Hay River South

Statements in Debates

Debates of , (day 5)

That is okay, Mr. Chair. I think I will pass. Some of my questions were already addressed by the Member, so there is no sense in being repetitive. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Debates of , (day 5)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in the interim, then, the positions in Hay River that were going to be reduced through attrition that has not taken place, what is the Minister’s plan for those positions at this time? Thank you.

Debates of , (day 5)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, is the Minister in possession of any trends or projections which might indicate that these numbers are going to increase in the near future? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Debates of , (day 5)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, June 5th to the 11th is Water Safety Week in the NWT. I mention this because every year about 500 Canadians drown in water related fatalities. Each year, more than 100 children and youth in Canada drown and many more have close calls and injuries.

Mr. Speaker, in recognition of Water Safety Week, I just want to recognize the Canadian Coast Guard and the work that they do in Hay River and in the North. They put their lives at risk for us in order to ensure our safety when we are out on the water. In 1962, the Canadian Coast Guard selected Hay River and...

Debates of , (day 4)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So there are quite a number of insurance companies who already do have provisions for pharmacies. Other employers in the Northwest Territories have their employees covered by services which are available online and at much less cumbersome process than what Sun Life has. I just want to confirm something. Is the Minister saying that Sun Life does not have a different program that we could subscribe to that would provide for that online access? If it’s not going to be up and running, if it’s a Sun Life deficiency and is not going to be up and running until 2008, I...

Debates of , (day 4)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I want to speak again today to something that has been raised in the House numerous times before. As we are all aware, the Government of the Northwest Territories, its boards and agencies, are one of the largest employers in the Northwest Territories. As such, the GNWT’s public service health care plan, as administered by Sun Life Financial and paying 80 percent of prescription’s cost, is probably the second largest defined benefit health care program in the NWT, after the aboriginal non-insured health benefit plan administered by the federal government...

Debates of , (day 4)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the information that my questions and comments were premised on today was a letter that I had received from the NWT Pharmacy Association dated April 27th. I was not aware that a subsequent meeting had taken place on the subject. I would ask the Minister, in response to their concerns and the concerns that I have reiterated here again today, would the Minister provide me with some form of a briefing as to the progress on this matter before the end of the session? Thank you.

Debates of , (day 4)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in my Member’s statement, I addressed the issue that has been raised in this House numerous times before. The GNWT, on behalf of their employees, subscribes to a pharmaceutical insurance program with Sun Life and there are some problems and gaps for the service providers under that particular insurance program. I trust by now Minister Roland is familiar with what the issue is, although some of the correspondence would indicate otherwise. We need an online adjudicated, quick, efficient process for the pharmacies in the Northwest Territories. Has the...

Debates of , (day 3)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, over the past 11 years I have had a chance to drive the highway between Hay River and Yellowknife many, many times. I wish I would have counted because it’s been many thousands. This past Sunday I had occasion again. After church on Sunday I got in my vehicle and drove to Yellowknife. I’ve come to this House and reported on things like bison on the road, the state of the yellow lines on the road, road conditions, ferry operations, ferry signage, and everything. But today I want to tell you about the condition of the Government of the Northwest Territories...

Debates of , (day 3)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, like so many other allied health professionals, I would like to ask the Minister if he anticipates there being a difficult or challenging finding, people who know how to operate this. Is it a challenge in finding people who know how to operate this? Is it something that when training is received, it could be done by an RN, or do you require dedicated staff for dialysis services? Thank you.