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Wednesday November 18 2015 19 AN OPEN LETTER FROM THE NWT SENIORS SOCIETY THE QUESTIONS FRAME LAKE YELLOWKNIFE R. Erasmus These benefits help seniors stay in the North and I am confident that no- body will be trying to remove or end them. However if someone did I would work with other MLAs and advocate to keep the extended healthcare benefits. I would also lobby Ministers privately to get them onside. K. OReilly I am committed to public health care and will always strive to expand and im- prove that system never to reduce it. At 8 of the population and growing at a rate of 8 per year seniors represent an important segment of the NWT population. EHB now admin- istered through Alberta Blue Cross is a worthwhile program offering great value to seniors helping them live in the North and to maintain a healthy and active lifestyle. Protecting even expanding EHB is a question of politcal will and if elected I will work towards that goal. GREAT SLAVE YELLOWKNIFE G. Abernethy Im not aware that there are any plans to eliminate or reduce Extended Health Benefits for seniors within the NWT. These benefits which dont exist in most jurisdictions are important to help our seniors maintain health and well-being which ulti- mately helps control acute health care costs. If re-elected Im committed to working with members of the 18th Legislative Assembly to ensure that our seniors continue to have access to this important program. C. Clarke Extended health benefits are crucial to our senior and elder population and I will fight for those benefits to be upheld and increased to the fullest extent of my abil- ity. Our senior and elder population is the foundation of our society and they have to be taken care of. These people are often marginalized and it is our duty to ensure that they are taken care of in a fair and equitable manner. Seniors and elders depend on many benefits such as prescription dental vision and hearing coverage. At times our seniors and elders have multiple conditions requiring various extended health benefits. Since many of our seniors and elders live below the poverty line I am most dedicated to be a proponent for them and make sure that they have everything they require to the full living standards of the Canadian population. HAY RIVER NORTH R. Bouchard I was committed to this from the last election. I will continue to support Extended Healthcare Benefits for Seniors. HAY RIVER SOUTH J. Groenewegen I have opposed any reduction or cuts to Extended Healthcare Ben- efits for Sseniors in the past and would fight again to protect these benefits. B. Willows I have one global answer for these six questions. I am a senior and member of the Hay River Seniors Association myself as are many of my friends and acquaintances. That said I think we can all recognize that there are a number of good things the govern- ment does for seniors in the North. Notwithstanding that there are gaps. We need to look at more innovative solutions to allow seniors to stay in their homes which will require subsidies for things like snow removal yard care etc. I will commit to protecting the ben- efits we have however the thresholds for financial assistance need to be reviewed . One of the local concerns here is the lack of extended health care facilities. As the statistics suggest this issue will only become more pronounced as we will develop more seniors with health issues related to dementia. KAM LAKE YELLOWKNIFE D. Ramsay As a regular member I fought very hard to ensure that extended health- care benefits remained intact for seniors over the past 4 years I have continued that approach. If elected I will continue to oppose reductions or changes to extended health benefits for seniors. K. Testart It is important that our government ensures that seniors can retire in comfort and dignity in the Northwest Territories. I will oppose any cuts to extended healthcare benefits and advocate for the periodic review of benefits to ensure that are meeting the needs of seniors in our communities. NAHENDEH K. Menicoche This is an excellent program and I will not support any down grading of services to our residents. S. Thompson I would hope there are not any plans to eliminate or reduce Extended Health Benefits for seniors within the NWT from the 17th Assembly. I believe these ben- efits are very important to our seniors to help maintain their health and provide them with the dignity that they deserve. I am committed to working with the other 18 members of the 18th Legislative Assembly and the NWT Senior Society to ensure that our seniors continue to have access to these benefits. RANGE LAKE YELLOWKNIFE D. Dolynny In less than 10 years 20 per cent of all Canadians will be greater than 65 yrs old. This is a staggering statistic in which all levels of government must be ready to deal with. One issue that is always of concern for those entering their retirement years Will my healthcare be there when I get older I can assure you if we want a vibrant healthy Territory we must NOT diminish any of our current commitments to our NWT seniors. In fact we need to make sure that our Extended Healthcare Benefits for NWT seniors mod- ernizes with the times and is of best practice nationally and internationally. C. Cochrane-Johnson Growing up in Yellowknife provided me the privilege of knowing many long term northerners. These people built our communities and many now depend on our extended healthcare benefits. The GNWT reports that