At a GlanceAddictions Prevention and Recovery Services in the Northwest Territories
Why we did this audit
- Addictions are a significant concern in the Northwest Territories. Addictions can have serious health and social consequences. They can affect families, education and employment opportunities, social integration, and financial stability. The Northwest Territories health and social services system plays a critical role in providing addictions services to its residents.
- Services should be accessible to residents who are seeking help for an addiction. Because various organizations provide addictions services and individuals can enter the system at different points, the system needs to be coordinated to help individuals move through it.
Our findings
- The Department of Health and Social Services and the health and social services authorities did not do enough to provide accessible and coordinated addictions services.
- Neither the Department of Health and Social Services nor the health and social services authorities determined what equitable access to addictions services across the territory would look like in practice. The department and the health authorities also did not identify the actions required to achieve their commitment to providing equitable access to services. As a result, it was not clear whether the fact that the availability of addictions services varied over time and by location was part of the system’s design or due to deficiencies in the system.
- The department and the health authorities adapted how they delivered services in response to the coronavirus disease (COVID‑19) pandemic. For example, the health authorities ramped up virtual and telephone care for residents wanting addictions services during the pandemic. This included helping people get the technology required to access virtual services.
Key facts and figures
- The Northwest Territories has some of the highest rates of addictions and substance use in Canada. According to the Government of the Northwest Territories’ 2019–20 annual report on the territory’s health and social services system, adults and youth were hospitalized for harm caused by substance use, mainly alcohol and cannabis, at a rate that was over 3 times the national average.
- Addictions services in the Northwest Territories’ health and social services system focus on the person and their individual goals. Clients play a key role in identifying what services they would like to access and when they are ready to do so. This includes enabling clients to refer themselves to counselling.
- Despite the problems identified, we found that as of September 2020, there were no wait times for initial appointments with a counsellor in 6 of 7 health and social services regions.
Highlights of our recommendations
- The Department of Health and Social Services and the health and social services authorities, in collaboration with Indigenous governments and communities, should determine how to achieve their commitment to providing equitable access to addictions services in the Northwest Territories, including related timelines, and take the required actions. This should include identifying where and how services should be made available to reduce barriers to access, given the operating environment and related challenges.
- The Department of Health and Social Services and the health and social services authorities should collaborate with Indigenous governments and communities to establish desired short-, medium-, and long-term outcomes for addictions services and indicators to measure them, including using Indigenous outcome measures. They should use these indicators to monitor the results related to addictions services and adjust those services as necessary.
We found that the department reported information related to 2 of the indicators for the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 3: the harmful use of alcohol and the prevalence of tobacco use. According to the department’s 2019–20 annual report, results from Statistics Canada’s Canadian Community Health Survey indicated that in the 2017–18 fiscal year, the proportion of Northwest Territories residents who reported heavy drinking was 29% and the proportion who reported daily or occasional smoking was 35%. These results reinforce the importance of collecting and analyzing disaggregated data to understand how well addictions services are working and the changes that are required.
Visit our Sustainable Development page to learn more about sustainable development and the Office of the Auditor General of CanadaOAG.
Related information
| Entities |
Department of Health and Social Services (Northwest Territories) Health and social services authorities |
|---|---|
| Completion date | 1 March 2022 |
| Tabling date | 31 May 2022 |
| Related audits | Reports to the Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly |