That is correct. There are positions in the facility today that are contract staff, whether it’s laundry services or food services, dietary. Those are going to be part of BHP’s facilities management and building management in the future, but they are not GNWT staff. Only nine GNWT positions will be impacted.

I would like to add, Mr. Chair, that this is a significantly larger facility than the one we have available to us today and we actually anticipate, in order to provide the full scope of services that are going to be in that building, requiring additional positions just like we needed...

As in all cases, we would obviously need some confirmation from the medical practitioner that the patient’s reality has changed. So the individual would have to work with the patient to get some recognition from the practitioner which could then be shared with the medical travel staff who can actually facilitate the return ticket or rebooking. How long it takes really depends on their ability to get the information to the medical staff, but we can make those things happen pretty fast. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I am happy to do so. Extended care facilities are what we refer to as level 5 and provides services to residents with complex medical needs who require 24-hour nursing care and a range of supports from other health care professionals. An example of this would be a resident who is on a ventilator who requires care from a registered nurse and a respiratory therapist. These residents’ medical needs may become quickly unstable.

Long-term care facilities, which we refer to as level 3 and 4, provides services to residents with more stable medical needs that require access to...

I believe the Minister of Finance has already made that commitment and we will live up to it accordingly.

There’s no question that we have challenges here in the Northwest Territories with mental health and addictions. Addictions is rampant throughout the Northwest Territories, and in direct response to the Minister’s Forum on Mental Health and Addictions, we’re taking the actions that were directed by the people of the Northwest Territories, who said support on-the-land programming, get community counsellors in the communities and regions, make sure that we have a wide range of programs and options. Treatment facilities are but one, and in the Northwest Territories, treatment facilities have...

Obviously, the procurement will be led by Public Works and Services, but moving forward from a Health and Social Services perspective, whether we’re partnering with somebody like Avens or looking for other opportunities, we must ensure a cost-effective business case and we must go with the most appropriate development delivery based on value for money.

I agree with the Member; transparency is necessary and having the ability to have an open and fair process is important. I take the Member’s point around having a proviso in there that even if we do work with somebody else that it has to be open...

I hear the Member’s concerns around P3 projects and we have, before moving forward with this particular project, reviewed other P3s that were done for the construction of hospital facilities across the country and there have been some that have worked out not particularly well, but we also know that there have been some that have worked out. We’ve also reviewed the Auditor General’s reports and other reports that were conducted on some of those P3 projects and we’ve moved forward, recognizing the number of the recommendations that were put forward in those particular projects. One of the...

Thank you. At any given time here in the Northwest Territories, even when Nats’ejee K’eh was in fact opened as a territorial treatment facility, we have approximately 12 people in treatment at any given time. As I explained earlier this week, we have 12 people going out and they’re going to a wide range of programs that we haven’t had in the past. Nats’ejee K’eh offered one sole program. We have a women’s facility; we have a men’s facility; we have a facility focused on narcotics and other drugs.

What we do know is at this time those facilities in the South are costing us around $150 a day for...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. The extended care facility is going to be an important facility here in Yellowknife. We need to get this approved so that we can have the 18 level 5 beds that are currently in the Stanton building but will no longer be in the Stanton building. As far as construction, Public Works and Services will be the lead on the procurement of that particular facility, so I’m not really in a positon to say anything at this point on how they’ll proceed.

I will say that there has been some interest expressed in this building already. By way of example, Avens has indicated they would...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. We’re not looking at rebuilding the existing system in any way, shape or form. We’re actually moving forward with an all new system. I know that we have begun the internal work, have started on this particular project, the project planning. Working groups have been assembled, including professionals that will be utilizing the system. Communications and change management work has begun. I can also say that we have actually chosen a preferred vendor and we’re currently in the process of negotiating the contract. I believe the contract negotiations will be concluded in...