Yellowknife (June 8, 2023) – The Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) has extended the nomination period for the 2023 Minister Responsible for Persons with Disabilities’ Award for Accessibility and Inclusion.

The annual award provides an opportunity to recognize the accomplishments of an outstanding volunteer, community member or business that strives to make the NWT more inclusive and accessible for persons with disabilities.

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Mr. Speaker, I rise today to inform this House and residents of the NWT about the upcoming changes to the Extended Health Benefits Policy. They will come into effect on April 1, 2024. The Government of the Northwest Territories is dedicated to ensuring fair access to extended health benefits for all NWT residents, with a focus on  people with low income who are not covered under the existing policy.

June is Seniors Month, a time for us to celebrate the valuable contributions that seniors make to their families, communities, and the territory.

During this month, you can do the following to recognize and honour seniors in your community:

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Mr. Speaker, June is Seniors Month, a time for us to recognize the important role of Seniors in our families, communities, and the territory. They connect us with language, land and culture, and bridge the past and the future.

Under the Mandate of the Government of the Northwest Territories, 2019-2023, we are supporting this role by enabling Seniors to age in place with dignity. We want to help Seniors remain in their homes and communities for as long as they are able.

Today is World No Tobacco Day and this year’s theme is “We Need Food, Not Tobacco,” which focuses on growing sustainable food crops instead of tobacco as a way to address the global food crisis. You can find out more about it here.

The Minister of Health and Social Services, Julie Green, is seeking nominations for vacancies on the Regional Wellness Councils (RWC) for the Beaufort-Delta, Dehcho, Fort Smith, Hay River, and Yellowknife regions.

Minister of Health and Social Services Julie Green issued the following statement for Nursing Week:

“On Nursing Week, I want to celebrate and reflect on the central role nurses have in the delivery of healthcare in the Northwest Territories (NWT).

Today, the Government of the Northwest Territories released the What We Heard Report for amendments to the Vital Statistics Act and Change of Name Act, which includes feedback received from the public and stakeholders between September 1st, 2022 to October 21st, 2022.

The public engagement focused on providing information and collecting feedback on the development of amendments. The engagement consisted of two components:

The Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) released its "What We Heard Report" summarizing the results of public engagement on the proposed amendments to the Child and Family Services Act. The report includes feedback received from Indigenous governments, residents with lived experience in the Child and Family Services system, service delivery partners, and identified stakeholders.

Respondents supported some of the proposed amendments while expressing concern in other areas. Common themes included:

The GNWT invites the public to a virtual town hall meeting on May 9, 2023 for a presentation and update on the planned Wellness and Recovery Centre in Yellowknife.

The Centre, currently in the design phase, will provide shelter and community wellness spaces for NWT residents experiencing homelessness in Yellowknife.

This town hall meeting and presentation will share information on the building design, location, programs to be offered and the estimated completion date.