Jane Groenewegen

Thank you. Then just the last item. The assisted living facility is looking very nice; it’s nearing completion. Now we’re interested in staffing and programming. Is the staffing for that new facility going to be with GNWT employees, and where are we with the programming of the officer in that new facility?

I understand that contract has been in place for some time now, and potentially, when the new contract is negotiated, some aspects of it will make it easier to recruit more physicians to the Northwest Territories.

As I said in my Member’s statement, our CEO has recently resigned. That always causes some instability. It creates an environment that’s not so good in a small health authority like Hay River’s. What is the plan for replacing the CEO in Hay River?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I want to use my Member’s statement just to talk a little bit about the issue of health services and activities falling under the purview of the health authority in Hay River, that wonderful community of Hay River.

Mr. Speaker, our clinic…. Let’s start there and in no particular order. The renovations for barrier free access have been underway over the summer and are almost completed; something we have wanted for a long time is now being completed. So for people who were unable to access our clinic because previously there were stairs to go up, now that is going to...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I would like to move that we report progress.

Motion carried.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So how do we monitor that? Say if the mine gives a contract to a southern contractor; they have southern employees. I understand what you are saying about Workers’ Compensation. They would have to have that. I would imagine that the mines would not have people on their work site who don’t have Workers’ Compensation, so that may be the measure by which we know these folks are operating in the North.

Do they need anything else besides WCB? Do they need a business licence to operate in the North? How do we monitor it?

Thank you. I saw that 40 seconds are left on the clock, and I thought Mr. Miltenberger would run the clock out.

I was hoping that just being able to put something on the record about that today would bring some comfort to the people who work in the authority, who are, of course, always going to welcome the leadership that a CEO brings to an institution like that.

I was wondering if we could get an update from the Minister on how we’re doing on the development plan for the upgrading or replacement of the Hay River Hospital.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I said in my Member’s statement today, I want to focus on the issue of health services and services that fall under the purview of the health authority in Hay River.

I want to talk about doctors’ contracts, what we’re going to do about the vacancy in our CEO position, how the budgeting for our renovation and replacement of our hospital is coming along and also what’s on the horizon for staffing and programming at the assisted living facility which is under construction. I’ve given the Minister a heads-up on all that.

As to the contract for doctors, how long has it been...

So more specifically, then, if the contractors who are involved in this incur additional costs because of the six week delay and getting into colder temperatures and so on, just for the benefit of the public who are interested, these additional costs will not be borne by the Government of the Northwest Territories. In fact, the fixed price contract stays.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I also want to talk about the tax revenue options paper that was put out by the Minister of Finance — really quite an extraordinary waste of time. We might as well have been asked to go out and ask our constituents if they’d like us to poke them in the eye with a sharp stick.

Given the fact that the cost of living is at a historic, astronomical high level and we’re going into the winter season here, what a catastrophic waste of time to discuss this. If the government really had any ideas about a resource pact, then the time and effort would have been better invested in...