N.W.T. health department unveils plan to address shortcomings in addiction services
CBC
The N.W.T. Department of Health and Social Services says it was tough to find out, in an auditor general's report, that it's not doing enough to make addictions and recovery services culturally safe.
"Because of all the effort that's been put into cultural safety it's hard to hear we haven't done enough, but it's fair," said Sara Chorostkowski, the director of mental wellness and addictions recovery for the department.
Earlier this year, a report from the Office of the Auditor General of Canada (OAG) gave the territory a poor grade on addiction and recovery services. The territory's health department responded to that report Thursday and presented a draft work plan that maps out how they want to address each of the seven recommendations made by the OAG by the end of 2024.
The OAG report, tabled at the Legislative Assembly at the end of May, said the territory was not providing addictions and recovery services that meet the needs of residents — despite numerous commitments it had made to do so.
One of its conclusions was people were not receiving equal care and programs were not culturally safe. It said services varied based on time and location, that people in most communities needed to travel to access detox services, and that there isn't aftercare to help people follow through on their recovery goals.
"While some of it is shocking, it's not a surprise to me we're failing in this area," said Katrina Nokleby, the MLA for Great Slave and a member of the standing committee on government operations.
Jo-Anne Cecchetto, the territory's deputy minister for health and social services, said the health department "welcomed" the OAG's report, which she said reaffirms and validates the work they've been doing.
She said the territory has made a lot of "great strides" to make sure services are culturally safe — including mandatory training for all employees. But, she said, they need to make that training more specific to the various services the department provides.
The OAG recommended the department of health remove barriers to culturally safe addictions services and to value Indigenous qualifications in hiring practices.
The other recommendations were to provide equal access to addiction services, identify the needs of diverse subpopulations, make sure a standard approach to aftercare is in place before a person leaves for treatment and that it is facilitated when they return, and to co-ordinate services across the territory and gather data to monitor success.
The work plan still needs to be approved by the Legislative Assembly.
Cecchetto hopes by the end of 2024, the department can prove it's providing better addictions and recovery services to clients.
"Our goal will be that we've achieved and met the expectations in that report," she said. "This is not a paper exercise. I want to be very clear about this. This audit and the recommendations, as I mentioned, we take this seriously."
A Calgary dentist who defrauded five insurance companies over a decade should spend up to three years in prison, the prosecution argued Friday.
B.C. Conservation Officer Service says it has called off its search for a bear responsible for an attack on a group of school children in Bella Coola, B.C. on Nov. 20.
The union president called it a rally for solidarity as Iqaluit Housing Authority employees gathered Friday while negotiations are ongoing between the Nunavut Employees Union and the employer.
The federal government is stoking Quebec separatism by walking back its climate commitments — including in its recent deal with Alberta — Liberal MP and former cabinet minister Steven Guilbeault says.
Four more Alberta MLAs are facing recall petitions organized by their constituents, including the first NDP representative to be caught in the province's ongoing wave of recall efforts.
Frank Gehry, the Canadian-born renegade architect behind some of the world's most recognizable buildings, has died at 96.
Hundreds of P.E.I. parents can't find child-care spaces, especially for infants. The provincial government says expanding those spots remains a top priority — and it recognizes the concern.
An Alberta judge says a referendum proposal on Alberta separating from Canada goes against Charter and and Treaty rights, in a decision given less than 24 hours after the provincial government introduced legislation that would have ended the court proceeding.
The architect of Alberta's politician recall legislation says it was never meant to be used as a political weapon, but as an "ultimate tool of accountability" if a politician engages in illegal or unethical behaviour.
The Government of Saskatchewan has introduced its long-promised involuntary treatment legislation on the final day of the fall sitting.
The Law Society of Ontario has suspended the licence of Deepak Paradkar, one of seven Canadians arrested in connection with alleged drug lord Ryan Wedding’s cocaine smuggling ring.
London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) is getting rid of unlimited mental health benefits for staff, blaming ballooning costs and former administrators for implementing it without proper due diligence or oversight.
Netflix has agreed to buy Warner Bros. Discovery's TV and film studios and streaming division for $72 billion US, a deal that would hand control of one of Hollywood's most prized and oldest assets to the streaming pioneer that has upended the media industry.