This is page numbers 1153 - 1196 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 seniors.

Topics

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

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

Caitlin Cleveland

Caitlin Cleveland Kam Lake

Thank you very much Mr. Speaker. Though I appreciate that, I know that a lot of GNWT employees were redeployed to help out Protect NWT, and I definitely appreciate that they volunteered for that. I'm wondering, given that there is such a desire for people to find out more information about this, if the Department of Health and Social Services is willing to put this information online so that residents can have easier access to how to go about this process. Thank you.

Diane Archie

Diane Archie Inuvik Boot Lake

Absolutely. As things change and as things develop within this COVID-19, our department is frequently updating our website. We are providing information through media, through a variety of radio, the list continues. Our department continuously provides communication as things come up, and that is important. People in the Northwest Territories would like to know when things are happening, when changes are being made to different orders, how we're moving into different phases. It's very important that communication continues. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

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

Lesa Semmler

Lesa Semmler Inuvik Twin Lakes

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister of health. I know that we have some great homecare and home support staff, and I'm sure they're providing as much information to the seniors and elders in my community that are on their homecare list, but not all seniors in my community are on that list. I want to know if the department can make sure that, if, or when, we have this second wave, some information packages can be put together so that we can have them in the public, even for constituency office, so we can deliver this information out to seniors to help them what they need to do to be safe during the pandemic. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

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

Diane Archie

Diane Archie Inuvik Boot Lake

Absolutely. Right now, we are going through this first wave of COVID. We are learning from some of the things that we are doing, therefore, allows us to better inform residents of the Northwest Territories. It is important and communication is key. Especially if we are moving into the summer months, the fall, and the flu pandemic is coming. Information will be provided on vaccines and that is important. We are currently having discussions with the federal Ministers on perhaps having a flu vaccine available earlier so that we can have protection for our seniors.

Lesa Semmler

Lesa Semmler Inuvik Twin Lakes

Can the Minister maybe have her homecare staff or some other staff within the community that really work with a lot of the elders and boots-to-the-ground frontline staff to gather more lists of names, especially if we do go into the second wave of this pandemic? This is just to make sure there is someone checking on them, even though now they may not have that need, but during that, they may need that.

Diane Archie

Diane Archie Inuvik Boot Lake

Another absolutely. It is important that our home and community care workers work hard in the communities. We are looking at extending hours. We will be talking about the home and community care review after rise of the House today. There are some recommendations in the review that Members will be happy, and they'll be supporting because some of the work that is in the review, in the recommendations, we're already doing. I think our home community care in the communities work hard. Right now, we need to look at some of their hours, because I have been hearing that elders don't go to sleep after 5:00, or they don't wake up at 9:00. We recognize that, and I think that is important.

Lesa Semmler

Lesa Semmler Inuvik Twin Lakes

Thank you to the Minister for that. I always want to protect the elders because we know that they're vulnerable, and they're immunocompromised, and they're our elders. We were raised to protect them once we got older. That was what we do. I understand the reason behind closing the visiting to long-term care area like when there is an outbreak of flu, and now with the pandemic, but a lot of our elders don't have long to live in some of our long-term care facilities. Can the Minister explain if there is a process for immediate family that can visit their loved ones now during this pandemic? If there is, can you explain that?

Diane Archie

Diane Archie Inuvik Boot Lake

We watched what was happening across Canada and where seniors were passing on as a result of not tightening up rules. That really sent a message to us here in the Northwest Territories, so we acted really quick to make sure that we restricted some of the access to our long-term care centres. We put measure in place where basically the visiting hours were really quite restricted. That was done for the safety of the elders, that was done for the safety of our workers.

I look around now within social media and you see innovative ways of how people are visiting their elders. They're taking pictures through the windows of the long-term care centres. They're visiting that way. Even some of the elders are wanting Facebook and just to find ways to communicate, FaceTime. There are so many different ways that we can communicate with our elders that are in care with the family. There are ways that are safe for both. That's our primary concern right now.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

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

Lesa Semmler

Lesa Semmler Inuvik Twin Lakes

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, I appreciate that the department is taking that serious and I know that the workers in the long-term care really care for the elders. We don't want them getting sick, but it is hard to see that when they can't connect. We have to do what's right and that's the thing, the highest population in Canada that we're losing to COVID is seniors. I thank the health department for that.

What I would like to know is: what needs to happen during this pandemic or after the pandemic? Have you thought that far ahead yet on what needs to take place to start lifting these measures? Again, I'm not saying we're going to put them at risk right now but so families can start to kind of get a sense of, "This is what needs to happen before I actually can sit and hold my mom and my dad or my grandparents."

Diane Archie

Diane Archie Inuvik Boot Lake

Like I mentioned, we are still in the first wave. We are looking forward to a second wave. We're easing up wisely. We're loosening some of the things. We'll do a big announcement tomorrow that some folks might be happy with, some folks might not be happy with. Can't please everyone, but we're going to do the announcement anyways.

The Member is asking: when will we start to lift restrictions for our elders and for our seniors? My quick answer would be: let's find a vaccine, then we can start to look at lifting some restrictions. Right now, it's not safe. There are some exceptions that our department is doing in order to ensure that we have family somehow visit or somehow interact with the elders that are in care. One of the things we have asked people to do is to be outside. Start utilizing the outside. Hopefully, that's in our phase 2, tomorrow, we'll see. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Item 8, written questions. Member for Frame Lake.

