The Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) assists family members or close friends in becoming legal guardians of individuals 18-plus years of age who are unable to make decisions about their personal care or health care. If an individual has no family members or friends willing, suitable, or able to act as a guardian, the Public Guardian can take on that role.

To address immediate office space issues, as of March 1, 2024, the OPG is temporarily relocating to the 7th Floor of the Centre Square Tower.

The temporary new address is:

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Mr. Speaker, the Government of the Northwest Territories continues to work to address the national shortage of health professionals that has led to service reductions and system impacts not only in the NWT, but across the country. Post-pandemic, this shortage has only intensified, with many health professionals resigning, retiring, or reducing their working hours. The results of our internal staff surveys and feedback sessions indicate that employee recruitment and retention challenges persist within our system.

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Mr. Speaker, last week the Department of Health and Social Services hosted the second ever Weaving our Wisdom Gathering, for which 350 wellness leaders, Elders, and knowledge holders from across the Northwest Territories, came together to celebrate and share Indigenous community-driven wellness knowledge.

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Mr. Speaker, last week we announced two significant bilateral agreements with the Government of Canada. These agreements secured two federal investments totaling $36.38 million dollars and demonstrate a shared commitment both to improving healthcare services for NWT residents generally, and to enhancing the supports for NWT seniors and Elders to stay at home longer as they age with dignity, close to their loved ones and community.

Gender-affirming health care services continue to be available in the NWT for transgender residents, including children and youth.

In February 2023, the Addictions Prevention and Recovery Services Work Plan was released. Since the plan’s release, 50% of the action items in the Work Plan have been completed.

The Work Plan contains 24 action items for strengthening addictions and wellness programs for residents of the Northwest Territories (NWT). The items in the plan respond to the Auditor General of Canada’s recommendations, delivered in 2022.

The recently completed action items include:

The following is being redistributed on behalf of The Government of Canada.

Government of Canada signs two bilateral agreements with the Northwest Territories to improve health care - Canada.ca

The Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) is now accepting applications for the 2024 Healthy Choices Fund. $418,000 is available to Indigenous governments in the NWT, community governing authorities, and non-government organizations to fund health promotion and prevention activities that support NWT communities and residents.  

An independent evaluation of the Child and Youth Counselling (CYC) Initiative has been completed, and a final report published, including recommendations. The Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) has also released its response to the report’s recommendations.

The Government of the Northwest Territories is pleased to announce that it is now accepting applications for the 2024 Anti-Poverty Fund. The annual $1.75 million fund can be used to support poverty reduction initiatives in communities across the NWT.