Language selection

Government of Canada / Gouvernement du Canada

Search

2022 to 2023 Canada-Northwest Territories Home and Community Care and Mental Health and Addictions Services Funding Agreement

Table of Contents

  1. Funding Agreement
  2. Annex I - Common Statement of Principles on Shared Health Priorities
  3. Annex II - Expenditure Plan

Funding Agreement

BETWEEN:

HIS MAJESTY THE KING IN RIGHT OF CANADA (hereinafter referred to as "Canada" or "Government of Canada") as represented by the Minister of Health and Minister of Mental Health and Addictions (herein referred to as "the federal Ministers")

- and -

GOVERNMENT OF NORTHWEST TERRITORIES (hereinafter referred to as "Northwest Territories " or "Government of Northwest Territories ") as represented by the Minister of Health and Social Services herein referred to as "the territorial Minister")

REFERRED to collectively as the "Parties", and individually as a "Party"

PREAMBLE

WHEREAS, on January 16, 2017 Canada and Northwest Territories agreed to targeted federal funding over 10 years, beginning in 2017-18, for investments in home and community care and mental health and addictions, in addition to the existing legislated commitments through the Canada Health Transfer;

WHEREAS, Canada and Northwest Territories agreed to a Common Statement of Principles on Shared Health Priorities (hereinafter referred to as the "Common Statement", attached hereto as Annex 1) on August 21, 2017, which articulated their shared vision to improve access to home and community care as well as mental health and addictions services in Canada;

WHEREAS, Canada authorizes the federal Ministers to enter into agreements with the provinces and territories, for the purpose of identifying activities provinces and territories will undertake in home and community care and mental health and addictions services, based on a menu of common areas of action and in keeping with the performance measurement and reporting commitments, consistent with the Common Statement;

WHEREAS, Canada and Northwest Territories agree that data collection and public reporting of outcomes is key to reporting results to Canadians on these health system priorities, and that the performance measurement approach taken will recognize and seek to address differences in access to data and health information infrastructure;

WHEREAS, the Government Organization Act authorizes the territorial Minister to enter into agreements with the Government of Canada under which Canada undertakes to provide funding toward costs incurred by the Government of Northwest Territories for the provision of health services which includes home and community care, and mental health and addictions initiatives;

WHEREAS, Northwest Territories makes ongoing investments in home and community care and mental health and addictions services, consistent with its broader responsibilities for delivering health care services to its residents;

AND WHEREAS, the Government of Canada makes ongoing investments in home and community care and mental health and addictions services for Indigenous communities and other federal populations;

NOW THEREFORE, Canada and Northwest Territories agree as follows:

1.0 Objectives

1.1 Building on Northwest Territories 's existing investments and initiatives, the Parties commit to work together to improve access to home and community care and strengthen access to mental health and addictions services (listed in the Common Statement, attached as Annex 1).

2.0 Action Plan and Expenditure Plan

2.1 Northwest Territories will invest federal funding provided through this Agreement in alignment with the selected action(s) from each menu of actions listed under home and community care and mental health and addictions services in the Common Statement and the Action Plan (Annex 2 of the Canada-Government of Northwest Territories Home and Community Care and Mental Health and Addictions Services Funding Agreement (herein the "Previous Agreement")).

2.2 Consistent with the Initiatives in the Action Plan, Annex 2 sets out the expenditure plan for funding provided through this Agreement. Annex 2 may include a description of any new initiatives.

3.0 Term of Agreement

3.1 The term of this Agreement is one year, from April 1, 2022 to March 31, 2023 ("the Term").

3.2 Renewal of Agreement

3.2.1 Northwest Territories 's share of the federal funding for 2023-24 to 2026-27, based on the federal commitment in Budget 2017 of $11 billion over ten years, could be provided upon the renewal of an agreement, subject to appropriation by Parliament, and the Parties' agreement on a new Action Plan. A future agreement would provide the Parties an opportunity to review and course correct, if required, and realign new priorities based on progress made to date.

