This is page numbers 4771 - 4832 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

Caroline Wawzonek

Caroline Wawzonek Yellowknife South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, let me just quickly start by saying that I certainly haven't shut the door on the possibilities around the diamond mines, that there is still exploration happening. And while it looks likely that at least one of them will be on its closure date, the others are, you know, I'd like to say that let's just not shut that door just yet. My hope is a little more positive and optimistic.

But as for metal mining, Mr. Speaker, we do have a mineral development strategy. It does need to be updated but it is there. It was developed in conjunction with industry. It is helping to guide some of the programs that we have now. There's the mineral incentive program that continues to be well subscribed that leverages private funds. There, of course, is our CSCR folks, client services client relations, who we always hear good things about, to support projects at all stages moving through the regulatory process. There, of course, now is Indigenous capacity building to help support Indigenous governments and Indigenous organizations to build their capacity in this space. And, Mr. Speaker, and in general a lot of what we do, and certainly what I am responsible for doing, is getting the word out about the incredible potential that is there. We take that very seriously. And with COVID restrictions behind us, there's been no end of interest and opportunity both for people to travel here and learn about our opportunities and for us to take ourselves to the right organizations and to the right conferences. So, Mr. Speaker, I am, in short, quite confident that there's a lot of interest and that investments will follow with that. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Katrina Nokleby

Katrina Nokleby Great Slave

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I'm really glad to hear that the Minister's feeling optimistic about the diamond mines. You know, I guess I'm at a point of preparing for the worst and hoping for the best. So it is good to hear that there is a potential but we do know that with the ones that will sunset, it is going to create a bit of an economic hole for us.

Given that the Minister brought this up, I think it's a good opportunity to speak to the Indigenous capacity building. It's my understanding in the past that that money was used for us to take people from Indigenous governments and organizations to conferences like round up; however, now that money is being put in the hands of those Indigenous people themselves for them to decide how they want to spend, which I think is great. So can the Minister speak a little more to how she sees that rolling out and the reception from the Indigenous governments to those changes. Thank you

Caroline Wawzonek

Caroline Wawzonek Yellowknife South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This is a fairly new roll out. There certainly has been funds available prior to now but it was ad hoc whereas now there is a more formalized process by which interested parties can apply. There are, you know, maximums and some eligibility requirements. But in short, Mr. Speaker, it is meant to be a fund that formalizes an opportunity. So precisely as is asked, that governments and organizations can apply, have money to attend conferences, to attend training, to bring training into their communities and to their people. It is being run as a pilot. And I just say that because that allows an opportunity, if there's things in the eligibility or things in the process that the relevant organizations want to see changed, then this is an opportunity to do that so that going forward this program can achieve its goal of better empowering the people on whose lands these projects potentially would be on. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary. Member for Great Slave.

Katrina Nokleby

Katrina Nokleby Great Slave

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And the Minister knows I'm a really big fan of the iterative process. So I'm glad to hear that, you know, we are looking at this as something that we are going to adapt and change as we get more feedback from the users of the system.

My last question I think just has to speak around Indigenous ownership. I believe there's been some information in the media around, you know, people sort of being window dressing as they take part in ceremonies and such but I think it's really important to clarify the record that the rare earth mine that is operating in the Northwest Territories is run by an Indigenous-owned organization through Cheetah Resources hiring them.

So can the Minister speak a little bit more, do we have any more of these types of agreements in the works or coming down the line? To me, Indigenous ownership in mining is the only way to go forward in this territory so I hope to hear that there's some coming. Thank you

Caroline Wawzonek

Caroline Wawzonek Yellowknife South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I can't necessarily speak to what might be happening mine by mine or project by project. Certainly what I can say, Mr. Speaker, is that indeed, yes, at the Nechalacho Project, Deton Cho are, indeed, the miners of that project. They are the ones running the contract and doing the mining. That is, I think, perhaps maybe a first in Canada; certainly a first in the Northwest Territories. And I can't agree more, this is the way of the future, and it is -- you know, I think it is something where we are starting to see access to equity change, access to whether it's low interest loans or various other forms of capital opportunity. The federal government seems to be live to that. They seem to be looking to create these types of funds. They've put a lot of money into the First Nations Major Project Coalition. So I think there's a lot happening in this space right now, Mr. Speaker. It is certainly an opportunity for us to make sure we are at the front-end of that. That is my message when I go out, is that the federal government and projects need to be, from day one, working with the people on whose lands their projects are on and they will, indeed, see that that brings certainty and prosperity to the projects and to the whole of the project.

So there's, I think, a tremendous possibility here in the Northwest Territories and with a lot -- this is where having mines at the early stage means we're at the right stage to see that happen here. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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, can the Minister of Health explain why the Department of Health is not renewing the current contractor and where they are not seeking any new contractors to keep the Trailcross Treatment Centre open? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Thebacha. Minister responsible for Health and Social Services.

