I've said it in the House before, and I'll say it again: I am committed to having the Department of Health and Social Services explore the possibility of implementing a managed alcohol program here in Yellowknife as a pilot or trial a year after the sobering centre, day shelter, has been opened. I'm still committed to that. I still think that's incredibly important. We have seen that the managed alcohol program does work in other jurisdictions. I had an opportunity to visit a managed alcohol program in Ottawa which is getting some really great results.

The challenge that I'm now faced with, and...

I know the current number in the Northwest Territories. I can't tell the Member how many people over time have had ALS. The number is quite small, and given the fact that it's small, it might be statistically inappropriate for me to throw that number out, but I am happy to have a sit-down with the Member and let her know how many individuals are currently living with ALS in the Northwest Territories.

I say that recognizing that the media has already interviewed both the individuals or their families, so we know how many individuals there are out there, but I'm not prepared to say at this time...

Mr. Speaker, as I've previously indicated, safety is a primary concern for us as we work to deliver the services through this sobering centre day shelter. It's safety for our staff, safety for the residents, the client, but also safety for the neighbours who live or work immediately adjacent. We have put in the telephone number. We have shared it with neighbours, and we have asked them to please use the number. We need to hear their experiences. We need to learn from their experiences in order to improve what is happening around that facility.

With respect to street outreach, there is the Safe...

In reviewing what has been provided by other jurisdictions across this country, it has been clear to us that no other jurisdiction actually has coverage for ALS, either. Fortunately, in other jurisdictions, they do have ALS societies that have done incredible work to support people with ALS by getting them the equipment they need, often on a loaner basis. We don't have an ALS society here in the Northwest Territories, but the Alberta ALS Society has been a significant partner for individuals in the Northwest Territories who are struggling with ALS.

Having said that, I take the Member's point...

Mr. Speaker, protecting our children from abuse and neglect and providing services aimed at keeping families healthy, safe and intact are fundamental priorities of this government. This is a priority for me personally, as well. Since joining the Legislative Assembly in 2007, both as a Regular Member and as a Minister, I have worked to ensure our Child and Family Services System is built around the philosophy that the best supports for children are strong and resilient families.

Our government has actively supported this philosophy through investments in early childhood development...

There are a couple of things that need to happen. Obviously, we need to determine and quantify the cost of bringing the individuals into the public service. Specifically, what I mean by that is the cost of the pensions and the cost of ensuring those who are already receiving pensions through Hay River who have worked there over the many years are not adversely affected, but that the individuals coming into the new system, our system, with superannuation are not adversely affected or penalized as a result of the pension that they provided in the past. We've had discussions in here about the...

I just want to correct one of the Member's statements. This Cabinet is committed to bringing Hay River into the public service. It is one of our mandate items, and we are doing a significant amount of work to make that happen. It is a big task. It may not happen in the life of this government, but that does not mean that we are not doing important work today that is going to help make that happen in the future.

I did have an opportunity to meet with Mr. Willows. We did talk about the authority, and I have provided Mr. Willows with a mandate letter outlining his role, responsibilities, and...

We are not intending to move equipment back and forth, obviously, but we have trained professionals here in Yellowknife, and some really great trained professionals in Hay River. The question is whether or not we can actually have some of our staff go back and forth, rather than some of the patients.

There are some complications there. We are trying to figure out whether that's even a possibility, but right now, we are exploring all options. Like I said, we are trying to find some shortterm solutions, some shortterm wins, to support our residents, but also, this has to be done in view of...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The short answer is yes, but there are always conditions. We want to keep working with our residents to make sure that they are getting the support that they need. We also acknowledge that it has been good so far, but we have also had pretty decent weather, and the flights have all been on time.

If it looks like we might be having some complications, we need to be flexible. We may have to bring them in for a week or two from time to time depending on those things, but our intention now is to continue to work with our residents across the Northwest Territories, not just...

Mr. Speaker, as the lead on our response in Health and Social Services, I have asked the deputy to actually do a debrief with the other departments to make sure that we have learned from this experience. I think it went quite well, but there's always opportunity to learn from experiences, also how we might be able to utilize this experience for other similar incidents that may occur in different communities throughout the Northwest Territories.

It's not just Health and Social Services. MACA has a responsibility to work with communities on emergency responses to different crises that may befall...