This is page numbers 5255 - 5298 of the Hansard for the 18th Assembly, 3rd 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 housing. View the webstream of the day's session.

Topics

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation.

Alfred Moses

Alfred Moses Inuvik Boot Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation definitely is committed to using energy efficiency when we are looking at building new homes or even with renovations that are being done in the communities. One of the big things that I have talked in this House, and I will say it again, is we are going to be looking at these community housing plans, and we are willing to sit down with the leadership. One initiative that we really need to get out there and let people know about is the community housing support initiative. That can have an impact on some of the statements that the Member has said. In terms of the pilot projects, I think we will have to sit down with leadership to see what we can do to address this. It is a concern not only in the communities that the Member has mentioned, but also communities across the Northwest Territories. I also just want to really quickly commend the Member on his Member's statement and for appreciating the work that our staff has done for the people of the Sahtu.

Daniel McNeely

Daniel McNeely Sahtu

Thanks to the Minister for that reply. My next question is: would the Minister support directing his staff to set up a working group to undertake this pilot initiative, with me as a volunteer adviser to the group, to single out these units and develop a renovation plan?

Alfred Moses

Alfred Moses Inuvik Boot Lake

We have set up working groups in some communities, which have been working well to address some of the housing issues. This is something that we can look at speaking with the leadership and the Member about to address some of the housing concerns in the Sahtu region. As I mentioned, we are going to be holding a Northern Housing Summit up in Inuvik, and these are the kinds of discussions that we want to have with our leadership, with our administration, with our stakeholders, and with people who we have invited to the table, so definitely. I know that, when we do have this Northern Housing Summit, perhaps we can look at having a sidebar conversation with some of the leadership in the Sahtu region on what the Member is asking.

Daniel McNeely

Daniel McNeely Sahtu

The Minister must be a mind reader. My next question was to take advantage of the opportunity while the leadership is at the Inuvik summit to single out these three communities that we mentioned, have a sidebar meeting with the leadership. So would the Minister make an appointment to meet the leadership in these three identified communities to discuss a pilot?

Alfred Moses

Alfred Moses Inuvik Boot Lake

We could even do better than that. We can get our staff to reach out to the leadership right now. I know we have had some of our staff go into the community of Deline. We have met with Fort Good Hope leadership, as well, in terms of their housing plans. They are doing a good job. We have seen what was on the news recently in Colville Lake, and we want to support that. We want to let the leadership and community members know about the programs and services that we do provide and that they can access. We will commit to that, and we will actually reach out to the leadership ahead of the summit and start those discussions right away.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Sahtu.

Daniel McNeely

Daniel McNeely Sahtu

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thanks to the Minister for that reply. I have taken photographs already of the inventory. They are sitting idle, waiting for the assessment here to begin. I look forward to the summit engagements there, with the leadership in Inuvik. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

I will take that as a comment. Oral questions. Member for Mackenzie Delta.

Frederick Blake Jr.

Frederick Blake Jr. Mackenzie Delta

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In follow-up to my Member's statement, I have a few questions for the Minister of Health and Social Services. This issue is between many departments, and I think that it's time that we put all of our resources under one department. My constituents want to know why we can't have long-term care facilities in our smaller communities like we did in Aklavik at the old Joe Greenland Centre. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Minister of Health and Social Services.

Glen Abernethy

Glen Abernethy Great Slave

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I hear the Member's concerns, and I hear those concerns from his constituents. I have heard them across the Northwest Territories. It's been asked several times. The answer is still the same. When it comes to long-term care, we are looking at level 3, 4, 5 acuity, individuals who actually have some high, complex needs, and, when we build long-term care facilities, we need to build them in close proximity where a greater range of services are available, things like doctors and other professionals who can provide support to those high-need patients. When it comes to levels 1 and 2, those are the types of things that the Housing Corporation has already moved forward with in building independent living units for seniors across the Northwest Territories. We have worked really closely with the Housing Corporation on that, and they have actually created space in these new independent living units where we, Health and Social Services, can offer programming out of to make sure that elders and seniors throughout the community can benefit from those facilities, not just the individuals living there.

Once again, I hear the Member's frustration. I hear the Member's concerns from constituents across the territories, but, when it comes to levels 3 and 4, we must provide safe services. They have to have a certain level of care able to be provided, and that can be provided in regional centres, where there are doctors and a greater range of services, as opposed to smaller communities, where in fact we could be putting people at greater degrees of risk with those facilities.

Frederick Blake Jr.

Frederick Blake Jr. Mackenzie Delta

Will the Minister work with the housing Minister to hire staff to work in our elders' homes as a start?

Glen Abernethy

Glen Abernethy Great Slave

We do have homecare workers throughout the Northwest Territories. In his riding, I believe we have three or four, I will confirm the numbers, who are providing supports to individuals who are staying in their communities and who want to age in place. Those home-support workers can go into those independent living units, where they exist, and I know there is one in Aklavik. I know that, hopefully soon, we will have one done in Fort McPherson, as well. We already are working with the Housing Corporation and, more importantly, we are working with the residents who are referred to these services to make sure that they get the services when they can.