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the question and the opportunity to talk about this issue.

The situation is that attendance at the Trailcross treatment facility has declined over the last several years. At the end of May, it was 12.5 percent. There is no waiting list. There are no outstanding applications. And the best practice now is not to treat youth and children in institutional settings but rather to create closer to home therapeutic foster homes for children who need and youth who need this kind of care. Thank you

Frieda Martselos

Frieda Martselos Thebacha

Mr. Speaker, can the Minister tell us if there are any plans in place for what the old Trailcross building will be used for once the treatment centre is closed? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you for the question. What's happening now, given that this contract expires next Monday, is that the Department of Health and Social Services is reviewing the services and programming that was delivered at Trailcross to develop a plan to assist youth in other ways. Therapeutic foster homes is one that I just mentioned.

So there is an analysis going on of next steps for programming. And once those steps have been completed at the end of this calendar year, a decision will be made about whether Trailcross as a building is part of this or whether Trailcross will be surplused. Thank you

Frieda Martselos

Frieda Martselos Thebacha

Mr. Speaker, would the Minister consider converting the old Trailcross building in Fort Smith into a new territorial aftercare facility for the people of the NWT? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, at this point I don't think there is a plan for Trailcross. This work that I described in my previous answer needs to take place first. I don't know anything about the age and the condition of the building and whether it needs repairs before it becomes whatever it's going to be next. So these are very much live questions, and I appreciate the Member's interest in creating an aftercare facility. I think that there's some potential that we could repurpose surplus buildings for those kind of reasons, but we don't have a firm plan at this time. Thank you

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

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

Frieda Martselos

Frieda Martselos Thebacha

Mr. Speaker, will the Minister commit to have her department examine the possibility of converting the old Trailcross building into a territorial aftercare facility? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, once we have finished the programming review, we'll have a better idea of what we're going to do with the building. Thank you

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

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

Question 1222-19(2): Medical Travel Benefits Inequality
Oral Questions

October 25th, 2022

Page 4791

Jane Weyallon Armstrong

Jane Weyallon Armstrong Monfwi

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There are about 6,000 Government of the Northwest Territories employees. Over 3,000 positions are located in Yellowknife. We can only assume roughly one out of four, or one out of five people, are employed by GNWT. In the Tlicho communities and other small communities, we see what limited GNWT jobs that the majority of residents are eligible for only those benefits covered by non-insured health benefits.

Minister Green, can you please explain why the GNWT provides healthcare service for employees that is different from the healthcare service provided by the non-GNWT employees? Thank you

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Monfwi. Minister responsible for Health and Social Services.

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Yes, thank you it's true that there is a two-tier approach. There are people who have insurance through their employer, including the GNWT, maybe through the federal government, through the school boards and so on, and people who don't, and the approaches are different and the benefits are different; one of the reasons that we are currently reviewing the supplementary health benefits. So the concept of providing benefits to employees is to compensate them, as part of their compensation, and it's also a part of the -- usually the retention strategy that people want employees to have these benefits so that they remain working for them.

I recognize that there's a disparity between the amount of employment available in the small communities and in Yellowknife. But benefit programs don't take that into account. It's really about whether you are working for an employer with a private insurance plan or whether you are using the public insurance, which is NIHB and Metis health benefits. Thank you

Jane Weyallon Armstrong

Jane Weyallon Armstrong Monfwi

So what this means is that the GNWT's employees are treated better than the members of the public. So that's what it's saying. So, Mr. Speaker, I hear from constituents in my ridings how difficult it can be to navigate the healthcare system while on medical travel. Will the Minister commit to hiring people to work with and support Northerners as they navigate the healthcare system while out of the territory? Thank you

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there is a trial project in Edmonton called Gobacare, which is being offered by Sahtu beneficiary, to help people in Edmonton navigate their appointments. And that's something that the Department of Health and Social Services has been funding, and we're very interested to learn about the results and whether this is something we want to scale up. Thank you

Jane Weyallon Armstrong

Jane Weyallon Armstrong Monfwi

Well, that's good to know, that there is something in place so then this can be extended to other Indigenous organizations as well or Indigenous government.

What supports are place for single parents who require medical treatment in the south with young children who they can't leave behind? Can the Minister commit to making young children eligible travel companions for people travelling south for medical care? Thank you

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you to the Member for that question.

The criteria for escorts is set by Indigenous Services Canada which pays most of the $44 million bill for medical travel each year. If the person receiving care is a minor, the parent goes with that child. But there is no provision at this point for the other children to go with that parent.

Having said that, I am aware of times where this issue has arisen and social services has been able to help with the voluntary services agreement. So if the Member knows of someone who needs this service, I suggest that they contact health and social services in their community and inquire. Thank you