This is page numbers 659 - 708 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 community.

Topics

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife North.

Rylund Johnson

Rylund Johnson Yellowknife North

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I said earlier today in my statement, presently, there is no such thing as an agricultural lease in the Northwest Territories. My question to the Minister of Lands is: when can we see agricultural leases in the Northwest Territories?

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you. Minister of Lands.

Shane Thompson

Shane Thompson Nahendeh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Presently, people wanting agricultural leases need to apply through commercial activity. This work that Lands and ITI are currently undertaking will address agricultural activities. Right now, we are working on it, but presently, they would have to go through the commercial lease act process. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Rylund Johnson

Rylund Johnson Yellowknife North

I quite often hear that Lands is working on things, but I rarely hear that Lands has completed things. The issue with going through the commercial lease process is that you cannot live on a commercial lease. If you're going to farm, you should probably live there. My question is: is the Minister willing to review the commercial leasing process to see if agricultural people can live on the land?

Shane Thompson

Shane Thompson Nahendeh

I have heard this concern from the Member and other people in here. In the long term, we don't allow that, but in the present, what we are encouraging people to do is to actually apply for residential leases besides the commercial lease for the land so that they can live beside the land right now. We are in the process of trying to work on it, and the process takes some time.

Rylund Johnson

Rylund Johnson Yellowknife North

I don't often like to refer to the Yukon as doing things better than us, but I can tell you what a proper agricultural land system looks like. In the Yukon, if you live on a piece of land for seven years, they give it to you for free in fee simple. It's not a lease; you get to own that land if you're willing to put it to agricultural use. Now, I think this is, perhaps, too much to ask the Department of Lands to look at something like that, but when we are looking at agricultural leases, can we look at the pricing and make this as cheap as possible for those willing to start agricultural businesses?

Shane Thompson

Shane Thompson Nahendeh

The Yukon has a great process; we can't argue about that. We also have land claims processes, so we have to remember to respect Indigenous rights as we move forward. However, in hearing the Member speak about this and that, we are actually working on that. We are trying to make that part of the regulations. We are dealing with it. Presently, I would just like to point out that raw land is already low. It's at $800 per hectare for territorial land; 5 percent of assessed value for Commissioner's land. Again, like I said, pricing for the review of this process will be part of our Public Land Act and regulations.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister. Member for Yellowknife North.

Rylund Johnson

Rylund Johnson Yellowknife North

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I do look forward to the implementation of the Public Land Act and finally having one piece of land. I think it is a huge step that will help us deal with the issues of finally getting the outstanding land claims settled. My question is, though, for the Yellowknife periphery area. I have the Ingraham Trail on it, and I have no shortage of constituents complaining about the Department of Lands and the lack of planning and the mishap way that we have rolled out leases in that area. In regard to agricultural requests that have come from constituents, can the Yellowknife periphery area plan look into agricultural use? Thank you.

Shane Thompson

Shane Thompson Nahendeh

Yes, that's part of it. We also have to understand that there is high demand for recreational leases, and that is part of the plan moving forward. We are working on it, and I will keep the Member informed as we move forward. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Kam Lake.

Caitlin Cleveland

Caitlin Cleveland Kam Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We know that mental health supports are not one-size-fits-all, so I am wondering how the Northwest Territories Health and Social Services authority educates Northerners about their mental health treatment options. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Kam Lake. Minister of Health and Social Services.

Diane Archie

Diane Archie Inuvik Boot Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Information available for our mental health supports and services can be found on our department's website. The department also uses social media, including the Northwest Territories Help Line Facebook page, which promotes health and mental well-being as well as service options. All Health and Social Services professionals can also refer individuals to mental health supports and services. We know that we need to do more and use more different approaches. The department's Mental Wellness and Addictions Recovery Action Plan commits to engaging with residents to ask them about how they want to receive information about mental health and addictions services and supports. The engagement is ongoing, and the results will be used to inform new approaches. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Caitlin Cleveland

Caitlin Cleveland Kam Lake

I hope that front-line staff will be part of developing that action plan. GNWT employees receive health through something called the Employee and Family Assistance Program. This program allows employees to access legal advice, financial advice, and it also allows them to access mental health support. I am wondering, given that this is something that is exclusive to GNWT employees or employers that have the funds and the means to supply their staff with this type of programming, does the Minister agree that the general public has a lower level of access to mental health supports in the Northwest Territories than GNWT employees?

Diane Archie

Diane Archie Inuvik Boot Lake

We all agree that we need to do a better job in providing access to mental health services. It is a priority for this Assembly, and an issue that my department takes seriously, and we are currently working on.

Caitlin Cleveland

Caitlin Cleveland Kam Lake

I am happy to hear that. Will the Minister of Health and Social Services look into broadening their mental health support network to include private counsellors to reduce wait times and increase consistency of care for Northerners suffering from mental health challenges?

Diane Archie

Diane Archie Inuvik Boot Lake

Currently, at this time, our department is not looking at including private counsellors into the service delivery model. We had looked at it, and using private counsellors would be extremely expensive; for example, two, possibly three, times the cost for employing our own counsellors. Our approach to reducing wait times is the Seamless Care Pathway, that we are making sure people are matched with the right level of service to ensure more timely access. What I am aware of, in reading my briefings and meeting with staff, is that the wait times for counselling do not exist in most communities. Wait times are mainly an issue in Yellowknife and Hay River.

Wait times are tracked in communities where they exist and follow up with people on the wait list every three weeks to ensure that they still need the counselling and that their level of risk has not changed. I do want to expand that a main part of this work is to improve access to counselling by adding same-day walk-in appointments, as well as other options, like e-mental health access. These types of efforts have been shown to have dramatic impacts on wait times in other areas of the country. This work is underway as we speak and is on track to be implemented this spring 2020.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary, Member for Kam Lake.

Caitlin Cleveland

Caitlin Cleveland Kam Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am trying to think of how to reduce this to one question. I feel that I have acknowledged that the cost is high to work with private contractors, but when you have a high suicide rate like we do in the Northwest Territories, that cost is much higher. The risk of losing more youth to suicide in communities or in Yellowknife is, you can't put a number on that. I am thankful that the department is looking at it, but I feel that I disagree with the Minister here, that we do have wait times and having a child identify that they are suicidal and waiting three weeks to three months is not okay to receive mental healthcare. I'm wondering if the Minister will commit to working with NTHSSA to identify a responsive triage mechanism that allows us to see Northerners in a much quicker manner and would potentially review that process with collaboration from Members on this side of the House. Thank you.

Diane Archie

Diane Archie Inuvik Boot Lake

Counselling requests are triaged based on risk. If a person is at a higher level of risk, for example, suicidal, they are not subject to the wait times and they are seen within a day or two. Our approach to reducing wait times in the Seamless Care Pathway, we are working to make sure that people are matched with the right level of service to ensure more timely access. The goal of this is to improve access to mental health services, but it's also focused on how we match people to their services. The Seamless Care Pathway approach is about offering the service that best meets the needs of the person. This program is overseen by the Department of Finance; oh, sorry. No. It's our department. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Hay River South.

Rocky Simpson

Rocky Simpson Hay River South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. These questions will be for the Deputy Premier. We know that COVID-19 has been declared a pandemic. We know that it's affecting the health of the people, and we know that there is going to be a cost to our healthcare system, but there is also a cost to the economy, as well. I'm wondering if this government has considered how it can support businesses during this period. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Hay River South. Deputy Premier.