta.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in follow-up to my Member's statement, I have a few questions for the Minister responsible for the Housing Corporation. I would like to ask the Minister: how has the Housing Corporation tracked and evaluated seniors' housing needs in Tsiigehtchic to date? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Minister responsible for Northwest Territories Housing Corporation.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Currently at this moment I do not know if we have tracked the seniors' needs in Tsiigehtchic at this point. I can make a promise that we will do an assessment on the community and see how many seniors there are. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I would like to ask the Minister: what criteria does a community need to meet to trigger planned construction for a new seniors' home?

The current practice is that we try to do an assessment every year, and we try to look at all of the housing needs throughout the whole Northwest Territories. In my opinion, that was not always the best practice. That is why we are doing the survey and actually developing community plans, because, at that time, each community would have its own identified priorities, which, in my opinion, is a better way of providing services.

I would also like to ask: what other housing programs and services does the department offer to support Tsiigehtchic elders who want to say in their communities and the families who want to help support their elders?

There is a variety of supports that seniors can actually access for renovating their own homes that they currently live in. Recently, we also put an extra $500,000 into our budget specifically for seniors' homes, that they can actually use to help renovate so that they can stay in their homes as long as possible.

We are working hand in hand with Health and Social Services. We recognize that, seniors, there is a huge need, that the population is growing, and we are doing the best we can to try to help seniors to be able to age in place, whether that means staying in their own homes or having extra supports.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Mackenzie Delta.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, will the department look at a planning study to see, if there is a real need in the community, which areas, for elders in the community? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

As the Members are aware, the housing survey actually just closed the other day, and so we will actually have the statistics coming in which we will share with all Members, which will identify the prioritized needs of each community and what they say. So, once that information is all compiled, I will share that with all of the Members.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Kam Lake.