Frederick Blake Jr.

Frederick Blake Jr. Mackenzie Delta

That's good news. We are also looking forward to the opening of the elders' home in Fort McPherson, but we need a commitment. Will the Minister cost share with both ECE and Housing to ensure that we have a level of care on a daily basis in our elders' homes?

Glen Abernethy

Glen Abernethy Great Slave

I do hear the Member. We do not provide homecare just because an individual is old. All homecare needs to be referred based on needs of an individual, and there is a range of services that we can provide through our home support, which does include activities of daily living support as well as some food preparation. So there is a wide range of services, but they do need to be referred out, so I would not be prepared to commit to providing home-support workers to the independent living units because some of those individuals might be independent enough and not actually want or need those services. However, I am committed to working with the Member. I am committed to working with all Members. We are doing a homecare review right now. It will help us articulate the actual amount of resources we need to provide this service well in the Northwest Territories. We are exploring the paid community family caregivers. We are about to roll out some pilots on that. When those things are done, we will be in a really good place to develop a business case to seek additional resources to provide the support that I hear Members and residents across this territory saying they want. We need to make sure that we do it in an evidence-based, logical way.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Frame Lake.

Kevin O'Reilly

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

Merci, Monsieur le President. My questions are for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment regarding the next steps in the development of an NWT polytechnic university. Any future development of the university must be carried out in close cooperation with stakeholders, particularly municipal governments. Can the Minister tell us what formal and informal mechanisms the department has established on this specific file to ensure close collaboration with municipal governments? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.

Caroline Cochrane

Caroline Cochrane Range Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I try to learn from my mistakes, so I am not going to try to pronounce a big word, but we don't have a formal MOU with any of the cities. In fairness, what we have been saying all along is three strong communities, three strong campuses, and 21 strong community learning centres. We can't ensure that we have three strong communities if we don't work closely with community governments.

I have met twice with each of the three communities while we were doing the review. When we were doing the government response, I went into all three of the communities myself. I have met formally twice with each community government during those meetings. I have also met with Indigenous governments during those meetings, as well. My commitment to them has been that we need to work together. To make the polytechnic university a success, it cannot be made in isolation by the Government of the Northwest Territories. We need the community governments along with us to make this successful. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Kevin O'Reilly

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

I want to thank the Minister for those remarks. I participated in one of the events that she held here in Yellowknife, so I will vouch for what she says. The Minister has probably by now had a chance to review the City of Yellowknife's University Feasibility and Benefits Study. Can the Minister say how this report will be taken into account in future work toward the establishment of a polytechnic university for the Northwest Territories?

Caroline Cochrane

Caroline Cochrane Range Lake

In all honesty, as soon as the City of Yellowknife's University Feasibility and Benefits Study was produced, I wanted it right away. I wanted to see what it said so that I could be defended if I needed to. I was really, actually, quite happy to read it. It backed up a lot of what we had found in the review. Not only did it back it up, it actually expanded on some of the areas in justifying why we need to move into a polytechnic university. Yes, I have looked at the feasibility study. I know that the City of Yellowknife took that initiative. I am not telling other communities what to do, but it would be wonderful if the other communities actually did it, as well, because there are strengths that are unique to not only all three communities, but all regions within the Northwest Territories. Having that paper that identifies the strengths is a bonus for the City of Yellowknife, and we need to be cognitive as we move forward that we also look at the strengths and benefits that other communities have, as well.

Kevin O'Reilly

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

I want to thank the Minister for that. She has probably opened the door for the towns of Fort Smith and Inuvik to come and knock on her door for some funding to help with their own work, but I think it is a great idea. In both the government's response to the Aurora College Foundational Review and the city's report and presentation to the standing committee, the need for a vision for post-secondary education was loud and clear. Can the Minister tell us how the visioning for post-secondary education renewal is being pursued, including a mandate for the new associate deputy minister, and how the stakeholders, including municipal governments, are going to be involved in setting that vision?

Caroline Cochrane

Caroline Cochrane Range Lake

Our visioning exercise is happening now. I just want to put that out to the whole public. I am supporting for every individual within the Northwest Territories to take the time out to answer the survey. It is available on our Education, Culture and Employment website. You can go into an Education, Culture and Employment service centre in your communities or a government service office, or you can access it online through our website at ECE. It is important that all voices be heard, so I am again urging everyone to do that.

Within that survey, there is a spot where people can also put their feedback in as an organization. Not only the municipalities, but also organizations, such as Chamber of Commerce might want to; the Chamber of Mines might want to; the arts community might want to. There might be a lot of organizations. We are hearing that, as well, but again, you have the opportunity. You can put it forward as an organization, or you can put it forward as an individual. I believe that, the more people who fill out that survey, the better it will come. How does that relate? Once that survey is done, all of that information will be assessed, looking at the strengths of where we should be focusing our post-secondary education in the Northwest Territories. From that work, once we develop our territory-wide vision statement, then the polytechnic university will take that piece and develop a visioning exercise for the polytechnic university itself.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Frame Lake.