4.0 Financial Provisions

4.1 The contributions made under this Agreement are in addition and not in lieu of those that Canada currently provides under the Canada Health Transfer to support delivering health care services within the jurisdictions.

4.2 Allocation to Northwest Territories

4.2.1 In this Agreement, "Fiscal Year" means the period commencing on April 1 of any calendar year and terminating on March 31 of the immediately following calendar year.

4.2.2 Canada has designated the following maximum amounts to be transferred in total to all provinces and territories under this initiative based on the allocation method outlined in subsection 4.2.3 for the Term of this Agreement.

Home and Community Care

  1. $600 million for the Fiscal Year beginning on April 1, 2022

Mental Health and Addictions Services

  1. $600 million for the Fiscal Year beginning on April 1, 2022

4.2.3 Funding will be allocated to provinces and territories on a per capita basis. The per capita funding is calculated using the following formula: F x K/L, where:

4.2.4 Subject to annual adjustment based on the formula described in section 4.2.3, Northwest Territories 's estimated share of the amounts will be:

Fiscal Year

Home and community care
Estimated amount to be paid to Northwest TerritoriesFootnote *

Mental health and addictions services
Estimated amount to be paid to Northwest TerritoriesFootnote *
2022-2023 $670,000 $670,000
Footnote

Amounts represent annual estimates based on Statistics Canada's July 1st 2021 population estimates.

Return to footnote * referrer

4.3 Payment

4.3.1 Canada's contribution will be paid in semi-annual installments as follows:

  1. The first installment will be paid within approximately 30 business days of execution of this Agreement by the Parties. The second installment will be paid on or about November 15.
  2. The first installment will be equal to 50% of the notional amount set out in section 4.2.4 as adjusted by section 4.2.3.
  3. The second installment will be equal to the balance of Canada's contribution for the Fiscal Year as determined under sections 4.2.4 and 4.2.3.
  4. Prior to the second payment, Canada will notify of the amount of the second installment as determined under sections 4.2.4 and 4.2.3.
  5. Canada shall withhold the second payment if Northwest Territories has failed to provide its annual financial statement for the previous Fiscal Year pursuant to the Previous Agreement or to provide data and information related to home and community care and mental health and addictions to the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) for the previous Fiscal Year in accordance with section 5.1.
  6. The sum of both installments constitutes a final payment and is not subject to any further adjustment once the second installment has been paid.
  7. Payment of Canada's funding for this Agreement is subject to an annual appropriation by the Parliament of Canada for this purpose.

4.4 Carry Over

4.4.1 In the event this Agreement is renewed in accordance with the terms of section 3.2.1, and at the request of Northwest Territories, Northwest Territories may retain and carry forward up to 10 percent of funding provided in this Agreement that is in excess of the amount of the eligible costs actually incurred and use the amount carried forward for expenditures on eligible areas of investment incurred in Fiscal Year 2023-24. Any request to retain and carry forward an amount exceeding 10 percent will be subject to discussion and mutual agreement in writing by the Designated Officials via an exchange of letters.

4.5 Repayment of overpayment

4.5.1 In the event payments made exceed the amount to which Northwest Territories is entitled under this Agreement, the amount of the excess is a debt due to Canada and, unless otherwise agreed to in writing by the Parties, Northwest Territories shall repay the amount within sixty (60) calendar days of written notice from Canada.

4.6 Use of Funds

4.6.1 The Parties agree that funds provided under this Agreement will only be used in accordance with the areas of action outlined in Annex 2.

4.7 Eligible Expenditures

4.7.1 Eligible expenditures under this Agreement are the following:

5.0 Performance Measurement and Reporting to Canadians

5.1 Funding conditions and reporting

5.1.1 As a condition of receiving funding, Northwest Territories agrees to participate in a Federal-Provincial-Territorial process, including working with stakeholders and experts, through CIHI, to continue the development of common indicators and to share relevant data in order to permit CIHI to produce annual public reports that will measure pan-Canadian progress on home and community care and mental health and addictions services.

