The Child and Family Services (CFS) system continues to make progress in transforming into a culturally safe system that supports children and youth in a meaningful way while keeping families together. To remain accountable and transparent, CFS has committed to report status updates through an online progress tracker, and service delivery trends through the CFS Director’s Annual Report. To date, 88 per cent of action items within the CFS Action Plan are on track, 8 per cent are completed, and 4 per cent are delayed.

Health and Social Services Minister Lesa Semmler is pleased to announce the 2024 recipients of the $1.75 million Anti-Poverty Fund. A total of 49 grants were awarded this year to Indigenous, community, and non-profit organizations to help them in their work to overcome and reduce poverty by addressing its root causes.

The Anti-Poverty Fund is designed to assist communities by minimizing administrative hurdles and supporting the long-term viability of projects through multi-year agreements. Five of this year’s funding recipients were awarded multi-year grants.

The Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) is now accepting applications for the new Extended Health Benefits Program, which takes effect on September 3, 2024.

To apply, residents must:

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Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to remind Members of the funding made available by the Department of Health and Social Services supporting the delivery of community-based programs focused on mental wellness and addiction recovery.

These funds were created in response to engagement with Indigenous governments in which they asked the GNWT to provide more flexible funding that could be used to run programs in their own communities and regions that would be responsive to the needs of Indigenous people.

Minister of Health and Social Services, Lesa Semmler, has announced this year’s recipients of the Healthy Choices Fund. Fifteen organizations will receive funding to help them carry out projects and activities that support individuals, families, and communities in making positive lifestyle choices.

Some of this year’s successful proposals include:

Minister of Health and Social Services, Lesa Semmler, is pleased to announce the three recipients of the 2024 Accessibility Impact Awards. This collaborative awards event is an opportunity for the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT), the NWT Disabilities Council, and the NWT Human Rights Commission to recognize and celebrate the outstanding people and businesses advancing accessibility and inclusion of persons with disabilities in the territory.

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Mr. Speaker, the 20th Legislative Assembly has made access to health care one of our top priorities. I am happy to share that as of today May 30th, the Łıwegǫ̀atı building is open to the public.

Quality health and social services for patients and clients from this building supports the new campus of care model through the co-location of services. This includes integrated teams for primary care, outpatient rehabilitation services, extended care, and long-term care.

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Mr. Speaker, I want to provide the House with an update on negotiations and discussions with the Government of Canada on the delivery of the federal Non-Insured Health Benefits program. This is a national program available to eligible First Nations and Inuit residents. In the NWT, portions of the program are administered by the GNWT on behalf of Indigenous Services Canada, through a contribution agreement.

The Government of Northwest Territories (GNWT) is seeking feedback from the public and stakeholders on the proposed Meat Processing Safety Regulations. Input received from public and stakeholder engagement conducted from December 2021 to February 2022 helped inform the development of these proposed regulations.

Minister of Health and Social Services Lesa Semmler extends heartfelt appreciation to nurses in the following statement for National Nursing Week:

“As we conclude National Nursing Week, I am profoundly honoured to celebrate the tireless efforts of northern nurses. As Minister of Health and Social Services – and a former front-line nurse in our system, I am deeply grateful to nurses for their unwavering commitment to the people and communities of the Northwest Territories.