NORMAN WELLS (December 5, 2017) – Minister of Health and Social Services, Glen Abernethy, issued the following statement at the conclusion of the 5^th annual Anti-Poverty Roundtable which took place in Norman Wells:

“As part of our efforts to support healthy communities and northerners, the Government of the Northwest Territories has made it a priority to work collaboratively with community organizations, Indigenous and community governments, and other partners to advance the Territorial Anti-Poverty Action Plan.

YELLOWKNIFE (November 6, 2017) — The Government of the Northwest Territories and the City of Yellowknife have installed arsenic warning signs to these highly accessible lakes in the Yellowknife area:                            

• Frame Lake
• Jackfish Lake
• Kam Lake
• Rat Lake

These signs complement other steps taken earlier this year to raise awareness about this important issue amongst residents and visitors.

YELLOWKNIFE (October 27, 2017) - The Minister of Health and Social Services, Glen Abernethy, announced that the government has signed a six month lease with the Salvation Army in Yellowknife for a Yellowknife Sobering Centre location.

The temporary location will provide services to those in need while the long-term location located at 5111 50^th street is being renovated. The Salvation Army sobering centre location will be operated by the NWT Disability Council with Advanced Medical Solutions providing clinical services as needed.

YELLOWKNIFE (October 11, 2017) — The Government of the Northwest Territories in partnership with the NWT Seniors’ Society has released the 6^th edition of the Seniors’ Information Handbook.

The Seniors’ Information Handbook (Handbook) provides a comprehensive list of programs and services available to support Northwest Territories seniors. Seniors and their caregivers are encouraged to access the Handbook to learn about the range of supports available to help keep them independent and active in their home communities.

Delivered October 3, 2017

Mr. Speaker, since 2013, September 30^th has been marked as Orange Shirt Day, a day for all Canadians to remember the survivors of the residential school system.

Organizers chose an orange shirt as the symbol for that day based on a story told by Phyllis Jack Webstat, a survivor of the St. Joseph Mission Residential School in Williams Lake, BC. In her story, Ms. Webstat tells of having the shiny, new orange shirt her grandmother had given to her being taken away on her first day at residential school.

Delivered on September 28, 2017

Mr. Speaker, last November, I tabled Mind and Spirit: Promoting Mental Health and Addictions Recovery in the Northwest Territories, our government’s strategic framework for addressing this critical issue for Northerners.

Delivered on September 26, 2017

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to announce that later today, I will be tabling the Continuing Care Services Action Plan.

The Continuing Care Services Action Plan builds on the seven priorities of the 2014 Strategic Framework, Our Elders: Our Communities, and on our mandate commitment to take action so that NWT Seniors can age in place and live in their own homes and communities for as long possible.

We are also committed to ensuring that adequate supports are available for those who can no longer do so.

Delivered on September 22, 2017

Delivered on September 20, 2017

Mr. Speaker, the priorities of the 18^th Legislative Assembly include a commitment to take action so that Seniors can age in place.  Our government’s mandate builds on this priority by committing the Department of Health and Social Services to complete a projection of programming needs; develop updated capital plans to address the need for long-term care beds, and to develop a regulatory framework and financing options that will allow us to meet the growing demand for long-term care in the Northwest Territories.