Letter of agreement to amend bilateral agreements for home and community care and mental health and addiction services

August 4, 2021

The Honourable Patty Hajdu
Minister of Health
Brooke Claxton Building, 16th Floor
POSTAL LOCATOR: 0916-A, TUNNEY'S PASTURE
OTTAWA ONTARIO K1A 0K9

Dear Minister Hajdu,

As you know, the COVID-19 pandemic has created significant challenges for Canadians, and has disproportionately affected those residing in long-term care facilities, assisted living facilities, and seniors’ residences. Outbreaks in these facilities have taken the lives of some of Canada’s most vulnerable citizens, and forever changed the lives of families and caregivers. To address this crisis, since spring 2020 the Northwest Territories (NWT) have been working to improve the safety of care for those living in long-term care settings, and those who care for them, through a broad range of measures for enhanced infection prevention and control and supported by federal investments and resources, including most recently  the $740M from the September 2020 Safe Restart Agreement funding.

Further to the Government of Canada’s commitment on November 30, 2020 to further support provinces and territories through a new Safe Long-term Care Fund (Fund), providing jurisdictions an additional $1 billion, Canada and the NWT agree, through this Letter of Agreement, to amend the Canada-Northwest Territories Home and Community Care and Mental Health and Addiction Services Agreement (Bilateral Agreement), in accordance with appendices A and B to this Letter, with the aim of further protecting Canadians who reside in these settings through increased infection prevention and control measures.

The amendments in Appendix A establish the terms and conditions that apply to the Safe Long-term Care funding and include the following:

Appendix B to this Letter of Agreement sets out the NWTs’ amendment to its action plan (Annex 2 to the Agreement) which provides information on the initiatives, expenditures, expected results and performance metrics on the initiatives supported by the Safe Long-term Care funding.

Except as set out in the appendices to this Letter of Agreement, the terms of the Bilateral Agreement will remain in effect.

This Letter of Agreement to amend the Bilateral Agreement will be effective upon both of our respective signatures and, as per the Agreement, will remain in effect until March 31, 2022, unless otherwise terminated by the parties to the Agreement.  It, along with the updated Agreement and annexes, will be made public online by Health Canada.

The Honorable Julie Green
Minister, Health and Social Services
Northwest Territories

The Honorable Patty Hajdu
Federal Minister of Health

August 4, 2021

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