Kevin O'Reilly

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

Merci, Monsieur le President. My questions are for the Minister of Finance. Please provide a list and amounts of all current financial obligations to the Government of the Northwest Territories and subsidies provided to the Dominion Diamond group of companies that includes the following:

  • an itemized listing of and outstanding amounts due to the Government of the Northwest Territories for payroll taxes, property taxes, corporate taxes, mining royalties, carbon and fuel taxes, land lease rents, water use fees, Worker's Safety and Compensation Commission assessments, and any other financial obligations;
  • an itemized listing of amounts and type of any subsidies provided to the Dominion Diamond group of companies, including land lease fee holidays, wage top-ups, loan deferrals, mining fee reductions, or any similar reductions, deferrals, or forgiveness; and
  • an itemized listing of amounts spent by GNWT in connection with the Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act proceeding in relation to the Dominion Diamond group of companies including outside legal counsel, consultants, staff time and related costs.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Frame Lake. Written questions. Member for Nunakput.

Jackie Jacobson

Jackie Jacobson Nunakput

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On June 10, 2020, I asked the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment if he could confirm whether payments of claims beneficiaries, per Section 20(4) to the Income Assistance Regulations, has been considered "unearned income" when determining "net monthly income" to the purpose of calculating Income Assistance payable to the applicant, whether the payments and claims in the beneficiaries were exempt from being considered unearned income under the regulations prior to 2007. Quoting from unedited Hansard, the Minister replied, "I'm not up to date with what happened in 2007, so I can't confirm what the status of the program was in 2007." I also asked the Minister how much the inclusion of this provision saves the Government of the Northwest Territories on Income Assistance payments, to which he did not receive a direct answer. Consequently, I have the following written questions:

  1. Since the 1990, inception of the Income Assistance Regulations pursuant to the Social Assistance Act, is "money, or the value of goods, in excess of $500 per year, received by a person under a self-government agreement, a land claims agreement or an impact benefits agreement" always considered as unearned income for the purpose of determining an applicant's net monthly income, or the provision included in the regulations at that point subsequent to their coming into force?
  2. What is the rationale for including claims beneficiary income, the calculation is "unearned income" when Residential School Settlement payments were not included in that calculation?
  3. If the Government of the Northwest Territories were to exempt claims of beneficiaries in land claim groups income from being considered "unearned income" when determining the applicant's net monthly income for the purposes of calculating Income Assistance payable to the applicant, how much extra would it cost our Government of the Northwest Territories in social assistance payments, applicants for the current fiscal year? Put another way, how much money will the GNWT save on Income Assistance payments in this current fiscal year by including claims beneficiaries income as "unearned income" when determining the applicant's net monthly income for the purposes of calculating Income Assistance payable to an applicant?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Nunakput. Written questions. Item 9, returns to written questions. Item 10, replies to the Commissioner's address. Item 11, petitions. Item 12, reports of committees on the review of bills. Item 13, reports of standing and special committees. Item 14, tabling of documents. Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment.

Katrina Nokleby

Katrina Nokleby Great Slave

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following six documents: "Grants and Contributions Results Reports 2018-2019"; "Annual Report 2019-2020 of the Northwest Territories Office of the Regulator of Oil and Gas"; "Follow-Up Letter for Oral Question 52-19(2), Grants and Contributions to Commercial Fishers"; "Follow-Up Letter for Oral Question 75-19(2), Impact of Coronavirus on Northwest Territories Tourism"; "Follow-Up Letter for Oral Question 112-19(2), Northwest Territories Commercial Fishing Industry"; and "Follow-Up Letter for Oral Question 249-19(2), Small Business Grants." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. WHEREAS the population of elders in the Northwest Territories is the fastest growing sector of the population;

AND WHEREAS this population is expected to increase by 56 percent to 9,400 people in the next 15 years;

AND WHEREAS 40 percent of seniors and elders have income of less than $25,000 per year and thus live in poverty;

AND WHEREAS this 19th Assembly agreed in its mandate to enable seniors and elders to age in place with dignity;

AND WHEREAS there is a need for a whole of government approach to provide and co-ordinate services and programs that respond to the complex needs of elders;

AND WHEREAS there are gaps in current programs and services such as accessing financial assistance for home maintenance and providing suitable, affordable housing;

AND WHEREAS there is a need to revamp homecare programming for elders across the territory by providing a broader range and more client-centered services;

AND WHEREAS most communities need programs and transportation for elders to combat their social isolation;

AND WHEREAS the National Elders Strategy is not designed to meet the needs of the Northwest Territories, and the Northwest Territories' "Our Elders, Our Communities" strategy needs updating;

NOW THEREFORE I MOVE, seconded by the Member for Thebacha, that the Government of the Northwest Territories develop a strategy by engaging Northwest Territories elders that provides a whole of government approach to enhance and coordinate programs and services to elders going forward;

AND FURTHER, that the Government respond to this motion within 120 days.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Yellowknife Centre. Member for Yellowknife Centre.

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Mr. Speaker, I have an amendment to the motion. I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Thebacha, that Motion 11-19(2) be amended by changing each reference of the word "elders" to the words "seniors and elders," except where it is the title of a document. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Yellowknife Centre. The motion is in order as amended. All those in favour? All those opposed? Any abstentions? The motion is carried.

---Carried

Member for Yellowknife Centre.