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6 Tuesday August 25 2015 HEALTH WELLNESS MENTAL HEALTH Northwest Territories UNEXPECTED. UNFORGETTABLE. WHATS NEW IN FORT SMITH WWW.FORTSMITH.CA For more information please contact TOWN OF FORT SMITH P.O. Box 147 Fort Smith NT X0E 0P0 Canada Phone 867 872-8400 Fax 867 872-8401 townoffortsmithfortsmith.ca Over 100 personnel will be in town this week from the Canadian Armed Forces RCMP and GNWT. They will begin arriving this week and staying until August 31. They are here to help the Town of Fort Smith test our Emergency Plan by SIMULATING the protection and evacuation of the town due to a forest fire threat against the town. This is an EXCELLENT opportunity for the Town to be prepared in case the real thing ever happens and a great cooperative exercise between the Town GNWT Federal Government and Armed Forces. Activities will include fire abatement in the Tamarack Court and Axehandle Hill areas. COME ON OUT FOR A COMMUNITY DAY OF FUN AND DISPLAYS There will be a community day for town citizens and participants on the afternoon evening of AUGUST 28 AT RIVERSIDE PARK. THE START TIME IS 430 PM. In the event of rain the event will be moved to the Recreation Centre. There will be static display of Canadian Armed Forces Immediate Response Unit equipment an obstacle course set up and face painting camouflage for community children to take part in. There will be a BBQ snack prepared and distributed to residents in attendance at the community day. Citizens are urged to attend and assist in the exercise by attending the Evacuation Registration being held at the Recreation center from 1000-200 on Thursday August 27. There will be a town-wide notification exercise a practice registration of volunteer residents and a community day. Remember this is a SIMULATION so no need to worry. In fact you will have the opportunity to participate in the exercise if interested by taking part in the registration. Town Councillor Don Webb was councils representative on the planning committee and he noted that 80 Armed Forces personnel are here for the operation. They will be here for a week in which they will be doing fire training for a day and fire smart activities along with community notifications. BENEFITS OF HOSTING OPERATION NANOOK Mental Health Act under public review in NWT By DALI CARMICHAEL For the rst time in three decades the ter- ritory is working to modernize its Mental Health Act to bring it up to standards with similar legislation across the country. Starting in Inuvik on Aug. 24 the Legisla- tive Assemblys standing committee on Social Programs will be touring the NWT review- ing Bill 55 the act to replace the 1985 Mental Health Act clause by clause with the public and frontline workers. This is probably the most important bill that were going to be passing this legisla- tive sitting so the more people we get out to the events and the more people that know it and understand it the better said commit- tee chair and Inuvik-Boot Lake MLA Alfred Moses. We want to make sure that this bill is modernized and that it reects the issues we have in the NWT. The bill has already had two readings in the legislature. Now as the current govern- ments term comes to an end with the terri- torial election taking place on Nov. 23 the race is on to get the act nalized. More powers to initiate mental health care The new legislation makes it easier for those who regularly deal with patients with mental illness to seek involuntary psychological as- sessments for those who need them the rst step in many treatment programs. Peace ofcers anyone that works on the front line if they need assistance or help they canapplytothejusticeofthepeaceorthecourt to get a summons for somebody to go and not get arrested but they can get picked up by the RCMP and get taken to the emergency room the hospital to get assessed Moses said. According to Moses elements of the cur- rent Mental Health Act actually contravene the Canadian Human Rights Act meaning involuntary assessments have been rarely carried out leaving patients without the treatment they need. The act would allow for three-member pan- els to review cases and make administrative decisions ranging from judging a patients mental competency to make treatment deci- sions for themselves to deciding whether or not a doctor can provide treatment despite their patients refusal. Treating residents in the North The bill also calls for more dedicated men- tal care resources in the North making com- munity-based treatment an option for many regions for the rst time. These are the prob- lems Moses expects to hear about the most as the committee sets out on its review tour. Peoplearesayingthattheyneedmorecoun- sellorstheyneedmoretreatmentoptionsthey needsomeplacethattheycangointheNWT Mosessaid.Noteverybodythatwesendoutto treatmentdownsouthhasasuccessfulprogram mainly because its a different program and a different environment and people are being sent away from their family and friends - their biggestsupportsystem.Weneedsomethingin the NWT that can address that. Ideally with a different system the case- loads of frontline workers will be lightened or at least streamlined to become more ef- cient Moses noted making some of the cur- rent resources available more useful. When we rst got elected into the 17th As- sembly and we had our orientation one of the things that stuck in my mind is that mental healthandaddictionsisourbiggestcostdriver in the NWT and we have to nd a way to ad- dress those issues Moses said. We continue to send people down south for treatment and ourcounsellorsintheNWTtheyrebeingover- extended in terms of the clients that theyre seeing. Theres actually a waiting list for a lot of people that need counselling. A lot of people are falling through the cracks and hopefully this bill can address some of those issues. Those unable to attend the review sessions are encouraged to submit letters with their questions by letter to or by email to dani- elle_magergov.nt.ca. Scheduled meetings YellowknifeCommitteeRoomAofLegislative Building - Aug. 24 at 130 p.m. Inuvik Inuvik Community Corporation - Aug. 25 700 p.m. Norman Wells Royal Canadian Legion - Aug. 26 700 p.m. Tulita Arthur Mendo Arena Community Hall - Aug. 27 at 700 p.m. FortSmithPelicanRapidsInn-Sept.8700p.m. Fort Resolution Antoine Beaulieu Memorial Hall - Sept. 9 700 p.m. Fort Providence Snowshoe Centre - 700 p.m. A lot of people are falling through the cracks and hopefully this bill can address some of those issues. MLA Alfred Moses Standing Committee on Social Programs PhotoMalcolmGorrillMLA Alfred Moses