This is page numbers 4953 - 5010 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.

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Question 1275-19(2): Diabetes
Oral Questions

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The Deputy Speaker

The Deputy Speaker Lesa Semmler

Thank you. Minister of Health and Social Services.

Question 1275-19(2): Diabetes
Oral Questions

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Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Yes, thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, we don't have a specific Indigenous diabetes approach but we are well aware that this is a disease that has a greater effect on Indigenous people, and men in particular, and so that's something that we work with awareness of.

We started some primary healthcare reform projects in the last year, and one of the aims of these is to improve access to services for people who have chronic conditions. So the planning is underway now to expand the primary healthcare reform projects to the Deh Cho, Tlicho, Beaufort Delta, and Hay River regions. So with that, the Member should be able to see some changes in his community around chronic disease management. Thank you.

Question 1275-19(2): Diabetes
Oral Questions

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Ronald Bonnetrouge

Ronald Bonnetrouge Deh Cho

Mahsi, Madam Speaker, and mahsi to the Minister for that. I think she took care of my second question so I'll move on to my third one.

Madam Speaker, can the Minister commit to increase diabetes awareness and education in small communities and the consequences of untreated diabetes in a culturally relevant setting. Mahsi.

Question 1275-19(2): Diabetes
Oral Questions

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Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, we have a territorial specialist of chronic disease management who has been in the position since May of 2019. It's that person's job to research and provide recommendations on patient care standards related to chronic disease management services. The focus is on providing culturally appropriate and standardized diabetes programming by working with all of the community-based dieticians to ensure that that's the case. Thank you.

Question 1275-19(2): Diabetes
Oral Questions

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Ronald Bonnetrouge

Ronald Bonnetrouge Deh Cho

Mahsi, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, can the Minister commit to including screening efforts in small communities in a culturally relevant setting where people are empowered to get tested? Mahsi.

Question 1275-19(2): Diabetes
Oral Questions

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Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Yes, thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, this is a timely question. All persons, regardless of where they live, are offered screening for diabetes. That's an inventory of risk factors and then a blood test which would confirm whether the person is diabetic or prediabetic.

I'm pleased to say that work is going to begin this year, and ongoing for three years, to work with families who are living with type two diabetes to develop culturally relevant diabetes education materials and programming and looking also at on-the-land camps that would be specifically for intergenerational families affected by diabetes. So planning is going to begin on developing and putting out this initiative in the next few months. And I welcome the Member to ask me additional questions in the winter session. Thank you.

Question 1275-19(2): Diabetes
Oral Questions

Page 4973

The Deputy Speaker

The Deputy Speaker Lesa Semmler

Thank you. Oral questions. Member for Kam Lake.

Caitlin Cleveland

Caitlin Cleveland Kam Lake

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, my questions, to start, are for the Minister of Health and Social Services.

We learned last week that there are currently 30 spots in the Aurora College nursing program. So I'm wondering if the Minister can tell us how many bursaries are available? Thank you.

The Deputy Speaker

The Deputy Speaker Lesa Semmler

Thank you. Minister of Health and Social Services.

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Yes, thank you, Madam Speaker. My information is that there are a total of 121 people enrolled in the nursing program, and 29 of them are first year. And between 24 and 28 typically are Northern or Indigenous. Thank you.

Caitlin Cleveland

Caitlin Cleveland Kam Lake

Thank you very much, Madam Speaker. So, Madam Speaker, if there are, for example, 30 spots available to first-year students of which 29 are filled, does that mean that there are every year 30 bursaries available for those students? Thank you.

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, it's my understanding that there are enough funds to cover 25 bursaries. Thank you.

Caitlin Cleveland

Caitlin Cleveland Kam Lake

Thank you very much, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, I'm wondering why we would undersubscribe a program -- or sorry, underfund a program. And I mean -- and maybe that's just how we go in Health and Social Services, is underfunding our programs and we need to stop doing that. But if we have 30 potential spots, why would there not be 30 potential bursaries for 30 potential nursing students so that we can potentially say, okay, we only have 29 first-year students; let's put this one last spot out there so that we can recruit one last person to make sure that this program is fully subscribed. So why is there not 30 bursaries available if there are 30 spots available? Thank you.