  1. Northwest Territories will designate an official or official(s), for the duration of this agreement, to work with CIHI and represent its interests related to performance measurement and reporting for home and community care and mental health and addictions services.

5.1.2 By no later than October 1, 2022 and October 1, 2023, in respect of the previous Fiscal Year, Northwest Territories agrees to:

  1. Provide to CIHI data and information (based on existing and new indicators) related to home and community care and mental health and addictions services annually. This will support CIHI to measure progress on the shared commitments outlined in the Common Statement and report to the public.
  2. Provide to Canada an annual financial statement, with attestation from the Government of Northwest Territories 's Chief Financial Officer, of funding received the preceding Fiscal Year from Canada under this Agreement or the Previous Agreement compared against the Action Plan, and noting any variances, between actual expenditures and the Action Plan:
    1. The revenue section of the statement shall show the amount received from Canada under this Agreement during the Fiscal Year;
    2. The total amount of funding used for home and community care and mental health and addictions programs and services;
    3. If applicable, the amount of any amount carried forward under section 4.4; and
    4. If applicable, the amount of overpayment that is to be repaid to Canada under section 4.5.

5.2 Audit

5.2.1 Northwest Territories will ensure that expenditure information presented in the annual financial statement is, in accordance with Northwest Territories 's standard accounting practices, complete and accurate.

5.3 Evaluation

5.3.1 Responsibility for evaluation of programs rests with Northwest Territories in accordance with its own evaluation policies and practices.

6.0 Communications

6.1 The Parties agree on the importance of communicating with citizens about the objectives of this Agreement in an open, transparent, effective and proactive manner through appropriate public information activities.

6.2 Each Party will receive the appropriate credit and visibility when investments financed through funds granted under this Agreement are announced to the public.

6.3 In the spirit of transparency and open government, Canada will make this Agreement, including any amendments, publicly available on a Government of Canada website.

6.4 Canada, with prior notice to Northwest Territories, may incorporate all or any part of the data and information in 5.1.2, or any part of evaluation and audit reports made public by Northwest Territories into any report that Canada may prepare for its own purposes, including any reports to the Parliament of Canada or reports that may be made public.

6.5 Canada reserves the right to conduct public communications, announcements, events, outreach and promotional activities about the Common Statement and this Agreement. Canada agrees to give Northwest Territories 10 days advance notice and advance copies of public communications related to the Common Statement, this Agreement, and results of the investments of this Agreement.

6.6 Northwest Territories reserves the right to conduct public communications, announcements, events, outreach and promotional activities about the Common Statement and this Agreement. Northwest Territories agrees to give Canada 10 days advance notice and advance copies of public communications related to the Common Statement, this Agreement, and results of the investments of this Agreement.

7.0 Dispute Resolution

7.1 The Parties are committed to working together and avoiding disputes through government-to-government information exchange, advance notice, early consultation, and discussion, clarification, and resolution of issues, as they arise.

7.2 If at any time a Party is of the opinion that the other Party has failed to comply with any of its obligations or undertakings under this Agreement or is in breach of any term or condition of the Agreement, that Party may notify the other Party in writing of the failure or breach. Upon such notice, the Parties will endeavour to resolve the issue in dispute bilaterally through their designated officials, at the Assistant Deputy Minister level ("Designated Officials").

7.3 If a dispute cannot be resolved by Designated Officials, then the dispute will be referred to the Deputy Ministers of Canada and Northwest Territories responsible for health, and if it cannot be resolved by them, then the federal Minister(s) and the provincial Minister(s) shall endeavour to resolve the dispute.

8.0 Amendments to the Agreement

8.1 The main text of this Agreement may be amended at any time by mutual consent of the Parties. Any amendments shall be in writing and signed, in the case of Canada, by the federal Minister(s), and in the case of Northwest Territories, by the territorial Minister(s).

