Daryl Dolynny

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I just want to pick up where some of our Members have been going today. Grave concern about WSCC claims costs. We have talked about penalties. These are pretty large numbers here that I think most people need to get some clarity on.

I want to hone in on what was said earlier today or bring up a part of the response here from the Minister of Human Resources where he had a concern about the WSCC Safe Advantage program. Did he have a concern with the fairness for the GNWT? Was there a concern with the framework of the plan? What is the Minister’s concern?

I think the Minister mentioned three, but I think only two were given. That said, did the two departments that were given, in terms of Justice and Health, if one was to look at realistic comparison in these so-called rate sheets that are provided by WSCC, those areas, in terms of claims or what premiums are being paid by those related private sector industries are in the order of probably about, and in the case of health, about $1.61 per $100 of payroll, and in the issue of corrections, somewhere around the $2.58 mark per $100.

As I indicated earlier in my Member’s statement, the GNWT is paying...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Over the last three years, WSCC claims cost experience for the GNWT has more than doubled. Let me repeat that word: doubled. In my Member’s statement today we talked about the GNWT’s Safe Advantage penalties, which is the second part of these claims costs and penalties. Those have risen from zero dollars in 2009-2010 to over $508,000 in 2011-2012. It’s for this reason we just talked about, hearing about no money for midwifery, I’d like to say it’s very difficult to look at the whites of the eyes of midwives across the Territories and give them 508,000 reasons why there...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The GNWT Safe Advantage penalties for Workers’ Safety and Compensation Commission have been tabled in this House and have risen from zero dollars in 2009-2010 programming, to $243,583 in 2010-2011 and a whopping $508,625 in 2011-2012.

In the Department of Human Resources’ own words, it claims to “have taken significant steps in the development of health and safety programs in the last few years. Current results demonstrate that there is work to be done across the GNWT to ensure the safety of all our employees and reduce claims cost experience.”

The Regular Members sure...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My emphasis here is on consistency. We have here at the Hay River hospital, they use evidence-based testing for their prioritization schedule. Stanton Hospital does not. My ask is quite simple. Can we provide or will the Minister commit to look at an overhaul so that we have consistency from hospital to hospital, from long-term care to long-term care as we proceed with the 17th Assembly? Thank you.

Thank you. I appreciate the Minister clarifying. I think the concern of many is that the existing level of rehabilitation services offered at Stanton is the issue. I’ve had many professionals from there indicate that being limited to two hours of services for in-patients is, as they say, make what you can make of it.

The system is failing here. It appears that outpatients – WSCC, DND, RCMP and auto insurance clients – are given urgent status over in-patients. The solution is very simple: prioritize your high-level, extended health or long-term care in-patients versus your non-urgent outpatients...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. During the summer our local paper ran a story about Allisdair Leishman, a young man who stabbed himself in the Stanton Territorial Hospital’s kitchen. Requiring the proper long-term care and concerned about the lack of physiotherapy care the young man wasn’t receiving, the mother, Mrs. Leishman from Kakisa, took to the paper.

In essence, in the article Mrs. Leishman alludes that her son was limited to two hours per month of physiotherapy care. Upon my office’s investigation, it was verified that the Stanton Hospital was fully staffed with eight physiotherapists. It...

I would assume that the predominant use of this remote camera observation program is for spring/summer/early fall. Does this camera system have any use during winter months? Is there a purpose that this equipment would have a potential opportunity for observation?

Is this a replacement of product that we have in terms of system or is this a brand new technology to the Territories?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’ll be tabling the Stanton Territorial Hospital general referral form for occupational therapy, for physiotherapy, which clearly shows urgent outpatient client status.