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Thank you. This is part of the trajectory of health needs to do more and more and more without any additional money. So this program is funded from within. What we can afford to do is 25 students at this point.

I want to say, however, that this bursary is not the only bursary or way to receive additional funds for education. If people in the nursing program go to the bursary section of the Aurora College website, they'll see some additional ways that they can apply for funding. Thank you.

The Deputy Speaker

The Deputy Speaker Lesa Semmler

Thank you. Final supplementary. Member for Kam Lake.

Caitlin Cleveland

Caitlin Cleveland Kam Lake

Thank you very much, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, we have $193.7 million deficit within NTHSSA. Two of the main reasons for this deficit creeping up are cost of overtime due to staffing shortages and underfunded locum costs. So I think that investing in education in exchange for return of service is a good investment of this territory. So my question comes back to investment in bursaries is will this government provide bursaries in exchange for years of service to anybody who wants to be a nurse so that their program is fully subscribed every year? Thank you.

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, the bursary program is for Indigenous and northern students. It's not for the southern students who apply to go to school in the Northwest Territories. Thank you.

The Deputy Speaker

The Deputy Speaker Lesa Semmler

Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Thebacha. She did -- oh, sorry, Member for Kam Lake.

Caitlin Cleveland

Caitlin Cleveland Kam Lake

I was counting. Thank you very much, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, my last question for the Minister, then, is will they change the criteria of the program to include NWT residents so that even people who have made their home here for the last ten plus years and want to contribute to this deficit of staffing and a staffing shortage can partake in this program? Thank you.

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, as I said earlier to the Member this week, this program actually hasn't launched yet. The uptake is unknown. The funding is secure for the 25 positions at this point. So while I know she would like to score a point today, it is not possible for me to commit to what she wants. Thank you.

The Deputy Speaker

The Deputy Speaker Lesa Semmler

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

Question 1277-19(2): Saving Small Business
Oral Questions

November 1st, 2022

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Frieda Martselos

Frieda Martselos Thebacha

Thank you, Madam Speaker. In my statement earlier I talked about the many issues that the business community are facing right now. Can the Minister of ITI explain if her department has a plan to help address the rising costs of commercial insurance for businesses in the Northwest Territories? Thank you, Madam Speaker.

The Deputy Speaker

The Deputy Speaker Lesa Semmler

Thank you, Member. Minister.

Caroline Wawzonek

Caroline Wawzonek Yellowknife South

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, there's not a formal plan or policy or strategy around responding to insurance costs. Insurance costs are something that arises as a result of private market factors. And unfortunately, the Northwest Territories does face higher premiums generally. We have a smaller population over which the industry can spread its risk out. There's, you know, obviously remote location. There is the factor of the types of building materials that are used when we're dealing with capital insurance or capital products and assets, houses. And the fact is there's often limited emergency services. All of these are factors that can lead to higher costs in the North and not necessarily ones that we have an immediate ability to mitigate for residents or small businesses.

What I can say, Madam Speaker, though, is much as you've seen happen unfortunately with recent emergencies such as COVID, such as the floods, that if there are an acute event that occurs that the government does monitor such things and can step in to fill gaps if there are gaps and can step in and to ensure that there are not further emergencies. So while certainly I would be hopeful that we don't reach that point on an insurance front, we do keep an eye on what is occurring and, to the extent that we can, try to get information out to the small business community around what they might do to mitigate. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Frieda Martselos

Frieda Martselos Thebacha

Madam Speaker, will the Minister commit to have ITI work with the Department of Finance to find a concrete solution that can help lower the rates of overall commercial insurance rates for the NWT businesses? Thank you, Madam Speaker.