This is page numbers 2603 - 2636 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

Jackie Jacobson

Jackie Jacobson Nunakput

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today, my questions are for the Minister of Health and Social Services on providing mental health services across the Delta and my riding of Nunakput. Can the Minister provide me with an update on the activities supporting mental health that will take place in our small communities, including the Nunakput region, this year? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

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

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Particularly in Nunakput, it's my understanding that there are child and youth care counsellors in place in the schools to assist children and youth. There are wellness workers and there are child and youth family counsellors; I understand that that particular position in Tuktoyaktuk is now vacant. These people would be delivering the Community Counselling Program, as well as the child and youth care counsellor program. In addition to that, there would be various virtual supports such as the Help Line, the apps, and then, in the event of a critical incident, which I know Tuktoyaktuk had earlier this month, there would be additional supports that would come into the community from other locations to provide help as requested by the community. Thank you.

Jackie Jacobson

Jackie Jacobson Nunakput

What other culturally appropriate mental health supports are currently available for Northerners?

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

It's my hope that we are delivering culturally appropriate services in all of our different offerings, but some of the ones that I haven't yet mentioned are the suicide prevention fund, which my colleague from Frame Lake mentioned. It's an application-based community development program; the peer support program, which assists people who require after-care supports from facility-based treatment; another is on-the-land programming, which would be applied for by the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation and distributed to the communities. That's a good pot of money that can be spent in a very flexible way. It can be pre-care, it can be family-based counselling, it can be after-care. It's my understanding that the IRC did apply for that money in this fiscal year, and a new pot of money will be available on Thursday.

Jackie Jacobson

Jackie Jacobson Nunakput

We're going towards a digital age, even though I always say it's always good to have people coming to our communities to talk to people instead of doing it digitally or through the Internet and stuff like that. What is the Minister doing to move towards digital healthcare for residents like they do in the health centres for doctors? Are they able to do that with people with mental illness and stuff like that to take the time with their patients, the southern doctors who are available? Is that available to the people?

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

There is virtual care available to some extent in all communities. We have recently signed an agreement with the federal government that will enable us to enhance our virtual care offerings all across the NWT. We recognize that this is a way to put people in touch with specialized services, or services in their community while they have vacancies in critical positions. I do believe that virtual care is the way of the future, and we see that. We are enhancing that as money becomes available.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary. Member for Nunakput.

Jackie Jacobson

Jackie Jacobson Nunakput

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank the Minister for that. I really think we should be going towards Zoom conferences like we've been doing now. I really think that there are companies that do this professionally for youth across Canada. They have people who have been testing it with First Assist, John Chabot or Devin Buffalo out of Wetaskiwin, both former hockey players, but something like that for our youth. We need it. We have nothing going on in the communities. They're struggling, our youth. We can only do so much, I know, but there have to be ways that we can tap in to help them and really drill down to the issue and try to provide service for them. I'd really like to ask the Minister if she would look at something like that, a Zoom conference for our youth, a Zoom conference for men, a Zoom conferences for ladies, whatever they choose to do? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

One of the hallmarks of the programming in the department is that they like to offer people a choice so that we are not imposing one-size-fits-all service for all the people of the NWT. It varies by what they want for themselves. I think that having a Zoom presence for conferences is a good idea. Depending on whether that has a health focus or more of a youth motivation focus, that might be something that MACA can assist with, as well. If the Member has a specific idea for a project, then I would invite him to speak to myself and speak to the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs about how we can bring it to life. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

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

Question 694-19(2): Community Garden
Oral Questions

March 30th, 2021

Page 2611

Rocky Simpson

Rocky Simpson Hay River South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. These questions are for the Minister of health. Oh, no, sorry. The Minister of ITI.

---Laughter

Yesterday, the Minister of ITI talked about agriculture and community gardens, and I'd like to speak more about community gardens. We have people spending more time in the territories. We have an opportunity to get people out there learning about gardening. Myself, I have no idea. I don't mind eating the food that comes out of there, but if you ask me to grow anything, good luck. What I'd like to talk about is that, in Hay River, which is probably the capital of community gardens, we have an opportunity to do something in the smaller communities.

I just want to give you an example, for instance. In the community of Kakisa, they've had assistance, I think, from Guelph University. They put in a couple of greenhouses, and I think they even may want to expand the gardening by developing a five-acre plot to grow vegetables and that. You have got a community there of, just as an example, I don't know how many people, 70, 80 people or a hundred maybe. They have an opportunity to actually be self-sufficient in that area, and we need some test cases. It's just not Kakisa. There are other smaller communities that we could really do something with, so I would like to ask the Minister to provide support for communities like that. For instance, say Kakisa, they might need $25,000 to make this happen, and a lot of the communities, they might not come forward to Hay River and talk to anybody. I would ask the Minister if she would be willing to commit her department to reaching out to these communities and seeing what they can do to help them, to make sure the applications are in there. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Hay River South. Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment.

