YELLOWKNIFE (February 16, 2021) – Minister of Health and Social Services, Julie Green has extended the territory-wide Public Health Emergency under the Northwest Territories’ Public Health Act on the advice of Chief Public Health Officer (CPHO) Dr. Kami Kandola.

The latest extension continues through March 2, 2021. 

The Public Health Emergency is required to continue to decisively respond to shifts in the NWT’s own public health situation, and maintain preventative measures.

Ministerial Travel

Please note that travel schedules may change with little or no notice. This schedule is accurate as of February 15, 2021

• Paulie Chinna and Julie Green will be attending the Seniors Centre Grand Opening on February 16 in Fort Good Hope.
• Paulie Chinna will be meeting with Imperial Oil on February 16 in Norman Wells.

Meetings and Appearances

Please note that event organizers may have attendance restrictions­­_­ for their event. Contact organizers for more information.

YELLOWKNIFE (February 15, 2021) – The Department of Health and Social Services is asking individuals and their families living with, or who have lived with addictions, and who have accessed NWT addictions recovery services, for their input on their Addictions Recovery Survey. Information asked for includes what supports and/or services are working, what needs to be strengthened, and any barriers or challenges they have/had in accessing services.

Mr. Speaker, today I wish to provide an update on some of the service improvements, including the financial relief measures the Workers’ Safety and Compensation Commission introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mr. Speaker, this Legislative Assembly has identified increasing the number and variety of culturally-respectful, community based mental health and addictions programs, including aftercare, as one of its priorities. The Department of Health and Social Services is improving services to individuals with addictions and I am committed to achieving this mandate commitment.

The Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) is taking further action under the Emergency Management Act (EMA) to address the urgent need for a temporary location to provide shelter to vulnerable residents.  The decision was made following several attempts to secure a location suitable to provide this critical service to the city’s vulnerable residents, in Yellowknife after the flooding at the Salvation Army resulted in closure.

Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, R. J. Simpson, issued the following statement on the release of the first Aurora College Transformation Quarterly Report:

“When the GNWT committed to transforming Aurora College into a polytechnic university we did so with the promise that the process would be transparent.

Check against delivery

Mr. Speaker, when this Government committed to establishing a polytechnic university we did so with the promise that we would be transparent in the process.

Guided by the NWT Post-Secondary Education Framework, there were a number of key documents released last fall that explain the process of transformation and those documents, the Implementation Plan and Areas of Specialization for the polytechnic university, continue to guide the process. But transparency does not stop there.

Check against delivery

Mr. Speaker, the COVID-19 pandemic has challenged us all in many ways but none of us more so than within the health and social services system.

The Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) is committed to building strong and collaborative partnerships across all levels of government.

The swift resolution to the recent cluster of COVID-19 cases in Fort Liard demonstrates how powerful those partnerships can be.

All partners in last month’s pandemic response worked together to quickly and effectively implement the orders of the territory’s Chief Public Health Officer (CPHO) to help avert what could have become a widespread outbreak of COVID-19.