Mahsi for that. Ms. Cleveland.
Debates of Oct. 20th, 2022
This is page numbers 4727 - 4770 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 know.
Topics
Consideration Of Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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Caitlin Cleveland Kam Lake
Yeah, thank you very much Mr. Chair. I guess in here, and I know this isn't new information to the department, but I think it need to be said, is, especially with the state of the territory right now, our elders and having elders in communities is so important to community members and to the mental health of community members and the mental health of our elders and to the quality of life of our elders. And so I think this is -- making pathways for elders to be able to age in place is incredibly important, and this is a piece of that puzzle. And so I really do encourage the department to please move these along, I guess, as much as possible.
And in regards to Stanton Legacy opening up and the beds opening up, can the Minister just confirm what day they expect to be able to move their first residents into Stanton Legacy? Thank you.
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Julie Green Yellowknife Centre
Yes, thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I'm not able to give a date at this time for the first resident to move in. What I can say is that I can provide waiting list information. The largest waiting list presently is in the Beaufort Delta. It's 15 individuals. So there is a waitlist I think in almost every location, except for Fort Smith, of somewhere between one and 15 individuals. So obviously we are interested in having the long-term care facilities available.
Our commitment to aging in place has as much to do with home care and supports provided for people to stay in their own homes as it does to put them into facilities which may or may not be in their communities. So this is a continuum of care that we're trying to provide here, from supports in people's homes to when they need 24-hour care to go into long-term care. Thank you
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Caitlin Cleveland Kam Lake
Yeah, thank you very much, Mr. Chair, and I appreciate that from the Minister. I want to understand a little bit more given that it seems like Hay River's our best bet for long-term care outside of Yellowknife. I want to understand from the Minister if their intent is to move the facility because of where the flood waters came to, or is it to redesign, and if the Minister can confirm if the flood waters came up to where the existing location was expected to be, or what specifically is needing to change because of the flood this year. Thank you.
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Heath
Thank you, Mr. Chair. There's two predominant dimensions that's influencing the decision around it. The first one is the original HH Williams. The base level floor was about three feet under water. And so if we had built a new facility, as we originally intended, the electrical, mechanical, kitchen, and all the services, would have been three feet under water. So very clearly, we wouldn't be able implement with that design.
The other element was that facility was without services for nine days, and when I mean services, I mean power, water and sewer. It's impossible to maintain continuity of a service program if you don't have water or sewer and power for a duration of nine days. The facility was evacuated. It was originally evacuated in part to the health centre, which remained operational, and then eventually people were evacuated outside of the community.
So our concern is striking a balance between moving forward with a project on a schedule that it's our preference to do it on, and striking that balance between building a facility that we can guarantee runs 365 days a year, and we do not have to evacuate. So that's the challenge we're up against. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
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Jackie Jacobson Nunakput
Thank you, Mr. Chair. You know, I just -- I would be remiss if I didn't say anything. You know, I've been asking for elders facilities in my communities, quality of life for my elders, being shipped to Inuvik, not being able to see family. You know, it's pretty tough for the elder and pretty tough on the family. And I made a comment -- some elder made a comment to me. He said the only time I'll see my whole family again is when I go home in a box. That's not right. Unacceptable. Quality of life for our elders, double standard. Double standard for southern to northern. I'm really -- I'm happy that you guys in the communities that are getting more beds but Inuvik getting more beds, that's just taking members from my riding. Moving them to Inuvik when we already pay a high cost of living for travel for the airline tickets. They're over $1,000. It's easier to -- it's cheaper to travel from Yellowknife to Edmonton return than it is to get a one-way ticket from Inuvik to Sachs Harbour. It's really a double standard. I really want this -- before, you know, we should be planning smaller units going into the communities where they're -- we're partnering up with the community corporation to make -- try to make it for all elders for aging in place and not having such a double standard. And it's really -- it's disheartening because I go to the hospital in Inuvik, I see my elders there that want to go home. Sad. But then we go -- before there were 48 beds, now there's 24. I really am disheartened. Double standard for the northern people of my riding in Nunakput. Double standard for my elders. Until something's done to work together with this department and with this government, they should be ashamed of themselves on that. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Just a comment.
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The Chair Ronald Bonnetrouge
Mahsi for that, and bringing that up too. I'll allow the Minister to reply if she would like. Mahsi.