Caroline Wawzonek

Caroline Wawzonek Yellowknife South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Department of ITI has a wealth, a variety, of different programs and funding opportunities for programs just such as this. Yes, while I am happy to give the yes and say that we will reach out to Kakisa to make sure that they are aware of it, there are so many options and opportunities. If there are communities, Indigenous organizations, Indigenous governments, individuals thinking about creating some sort of small agriculture project, wanting to learn more about commercial agriculture, there are funding opportunities for small-scale foods programs; there are funding opportunities to support learning about food processing, food development, how to market, how to get involved in agriculture. All of these different areas have funding opportunities. We will ensure that we reach out directly to Kakisa, but again, as we are coming up on the growing season, please, I would again encourage people to reach out to their local EDO or ITI representative because there is money there to be spent on exactly this. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Rocky Simpson

Rocky Simpson Hay River South

I would ask the Minister to, as well, reach out to other communities, just to make sure that everybody is aware of what is available. However, I would like to take this a step further, as well. We have people out there; we have people who we say are homeless, but they have all got skills. You know what we say about idle hands. What I would like to see is the department work with maybe other departments to find ways to allow people to maybe participate in developing greenhouses and go further, as well, and maybe look at the correctional centres. You have got SMCC in Hay River. I think, at one time, they may have been doing that, but for some reason, maybe it stopped. I would like to ask the Minister if she would consider working with the Minister of Justice to see if there is something we can do to provide that opportunity, as well, if it's feasible.

Caroline Wawzonek

Caroline Wawzonek Yellowknife South

The agriculture strategy already brings together the Departments of ITI as well as Lands, ENR, Health and Social Services, so certainly the work across the departments is already happening. I am familiar with the program that used to exist in the correctional institutions, and I believe I have actually committed to another MLA earlier this same session that I would reach out and work with the Minister of Justice to see if there is some future for that program again. I don't have an answer other than to say that I have made that commitment. I will make it again, and we will see if it can go anywhere from here.

Rocky Simpson

Rocky Simpson Hay River South

Another organization, the Soaring Eagle Friendship Centre, what they are looking at doing is buying some small containers that are designed for growing vegetables in, just for starters. I forget how many they have got, a hundred or something they are going to be giving away. I am not sure if the Department of ITI is talking to them or assisting or whatever, but we are here to provide a service. When you provide a service, you usually go banging on doors. It's kind of like us as MLAs. If we want to know something, we have got to call our constituents. We have got to talk. We have got to go out and reach out to them. We cannot sit back and expect them to come to us. I would ask the Minister if she would have her department in Hay River reach out to the Soaring Eagle Friendship Centre and see what they can do to help assist in distribution or any training in what they are doing.

Caroline Wawzonek

Caroline Wawzonek Yellowknife South

When I said earlier that there are quite a number of programs, I say that out of personal experience. I have found it inspiring but also overwhelming, the amount of opportunity and options that are there. What I have asked for recently and what has been produced just in the last month is actually an 11-page document that says "Funding Programs: Industry, Tourism and Investment." I was recently up in the Beaufort-Delta, took this with me, and was handing it out as we were meeting with various community governments. I think what I will say is that not only will we reach out to the Soaring Eagle Friendship Centre, but I need to make an effort to get this document out more broadly so that organizations like the Soaring Eagle, if they want to have opportunities to access this funding, that they will see it and have it available to them. Yes, I will certainly make sure that we make a commitment, make a note to follow up on that specific request, but again more broadly, yes, the money needs to go out to where it's intended to go.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary. Member for Hay River South.

Rocky Simpson

Rocky Simpson Hay River South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think, after this question, the Minister will see where I am going with this. I am going to talk about the fish plant now. Has the department assessed how the new proposed fish plant could be used for agricultural purposes during the off season, like for, say, if you have vegetables that have to be dealt with? My understanding is that that plant might be multipurpose, so what I am trying to do is get a full-meal deal here, fish and vegetables. Thank you.

Caroline Wawzonek

Caroline Wawzonek Yellowknife South

Short answer: yes, that there is an intention that indeed the fish plant would be one that is compliant with the Canadian food industry inspection agency's full requirements to be able to provide a product that is more varied than simply processing fish. Specifically, what might come from that and specifically what might ultimately get processed there would likely be up more to the owners and managers of the plant, certainly rather than me. However, the vision is one that it is meant to be up to a level that it can accommodate more than simply a processing of the fish. Again, I will perhaps have to go back and just look at exactly what the extent of it would be, but that was the intention kind of always in the works, that it can always be running, that it will not have shut-down periods and that it factors into the bigger picture of food security for the Northwest Territories, which is obviously about more than just fish. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Oral questions. Member for Thebacha.

Frieda Martselos

Frieda Martselos Thebacha

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Infrastructure Minister since I did not get a fourth yes and clarity. Considering that the Taltson expansion is on traditional territory of the Salt River First Nation and the Fort Smith Metis Nation, doesn't it make sense that the superintendent of NTPC, which it always was, that the office should be in Fort Smith for the South Slave and not Fort Simpson? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Thebacha. Minister of Infrastructure.

Diane Archie

Diane Archie Inuvik Boot Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Just to clarify, as I am looking at my colleague from the area, the superintendent is not, in fact, located in Fort Simpson. However, I am going to start again from the last round, where we talked about the Taltson expansion project. It is currently in the business phase. It is led by the Department of Finance. However, we are working together. This government has numerous times said that we will all work together as departments. Again, I relayed this to the community when in Fort Smith last week, once we proceed through the business case, development phase, we will look at and consider the impacts the Taltson will have on staffing for the region. This is a big, major project, and I know where the Member is coming from in terms of having the opportunity to be able to look at the staffing needs at that time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.