8.2 Annex 2 may be amended at any time by mutual consent of the Parties. Any amendments to Annex 2 shall be in writing and signed by each Party's Designated Official.

9.0 Equality of Treatment

9.1 During the term of this Agreement, if another province or territory, except the province of Quebec, enters into a home and community care and mental health and addictions services agreement with Canada, or the Parties agree to an amendment to such an agreement and if, in the reasonable opinion of Northwest Territories, any provision of that agreement or an amended agreement is more favourable to that province or territory than the terms set forth in this Agreement, Canada agrees to amend this Agreement in order to afford similar treatment, upon request. This includes any provision of the Agreement except for the Financial Provisions set out under section 4.0. This amendment shall be retroactive to the date on which the Agreement or the amendment to such an agreement with the other province or territory came into force.

10.0 Termination

10.1 Either Party may terminate this Agreement at any time if the terms are not respected by giving at least 6 months written notice of intention to terminate.

10.2 As of the effective date of termination of this Agreement, Canada shall have no obligation to make any further payments.

11.0 Notice

11.1 Any notice, information, or document provided for under this Agreement will be effectively given if delivered or sent by letter or email, postage or other charges prepaid. Any communication that is delivered will be deemed to have been received in delivery; and, except in periods of postal disruption, any communication mailed by post will be deemed to have been received eight calendar days after being mailed.

The address for communication to Canada shall be:

Health Canada
70 Colombine Driveway
Brooke Claxton Building
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0K9

Email: jocelyne.voisin@hc-sc.gc.ca

The address for communication to Northwest Territories shall be:

Attn: Tiffany Boyd, Assistant Deputy Minister

Health and Social Services
Government of the Northwest Territories, H-1
P.O. Box 2703
Whitehorse, YT Y1A 2C6
201-#1 Hospital Road
Whitehorse, Northwest Territories
Y1A 3H7

Email: Tiffany.Boyd@Northwest Territories.ca

12.0 General

12.1 This Agreement, including Annexes 1 and 2, comprise the entire Agreement entered into by the Parties.

12.2 This Agreement is based on the Common Statement of Principles on Shared Health Priorities, Annex 1, finalized on August 21, 2017.

12.3 This Agreement shall be governed by and interpreted in accordance with the laws of Canada and Northwest Territories.

12.4 No member of the House of Commons or of the Senate of Canada or of the Legislature of Northwest Territories shall be admitted to any share or part of this Agreement, or to any benefit arising therefrom.

12.5 If for any reason a provision of this Agreement, that is not a fundamental term, is found by a court of competent jurisdiction to be or to have become invalid or unenforceable, in whole or in part, it will be severed and deleted from this Agreement, but all the other provisions of this Agreement will continue to be valid and enforceable.

SIGNED on behalf of Canada by the Minister of Health at Ottawa, Ontario this 22th day of December, 2022.

The Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Health

SIGNED on behalf of Canada by the Minister of Mental Health and Addictions at Ottawa, Ontario this 22th day of December, 2022.

The Honourable Carolyn Bennett, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions

SIGNED on behalf of the Northwest Territories by the Minister of Health and Social Services at Yellowknife, Northwest Territories this 12th day of December, 2022.

The Honourable Julie Green, Minister of Health and Social Services

Annex 1 to the Agreement

Common Statement of Principles on Shared Health Priorities

Annex 2 to the Agreement

Northwest Territories' Expenditure Plan on Home and Community Care and Mental Health and Addictions Services 2022-2023

Building on the Action Plan in Annex 2 of the previous Canada-Northwest Territories Home and Community Care and Mental Health and Addictions Services Funding Agreement, the Northwest Territories is planning to use federal funding as follow:

Home and Community Care

Funding allocation by initiative

Initiative 2022-23

InterRAI Assessment Tool Project

Support a project team that will interface and directly support home and community care service providers as they lead the planning, training and deployment of the InterRAI tools and an electronic charting system in home and community care services. Implementing the interRAI tools and an electronic charting system across continuing care settings will improve access and service delivery to individuals based on their assessed care needs, and avoid admission into long-term care for as long as possible.

