This is page numbers 2689 - 2718 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 health.

Topics

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. Mr. Speaker, my questions are for the Minister of Health and Social Services. As I mentioned in my statement, the importance of the Beaufort Delta-Yukon connection and that we want clear answers, not statistics. I would like to ask the Minister what risk measurements are being used to make decisions around border restrictions and movement of people of the NWT. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

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

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Mr.Speaker. Mr. Speaker, under the Public Health Act, the Chief public health officer has the authority to make recommendations to me about travel, and they are then written into public health orders and enforced at this point by the COVID Secretariat. So it's a process that begins with the Chief Public Health Officer and ends up with me signing off.

The issue about the travel exemption with the Yukon doesn't have to do with risk assessment. It has to do with verification of people being vaccinated. So the Yukon and BC have a common medical record system, but ours is different than theirs. And so there's been some negotiations underway about how to share information between the NWT and the Yukon to verify that people have, in fact, been vaccinated. Thank you.

Lesa Semmler

Lesa Semmler Inuvik Twin Lakes

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Just, maybe a offer some advice. Would it be easier for the person who's travelling in to have a copy of their record and would that be sufficient, as right now if we don't have an agreement? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Yes, thank you. I'm sure that that would be useful to if you had a copy of your own if you had your own immunization. But the information sharing would open it up to everyone without them having to obtain paper that indicates that they have been vaccinated.

These discussions are well along, and I heard the Chief Public Health Officer say on the radio yesterday that she expected them to conclude shortly.

I just want to add one more thing, and that is that the situation between ourselves and Yukon is what the whole world is now grappling with, with immunization records, how do we create a system that is private but effective and indicating immunization to other countries when we decide to travel internationally again.

So this is a live issue at the moment, and we are seeing it right here with the travel exemption to Yukon. Thank you.

Lesa Semmler

Lesa Semmler Inuvik Twin Lakes

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. You know, I mean, we've been travelling all over the world before COVID, and there are vaccinations that we need to have in order to enter some countries. And we as a past public health nurse, I've provided these vaccines and given them their records, and they've been able to enter these countries. I don't understand why we can't go from Yukon to the Northwest Territories or vice versa.

So I'm just going to move on. And what you know, has there been any discussion about a temporary absence right now that could provide Beaufort Delta residents to go into the Yukon for at least maybe 72 hours without having to isolate on coming home.

We have no road access into Yellowknife. So those people that are not from the region may not realize that. And there's no possible way we can go anywhere else in 72 hours if we have to be back across the border. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it's my understanding that the CPHO is working on a travel exemption which would provide access to the Yukon that would be not time limited. I'm not aware of any work being done on a time-limited option. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you. Final Supplementary. Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes.

Lesa Semmler

Lesa Semmler Inuvik Twin Lakes

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The only reason I'm asking for the time limit is there's ongoing work and if maybe if this discussion could happen that some of our residents could travel and get what they need to do, pick up vehicles that have been there since November, months ago, because, like I said, it's our lifeline. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. I certainly will make sure that the CPHO hears that suggestion. And, of course, we appreciate the fact that people would like to get to Whitehorse and go shopping, pick up their vehicles and so on. And we look forward to making that happen as soon as possible. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

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

Frieda Martselos

Frieda Martselos Thebacha

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, would the Premier consider a more personal and compassionate approach to helping the communities of Fort Simpson and Jean Marie River with appointing a disaster navigator with a team to help both communities for a positive recovery. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Thebacha. Honourable Premier.

Caroline Cochrane

Caroline Cochrane Range Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I hear the MLA talking about we need to be more compassionate and personal with people, and I heard the MLA say that as well during the presentation the other day, that, when we were looking at the flooding. And I agree. And, Mr. Speaker and the Minister agrees as well, the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs. She has already said that we need to humanize our services there. So I do think that we need to have a more compassionate way of working with people. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Frieda Martselos

Frieda Martselos Thebacha

Mr. Speaker, in my discussions with Chief Jerry Antoine, he said the Government of the Northwest Territories needs to establish a singular point of contact between Fort Simpson and the Premier's office to ensure better communications are established immediately, and he wants this contact to be someone in a position of authority. Will the Premier establish that point of contact? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Thebacha. Honourable Premier.

Caroline Cochrane

Caroline Cochrane Range Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, I do know Chief Antoine does have my number, and any chief can actually call me at any time. They also know that it's difficult to reach me during the days, and I think that's what the issue might be more so.

But, again, I did hear them. And I did have conversations with the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs, and both of us agree that we need to be more concerned about the people on the ground. So we did have conversations, and we are looking. Actually, we will be bringing in either -- I'm not sure what the term is, a pathfinder, a system's navigator, somebody on the ground, Mr. Speaker, that actually can help people navigate the systems.

It's horrible what they must be going through, and it's horrible to lose your home, and then have to figure out the bureaucracy is not acceptable. So we've had those discussions and we will be bringing that forward. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Frieda Martselos

Frieda Martselos Thebacha

Mr. Speaker, Chief Antoine said that this is a very simple request, but it is urgent. He also said they already have professional technicians on restoration ready to go. They need the guarantee to recoup the costs.

Will the Premier guarantee that the Government of the Northwest Territories will help the affected communities recoup all costs, such as labour, material, equipment, et cetera pertaining to flood restoration? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Caroline Cochrane

Caroline Cochrane Range Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. That's a little bit harder of an answer to give. There's all kinds of factors that need to be taken into consideration when looking at costs. There's amounts the federal government will cover. There's also some people in communities do have insurance, and some people don't. Those things have to be taken into consideration as well.

What I can say, Mr. Speaker, is that the officials are meeting this weekend, and also Cabinet is going to meet this weekend to discuss about the flooding and what we can do to support as well.

So I'm looking forward to figuring out what we can do, but, again, it's not so easy just to say that we'll cover everything when there may be other factors, such as insurance agencies that might be able to take account, and Federal Government, in some communities, some of those housings are Band housing versus -- or Federal housing versus GNWT housing. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Honourable Premier. Final supplementary. Member for Thebacha.

Frieda Martselos

Frieda Martselos Thebacha

Mr. Speaker, Chief Antoine's concluding remark was, mahsi, and thank you for being there. Premier, the ball is now in your court. I told Chief Antoine that I would request you call him after session today about these matters. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Caroline Cochrane

Caroline Cochrane Range Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. That's an easy commitment. Absolutely, I can. All chiefs out there know that they can reach me. My life is pretty basic, go to work and go home. So they can reach me any evening and every weekend.

And I will make the commitment that I will call Chief Antoine this evening. If not Chief Antoine, I don't know what will happen, but tomorrow at the latest. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Honourable Premier. Oral questions. Member for Great Slave.

Katrina Nokleby

Katrina Nokleby Great Slave

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, while I have the Premier committing to things, I am going to ask her some questions. I have to say I'm a little bit distressed to hear my colleague get a response that risk assessments are not part of the discussion on whether or not we are going to go into inter-territorial bubble travels.

So I am going to reiterate the question here: Can the Premier tell us where her discussions are at with the other two territories and their Premiers on inter-territorial bilateral travel agreements and can she roughly estimate when she can expect this to happen.

And I do expect that the Premier is talking with the other Premiers, not just leaving it to the department. Thank you.