Check against delivery

Mr. Speaker, since a public health emergency was declared in March of 2020, we have been living in extraordinary times. The lives of NWT residents, along with people around the world, have been disrupted again and again by public health orders restricting travel and gatherings, closing schools to in-person learning, sending workers home, and preventing non-residents free movement across our borders. All to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Some residents have suffered serious illness and have been hospitalized. Sadly, 21 NWT residents have died, including Elders and knowledge keepers. I grieve with those who have lost loved ones.

The pandemic has taken a toll on the physical and mental health of many NWT residents. At the same time, it has also shown how resilient and kind Northerners are. During community outbreaks, neighbors, friends and strangers stepped up to help one another by bringing food to those in isolation and offering other kinds of support where it was needed. 

Mr. Speaker, I want to sincerely thank all healthcare workers across the NWT. We are so grateful for their ongoing efforts over the course of this pandemic. Their work to manage every outbreak, deliver vaccines to every community, offer testing services to those who needed it, provide care for residents with more serious infections, and step up to be redeployed and offer their expertise when and where it was needed. Thank you.

When this pandemic began, we had a limited understanding of this virus, and with no vaccine or treatment available, we had to take urgent action to manage the spread and prevent the health system from being overwhelmed. Once declared, the public health emergency enabled us to make decisions quickly about public health measures that would help keep us safe. It enabled  the Chief Public Health Officer to issue orders to protect residents and minimize risk to the public. These orders included travel restrictions; mandating isolation for those infected or at risk of being infected; limiting the size of public gatherings; implementing infection control with physical distancing protocols; and, minimizing the potential for outbreaks within high-risk populations, such as long-term care facilities. We also established a Compliance, Education and Enforcement Taskforce to respond to complaints, and investigate when orders were not followed, or when public health was at risk.

As part of our early warning surveillance strategy, we were one of the first jurisdictions to implement a wastewater surveillance program that later garnered international recognition. We have used wastewater signals to inform public health actions, such as targeted testing of travellers. We also added the COVID-19 School Screening Program and the DetectNWT Program to prevent and reduce the spread of COVID-19 in schools and businesses.

Mr. Speaker, the NWT launched the largest and most comprehensive vaccine program in the territory’s history at the end of 2020, targeting high-risk populations before expanding to everyone else. By April 2021, vaccine teams had visited all NWT communities at least twice. We were also one of the first to roll out third doses, and to vaccinate 12 to 17 year-olds. Today, four out of five eligible NWT residents are vaccinated and half over the age of 18 have had a booster shot.

Mr. Speaker, the public health measures taken by the GNWT have been guided by the most current scientific evidence, intended to save lives, and implemented to ensure that our health system could continue to function and respond. Now, the data is showing us that the time is right to end the Public Health Emergency.

With most of the population vaccinated, and treatments available to lessen the severity of COVID infections, we are transitioning from a broad territory-wide emergency response to a continuous readiness approach that ensures our health system remains ready to respond to outbreaks, protect high-risk populations, and support communities with readiness planning. With a better understanding of COVID-19 and more tools in our toolbox, the Public Health Emergency will end on April 1st.

To maintain readiness, we have transferred some resources from the COVID-19 Coordinating Secretariat to other GNWT departments. These resources include 8-1-1, wastewater testing, and communications, education, and enforcement.

Mr. Speaker, the end of Public Health Emergency means that we are moving away from public health orders and encouraging residents, businesses, and organizations to manage their own risk and make their own choices.  Effective April 1st, there will no longer be a requirement for masking, testing, or to report positive COVID cases. In addition, all travel restrictions will be removed, and self-isolation plans will no longer be required. We expect to see an increase in COVID cases because the pandemic is not over; it is entering a new phase.

I will conclude by asking all NWT residents to be considerate of each other’s choices when it comes to COVID, and to be patient and compassionate as we all adjust to these changes.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.