$917,600

Reporting - RL6

Annual maintenance fees for the addition of two new modules within the RL6 incident reporting system used across the Health and Social Services system in the NWT. The first module, Feedback, will capture and organize feedback to assist in responding to concerns in a timely and efficient manner. The second module, RootCause, will allow the quality and risk team to support staff to look at the root cause of incidents within the home care delivery system so that resources and policies can be aligned to deliver safe, effective care.

$15,600

IPAC (Infection, Prevention and Control) Continuing Care Services

Support the costs of hiring an IPAC professional to support Home Care programs with IPAC training, policies and practices, which have been integrated to minimize risks for those accessing home care services.

$143,000

Total federal funding - Home and Community CareFootnote 1

$1,076,200
Footnote 1

The total federal funding for 2022-23 includes the amount of funding carried forward from fiscal year 2021-22.

Return to footnote 1 referrer

Mental Health and Addictions Services

Funding allocation by initiative

Initiative 2022-23

Suicide Prevention & Crisis Response Network - Intervention

Support the adoption of a seamless care pathway (integrated stepped care) approach to service delivery to ensure that system gaps are filled and that individuals who may be at risk are provided with the most appropriate level and type of service required to meet their needs. For example, federal funds will be used to support the review and revision of the 2019 Suicide Risk Assessment policy, based on feedback from key stakeholders and lessons learned.

 $415,000

Suicide Prevention & Crisis Response Network - Community Suicide Prevention Fund

Work directly with communities to develop community-level suicide prevention plans that work to increase resiliency, instill a sense of hope and belonging, and increase mental health and suicide awareness in order to reduce stigma.

 $297,400

Suicide Prevention & Crisis Response Network – Training

Providing a coordinated response and healing supports for individuals, families and communities impacted by a suicide or other crisis. Examples of how federal funds will be used include:

  • Targeted training to key areas in the HSS system to improve Suicide Risk Assessment use and Safety Planning.
  • Development of policies and protocols outlining a coordinated, interdepartmental approach to providing timely response in a crisis;
  • Establishment of clear roles and responsibilities with a focus on connecting with the community to understand needs;
  • Establishment of a territorial team of professionals able to respond in a crisis and to travel on short notice; and
  • Critical Incident Management training for Health and Social Services staff in order to provide additional support to families and first responders.
 $52,600

Improved Mental Health and Addictions Services and Supports

Expanding evidence-based mental health and addiction services, and informing both policy and program development through meaningful engagement, including:

  • Implementing the Stepped Care 2.0 delivery system to improve access by matching service users with 1) the right service at the right time, 2) the provision of same day access to services, and 3) the enhancement of service options and choice through the use of eMental Health supports. The focus of this work is on support to system staff, service user engagement, establishment of eMental Health options, including those focused on addictions recovery, and ongoing monitoring and implementation evaluation.
  • Developing and implementing a territorial model for community and inpatient medical detox focusing on making detox options available to residents in need across the territory, as well as the establishment of referral protocols and seamless pathways between inpatient services and ongoing, community-based recovery supports.
  • Supporting the Mental Wellness and Addictions Recovery Advisory Group, which is made up of NWT residents who have lived and are living expertise with mental health and addictions. This Advisory Group provides knowledge and strategic advice to the Department that is rooted in their unique experiences and their feedback helps to influence the future direction of services, supports, policies and more.
 $105,000

Total federal funding - Mental Health and Addictions ServicesFootnote 2

 $870,000
Footnote 1

The total federal funding for 2022-23 includes the amount of funding carried forward from fiscal year 2021-22.

Return to footnote 2 referrer

Page details

Date modified: