Caroline Cochrane

The Minister of Health and Social Services would like to take this answer. I would like to defer it to her.

What the COVID secretariat is hoping to accomplish, I stated before, is better coordination, more transparency, better communication to the communities, and the opportunity to be able to look at efficiencies and effectiveness within our services. I'll give an example, Mr. Speaker. I've been asked about the border patrols down by Providence-Hay River. It's a great question. The reality, and the reason that we're looking at different things and didn't go out through normal processes is we didn't have time.

Mr. Speaker, the secretariat was only formed, I think, three weeks to a month ago, and...

I'd like to defer this to the Minister of Health and Social Services.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document, "Follow-up for Oral Question 242-19(2), Enforcement of Chief Public Health Officer's Orders in Apartment Buildings." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

At no time, actually, should border personnel be providing services such as camp maintenance, especially if we are talking about things like electrical and things like that. Those are trades that need to have skilled personnel. Now, I do know that sometimes people will go above and beyond and kind of help out with things as needed. It's not a requirement, Mr. Speaker, and, in fact, it's not even promoted. If it is a skilled trade, no one who does not have that trade certification should be doing it. At this point, all of the camp maintenance is being provided by South Slave companies.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will start with the first part of that because I heard two questions in that one. Who's in charge? Definitely, the buck stops here is what people have told me. I'm in charge of it. However, as the Minister responsible for the secretariat, at no time do I micromanage. My direction to departments is not which contractor to hire or which person to hire. My direction to departments has been: make sure the money stays in the North that you're contracting with Northern companies, especially during the time of COVID-19 and our economy in a slump. My other direction to...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, because it's on addictions, I'll transfer it to the Minister of Health and Social Services. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The MLA is getting a lot of questions in these four questions. What I can say, Mr. Speaker, is that, when we put out a contract, we do not go to the fire marshal, WSCC, health, gas inspectors, et cetera; we expect the contractors to do that. Otherwise, we would never get any projects off the ground. Any contractor who applies on things is expected to have those in place. If there is a complaint or an issue that is concerning, let me know, and we will check into it because all contractors should be following the legislation and the regulations. If not, that is a more serious issue than camp...

A lot of those services actually were needed throughout the summer. We have been operating at the border in that area since COVID-19 came to the North, so a lot of those actually are services that are currently provided by South Slave companies. We recently just put out requests for quotes for snow removal, camp cleaning, and garbage removal. Again, we have asked those from South Slave companies, so more than just northern companies, from regional based companies.

That is a question for the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs, if you can defer it there. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.