Floyd Roland

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Member is asking me as the Minister of my department to get directly involved in the negotiation process. Right now, the employees are the employees of the Yellowknife Health and Social Services Authority. We have a contract with the Aven Manor and are employees of that facility. They are continuing to have their negotiation process. We are watching what is happening. As well, we are working cooperatively with the Yellowknife Health and Social Services Authority. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, the process is we start right from square one. For example, as the Department of Health and Social Services builds its budget, it goes to all the health authorities and they submit a budget for the upcoming year. Those budgets are based somewhat on the actuals they had in the previous year with some estimates of what the potential may be on certain areas. If the population has grown, if they have seen an example of certain sicknesses at different times of the year, that has an impact on their budget. Some of it is built on estimates. Those, in all worlds...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, the Mackenzie Highway winter road program is a cost-shared program and it's through the Canadian strategic infrastructure fund package. So that's how this funding works. The carry-over is to help continue the bridge construction at Blackwater River and Bob's Canyon Creek in '07-08. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this program, as I had stated earlier, we’re working through the Territorial Advisory Group, again, in consultation with all of those that I talked about that we will work with and we will develop a program. I’m expecting to see something by mid-summer in this area so, hopefully, enjoying our last sitting of this Assembly I’ll be able to share information on where that’s going. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, the department used to fund it internally but as cost pressures within the department have grown, they felt they needed to request this. Again, it was one of the new initiatives that we parked until we had a better indication of where the federal budget was going. This is also a cost-shared program. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it is highly unusual that we would get into a negotiation process in the Legislative Assembly. We have been working with the Department of Health and Social Services on this matter and we will continue to work with them cooperatively and hopefully have a successful conclusion to the whole negotiation area. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, the information we provided shows that the deficit situation or surplus situation fluctuates. Unfortunately, we do have a number of years where there is an operating deficit and it grows into accumulated deficit and continues to grow. We have worked with authorities on the program where if there is a projected deficit and it is realized at year end that there is a 50 percent, we will work with them to try to fund it. They would be asked to look at their expenditures and come up with 50 percent of that plan through the budget that they would be approved with...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, the reason they are coming forward, as the Minister stated, is to enhance the ability to quicken the construction of the winter ice crossings. If things proceed as planned and the Deh Cho Bridge is built, this equipment then can be redeployed to other areas in the territory where we continue to use ice bridges for highways. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I thank the Member for that question and would say, yes, we would put an effort into coming up with a campaign that would draw attention to what the impacts of drug and alcohol abuse is in the Northwest Territories. As well, Mr. Speaker, if I can, earlier I talked about a discussion paper, the NWT Alcohol and Drug Program’s Balancing Community and Residential Services. Just for the record, that was initiated back a couple of years ago and that discussion paper was shared with the Health and Social Services Authority in 2006 and was used for them in...

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, the Department of Transportation with this supplementary request has not requested any funding to do any work in that area. If they are, it would be under their normal business plan process. Thank you.