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Julie Green Yellowknife Centre
Yes, thank you, Mr. Chair. And I appreciate that the Member is frustrated with not having a long-term care facility in his constituency. In fact, most constituencies in the NWT don't have long-term care facilities because there needs to be a certain size of population to make them cost effective.
What we've tried to do in places like Nunakput is provide home care. We provide it everywhere. But with a special focus in places that are remote, like the communities of Nunakput, to increase home care to enable people to stay at home. But there comes a point where the elders need 24-hour nursing. And that's what tips them into long-term care.
To talk more about the department's philosophy in situating long-term care, I'd ask the assistant deputy minister of corporate services and cultural safety, Ms. Kakfwi Scott, to comment, please.
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Kakfwi Scott
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I think it's -- it's hard to talk just about capital because, of course, buildings don't exist outside of the programs and services that we offer in them. Long-term care is a really important part of being able to provide the right care and services for elders. It's not the only thing that we are working towards. There's a lot of engagement taking place right now on the development of an elders' strategy. There's been lots of work on the continuum of care for elders and seniors. Aging in place really means that, as much as possible, we want people to be staying in their home communities. We want them to be in their own homes with their own families and to have access to the supports and services that they need to stay there. When people get to a point where they do need that 24-hour nursing care, where they need to have supports that can only be provided in a facility, it's important that those facilities are in place and that those beds are ready for people. So it's all connected to each other. It's important that all of that work is moving forward together and that we're really thinking about where there are gaps in the continuum of services and how we can change our work to do that.
It's also something that we are developing, the department's work in cultural safety that is important. If people do have to leave their home communities, if they need to be further away from their families in order to receive the health care that they might need, that we're doing that as much as possible in a culturally safe way and making sure that people still have connections to the things that are important to them about their families and their cultures.
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Jackie Jacobson Nunakput
Thank you for that. You know, home care, it works good until it's so much pressure on the family that they have to stay up 24 hours a day taking care of their mother or their father or their loved one that they're not going to want to let go. They're going to push themselves right to the very end until they have no choice, until they burn themselves out. And that's the kind of -- that's where we're from. That's where I come from. We don't want to let our elders go because once they're in Inuvik they're not going to come home.
Like, you know, working, I did talk to the Minister about this. I mean, I'm kind of off topic but I did talk to the Minister about this, by working together with the community corporations and the communities and with the IRC. And then COVID hit, it fell short. But now we got to get to that next level to provide four beds, or four or five beds into a community and be able to service everybody to age in place. And, you know, it's -- if I know with the federal government, with Inuvialuit Regional Corporation, with our government, I think we could build a four or five-bed facility in each community of Ulukhaktok and Paulatuk and Tuk and being able to take care of our elders in place. And I hope we could go down that road, Mr. Chair. Thank you
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The Chair Ronald Bonnetrouge
I didn't hear any question there, so we'll take it as a comment. Mahsi. Any further questions from committee? All right.
Health and Social Services, on page 44, long term and continuing care services, infrastructure investments, $6,989,000. Does committee agree?
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Some Hon. Members
Agreed.
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The Chair Ronald Bonnetrouge
Thank you, Members. We'll now return to the department summary found on page 38. Health and Social Services, 2023-2024 Capital Estimates, $35,904,000. Does committee agree? Member for Frame Lake.
Committee Motion 300-19(2): Tabled Document 723-19(2): Capital Estimates 2023-2024 - Health and Social Services - Deferral of Department (page 38), Carried
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Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake
Mr. Chair, I move that this committee defer further consideration of the estimates for the Department of Health and Social Services at this time. Mahsi, Mr. Chair.
Committee Motion 300-19(2): Tabled Document 723-19(2): Capital Estimates 2023-2024 - Health and Social Services - Deferral of Department (page 38), Carried
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Committee Motion 300-19(2): Tabled Document 723-19(2): Capital Estimates 2023-2024 - Health and Social Services - Deferral of Department (page 38), Carried
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Some Hon. Members
Question.
Committee Motion 300-19(2): Tabled Document 723-19(2): Capital Estimates 2023-2024 - Health and Social Services - Deferral of Department (page 38), Carried
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The Chair Ronald Bonnetrouge
Question has been called. All those in favour? All of those opposed? Abstentions? The motion is carried.
---Carried
Thank you, committee. Is committee prepared to move on to the next department? Agreed?