The three territorial premiers met in Yellowknife this week to discuss serious issues, but that doesn’t mean there wasn’t time for a little fun.
“We had a chance last night to do a very brief amount of fishing,” said Yukon Premier Darrell Pasloski on the phone from Yellowknife Thursday.
“We were fishing, so of course it’s who’s going to catch the most or the biggest fish. And (N.W.T. Premier Bob) McLeod was the winner. But I just said, you know, ‘Gee whiz, it’s your lake, you know, it’s your turf. You probably know where the right place is.’ But it was all good fun.”
As for the serious business, one of the things the premiers talked about was how to best address mental health issues in remote communities.
“We’ve directed our ministers of health to look at using technology to provide mental health care,” said Pasloski.
That could mean providing things like counselling services through teleconference, he said.
The premiers also unveiled an updated version of a 2007 document, “A Northern Vision: Building a better North,” that outlines the territories’ joint priorities.
The document discusses four pillars of the vision: productive and engaged citizens, energy, infrastructure and governance.