Glen Abernethy

Mr. Speaker, I'm already on the record, indicating that I've already directed the department to begin the work on the development of a sobering centre. In fact, we're out currently looking for a location for a sobering centre here, in Yellowknife. As the Minister responsible for Homelessness pointed out, initially, we're intending to fund that from within. We need to get it in place, figure out what the costs are going to be, and move forward accordingly.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, the planning study for the Lutselk'e facility has been completed, and what it's proposing is a retrofit expansion for that facility. We are just waiting to find a way to get it into the queue when capital room is available.

It would be competing with Fort Simpson, assuming we get it done, which I anticipate we will, Tulita, Jean Marie River, and a number of other projects. We're trying to move all of these forward as quickly as we can.

The earliest that it would be in the budget would be 20182019, recognizing once again Tulita, Fort Simpson, Jean Marie River...

Mr. Speaker, traditionally, we have supported some of the different senior societies around the Northwest Territories who have done a lot of this work. But in our design of independent living units and other facilities around the Northwest Territories, we have actually allowed for space where seniors can get together and do programming, whether we are delivering the programming or whether it is community groups who are delivering the programs.

I would suggest that the Member or any of the Members have an opportunity to take a look at one of our new independent living units put together by the...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, when it comes to health centres, health clinics, health cabins, those types of things, the Department of Health and Social Services is essentially the client. We are identifying the program and the magnitude of programs and services that we need to be available through a facility, and the facility must be designed to meet those needs, but Public Works and Services is the builder.

Also, Public Works and Services, for Health and Social Services as for all other departments, has a responsibility for property management, which means they are managing leases, they're...

Mr. Speaker, I have mentioned it before. We are working on a continuing care services action plan, which is helping us to quantify the needs and demands out there for things like home care and other supports that we can be providing for our seniors. We hope to have that action plan done by the end of this fiscal year, at which point I will be coming to committee to have some discussions on the plan itself and how we can work together to roll that plan out and make sure that we are meeting the broad range of needs of seniors across this territory.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. The budget for the planning study is in Public Works and Services. We have been working on this project for a number of years. We had obviously hoped to have this moved forward previously but we had more difficulty gaining community acceptance of the parcel of land that would be utilized for the new health centre. It took longer than anticipated, which obviously delayed our ability to do a planning study. You can't do the planning study until you have the land because, if you're talking about design, build, how the facility is going to look, what programs you're going to...

Mr. Speaker, one of the commitments the Government of the Northwest Territories has made for investing in early childhood development includes improving access to and outcomes of early intervention services by continuing pilot projects in the Deh Cho, Tlicho and Beaufort Delta regions. I am pleased to report that the three early childhood development intervention pilot projects established as part of the GNWT’s Framework and Action Plan for Early Childhood Development are well underway.

These pilots will contribute new knowledge about regional and community-based early childhood development...

No variance, Mr. Chair.

Yes, it is, Mr. Chair.

Yes, please.