 |
|
|
|
|
  
|
New treatment centre for Inuvik, Simpson or Wells possible Nathalie Heiberg-Harrison Northern News Services Published Monday, March 19, 2012 "I think by the (government's) mid-term review, we should have a framework of action for a treatment centre in the North, in either Inuvik, Fort Simpson or Norman Wells," said Alfred Moses, chair of the standing committee and MLA for Inuvik Boot Lake.
"If we don't see any progress in two years or even sooner, then decisions should be made so we still have time to fix what needs fixing."
Currently, the Nats'eejee K'eh Treatment Centre in Hay River is the only alcohol and drug treatment centre in the NWT. It is sitting at approximately 50 per cent capacity, which Moses said is partly because many people travel south for treatment, but also because the centre has a South Slave cultural focus, which alienates living further north.
"That obviously doesn't bode well for people up in the Beaufort Delta area," he said. "I'd like to see a treatment centre that's going to be utilized 100 per cent."
Alcohol and drug treatment programs, as well as an anti-poverty strategy, are the standing committee's two top priorities this term.
Moses said that is because alcohol- and drug-related issues have a widespread effect.
The majority of calls to the RCMP, visits to emergency wards, justice cases and mental health issues are alcohol related, he said.
"The services are being exhausted," Moses said.
On-the-land treatment programs are one way to address the gap as plans for a new treatment centre in the North start to unfold, Moses said. By having more treatment options close to home, those struggling with addiction can find help more easily.
"We want treatment centres in places where people can have regular visits from friends. It's somewhere where they're familiar with and they're not just feeling lost by themselves," he said. "Take somebody from Tuk or Paulatuk to Hay River. They would feel out of their element. It's a whole different culture to them."
Moses was critical of the work the GNWT has done in the past years in regards to social programs.
"(They) have been coasting on these issues for too long," he said. "We're tired of briefing notes and we're tired of reports. We want to see what's put on paper put into action so that our people can start seeing results."
The standing committee will be meeting with ministers at the end of the month, and he said they will be asking them tough questions on the programs, projects and reports they oversee.
"If we feel that none of them are being accountable or have the capabilities to be a minister for that department, then we're going to have to deal with that issue," he said. "We need somebody in that position who can make the tough decisions."
|