income levels for NWT se- niors are lower than they are for seniors nationally This along with our high cost of living means older adults cannot afford any cuts to the current healthcare benefits. Many peo- ple within my riding have also expressed concern for older adults and therefore I would strongly support continuing the current extended health care coverage for NWT seniors. THEBACHA M. Miltenberger There is no plan to cut benefits for seniors. The funding is currently in the budget and I will vote to keep it in the budget. L. Sebert Extended Health Care Benefits must be continued. Several years ago there was an attempt to means test benefits which quite properly received an overwhelmingly negative response. Extended Health Care Benefits provide access to health care for all seniors and additionally encourages seniors to remain in the North a benefit to the overall society. D. Jaque Extended health benefits for seniors are a small cost considering the benefits. Seniors often have limited incomes and too many live in poverty. They deserve to be kept care of in their final years given their considerable contribution to our society. Additionally extended healthcare benefits for those seniors who are financially independent is a means to attract them to continue living in the NWT whereas they might otherwise travel to the south to live where the climate is more benign there are more facilities and better medical health support. Other family members might follow them. That would result in an outmigration of a number of residents further diminishing the NWT population - which is not a good thing. I would fight for extended healthcare benefits for seniors. YELLOWKNIFE CENTRE J. Green I support the continuation of the extended healthcare benefits program for seniors. The program is important for supporting the health of northern seniors. Living is more affordable for older adults on a fixed income if they do not have to pay for prescrip- tions dental care glasses and hearing aids. And thats a good thing. Health-related costs are escalating as is the population of seniors. Meanwhile the NWT finance minister says government revenue is not increasing. In the future we may have to consider a discounted insurance premium for these services similar to what seniors pay in Alberta. The NWT Seniors Society invited all 60 MLA candidates to participate in a survey. Our survey had four purposes 1 inform voters 2 hold elected candidates accountable 3 influence public policy and 4 inspire solutions to the many challenges facing old- er adults in the NWT. As the fastest growing population in the NWT and one that is expected to double to about 9000 people in the next 20 years we see our concerns as everyones concerns particularly those of our elected officials. We are grateful to the 22 MLA candidates in the 11 ridings who re- sponded to our survey. We especially commend those four ridings where all candidates responded. Your responses demonstrate your commitment to older adults in the NWT. We learned a lot from the responses on Extended Health Benefits EHB all of the MLAs support continuation on these benefits. They recognize the important role that EHB plays in quality of life. We appreciate the understanding that candidates have of the cost to benefit of the EHB. All candidates support ageing in place and appreciate the importance of older adults living independently and with dignity. They offered a variety of ideas for facilitating ageing in place such as investment in affordable housing options and strengthening supportive services such as homecare. All candidates expressed a commitment to safe and affordable housing and the fuel subsidy. Most advocate innovative energy efficient housing options. Several candidates commented on the safety of older adults and made reference to the persistent problem of abuse. Some raised interesting solutions to these challenges including a comprehensive needs-based seniors strategy or survey tax relief a wrap-around suite of services and integrated elder-youth-childrens facilities. Many MLA candidates agree that equal access to GNWT programs and services by all older adults in the NWT should always be the goal but this doesnt necessarily mean that the same programsservices are offered in all communities. For some equal access means that all older adults should have a way to connect to programsservices. Suggested groups or approaches to connecting older adults to GNWT programsservices include the NWT Seniors Society and other seniors serving organizations Government Services Officers a seniors secretariat or advocate and a wellness navigation program. MLA candidates seem to be advocating a shift in economic policy as the way to reduce cost of living. In particular they suggest localizing community economies import replacement alternative energies energy efficiencies and changes in taxation. Slightly more than half 55 of MLA candidates support the estab- lishment of a seniors advocate for the NWT. Support is premised on the need for a strong voice for older adults. Uncertain or non-support for a seniors advocate is linked to costs added bureaucracy or a belief that an ombudsman or the NWT Seniors Society could fulfill this role. Again the NWT Seniors Society thanks all participating MLA candidates for their commitment and ideas. Well be taking them to the polls on November 23rd. Leon Peterson President NWT Seniors Society 1. How will you ensure the continuation of Extended Healthcare Benefits for NWT Seniors