This is page numbers 1481 - 1522 of the Hansard for the 19th 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 going.

Topics

Question 427-19(2): Addictions
Oral Questions

Page 1490

The Chair

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes.

Lesa Semmler

Lesa Semmler Inuvik Twin Lakes

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Health and Social Services. The department of Health and Social Services medical travel escort criteria policy is a ministerial policy. What does that mean? Does it mean that the Minister has the sole power to change it, and if they did, will they add elders to that criteria? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes. Minister of Health and Social Services.

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The medical travel escorts are determined by need, by the medical practitioner, not by the age of the person who is travelling, so I don't see that we need to change the policy right now, that an elder, by default, needs a medical escort. That's really up to the elder to decide. Thank you.

Lesa Semmler

Lesa Semmler Inuvik Twin Lakes

Just to add to that question, then: I know for a fact that I've seen letters from practitioners be denied because it's not on this criteria list from the ministerial policy, so will the Minister look at the policy and adding something in there that would consider elders on there?

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

The medical travel policies were revised last year, at the end of the 18th Assembly, and one of the new features is an appeal mechanism so that, if someone is denied an escort, then it is possible for that person to fill in an appeal form and file that with medical travel and have it considered. The only hitch to these, though, and I get lots of these crossing my desk, is that people need to plan ahead. Medical-travel people work a regular day. There is an on-call function, but I find they get a lot of last-minute requests. If the person who requires an escort is denied, there is an appeal mechanism, and good planning will get a quicker result.

Lesa Semmler

Lesa Semmler Inuvik Twin Lakes

I think I'm just going to put aside these other questions because, every time she answers, it just brings up another thing. The people are waiting for medical travel to get their travel and then, when they get their travel, they are denied. Will the Minister look at this policy and see? Because, as a medical travel person, if you get your travel the day before you're going to leave and then you have no escort, that's why it ends up on the MLA's desk, or an email to the Minister.

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

I need to do some work to understand where the gap is here. I know that the medical practitioner is the starting point for requesting an escort and that goes to medical travel and the staff there make a determination. It's not up to me to create exceptions. The policy has the exceptions in it, and as I mentioned, there is an appeal mechanism for people who feel it has been applied incorrectly.

I want to add one more thing. There is confusion that I've seen between the need for a medical escort and the need for compassionate travel. I have seen medical escort requests where what the request is really for is for family reunification in the event that the family member in hospital is about to pass. I think there is some clarity that is needed, here, and I can certainly work on my end of that. I look forward to working with the Member on her end.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary. Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes.

Lesa Semmler

Lesa Semmler Inuvik Twin Lakes

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I look forward to working with the Minister on this because I have a lot more to add than these four questions. The other question I do have, since it's the final one, is the issue that I also brought up in my Member's statement, which is the hotels. Medical travel, we send people to the boarding homes here in Yellowknife and in Edmonton. Lately, more than I can count, they have been going into the hotel, in the hotel downtown, where there is no restaurant. They are getting delivered meals, and the meals are -- I'm sorry, but we get a lot better meals here than our medical travel patients. I'm going to say that because it's unfair. It's unfair to our medical travel people who are staying there. We need to look at what is happening there, and we need to either give them a hotel that has a restaurant with vouchers or give them per diems. Will the Minister commit to looking into what is going on there? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

I do make a commitment to look into what is going on with the meals. Thanks.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Great Slave.

Katrina Nokleby

Katrina Nokleby Great Slave

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister of Infrastructure. In my statement, I was discussing maintenance costs and how the lack of performing maintenance could actually increase costs down the line. Could the Minister please tell me what the total value of deferred maintenance costs are currently on our aging existing infrastructure? Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Great Slave. Minister of Infrastructure.

Diane Archie

Diane Archie Inuvik Boot Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Deferred Maintenance Program is an essential part of the government's strategy to effectively manage our infrastructure. The Deferred Maintenance Program has a budget of $5 million a year. The deferred maintenance backlog, I think that's where the Member is coming from, on our aging assets is assessed at $465,728,561; and, Members, you will hear more about it tonight in Committee of the Whole. It is estimated that there is about $11 million that is crucial, which could include safety upgrades, code upgrades, systems that are beyond their useful life, and issues that cause a lot of functionality in our facilities. The annual facility conditions assessments help us to prioritize deferred maintenance spending and also to identify and undertake remedial work to ensure that our buildings continue to be safe for occupancy and to maximize the useful life of these assets. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Katrina Nokleby

Katrina Nokleby Great Slave

That's a very staggering number to hear. I would encourage the Minister to have her department look into using systems where they can be maintained and operated by Northwest Territories businesses so that some of those costs come down, as we do bring people from the South. Earlier in the session, I did ask about funding that the department had committed to addressing needed repairs on the Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk Highway. The ITH is currently experiencing conditions that could lead to permafrost degradation and safety issues that will only increase exponentially with time. Can the Minister please reconfirm the commitment to perform significant rehabilitation work on the ITH this year?

Diane Archie

Diane Archie Inuvik Boot Lake

I am happy to hear that the Members are getting interested in some projects in the Beaufort-Delta. The department was able to resurface 26 kilometres of the Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk Highway this summer, which utilized 15,000 square metres of aggregate. This was over and above the ongoing maintenance that we have completed by local contractors. The department has also hired a consultant to review the entirety of the Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk Highway for any additional capital work that may be required. Infrastructure will also work to secure required funding as a result of that report. Additionally, we are working with the Department of ITI to secure funding for some highway pullouts.

Katrina Nokleby

Katrina Nokleby Great Slave

That is all well and good, to have a consultant engaged. However, we all know, and I know personally, how long consultants can take to return their reports. I do believe that there needs to be work done this year. I am hearing that what has been done has not been adequate. Given the time sensitivities around permafrost could I have the Minister commit to trying to find some more money for this year to repair more of the ITH?

Diane Archie

Diane Archie Inuvik Boot Lake

Absolutely. I know there is federal funding out there, and Infrastructure, we get two-thirds of our funding from the federal government. If there are pots of money out there that we can pursue, then there is no reason why the department shouldn't be pursuing that to upgrade some of our roads.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary. Member for Great Slave.

Katrina Nokleby

Katrina Nokleby Great Slave

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Can the Minister tell me: in the last three months, has the government or her department turned down any offers of federal funding for infrastructure, for example, around roads or a treatment centre such as Nunavut has? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Diane Archie

Diane Archie Inuvik Boot Lake

I'm not aware that the Department of Infrastructure has turned down any federal funding. I just mentioned that two-thirds of our funding does come from the federal government, and we should be actively pursuing any further federal funding to be able to increase projects in the territories. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Thebacha.

Frieda Martselos

Frieda Martselos Thebacha

Mr. Speaker, I want the Minister to succeed and do well with her portfolio. My hope is that the Minister will hear my critiques and work with the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation to improve its client services at the Fort Smith Housing Authority. We are still in a pandemic. Threats, last-chance letters, and eviction notices must stop. My constituents who are reliant on public housing must be treated fairly and with respect. Does the Minister agree? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Thebacha. Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation.