Kevin A. Menicoche

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister of Health and Social Services. Recently there was an incident from Fort Liard, well not so much of an incident but more of a miracle, she had a child in our Stanton Territorial Hospital. Unlike many women from the small and remote communities, she was able to come here and wait at our facilities for the birth of her child, but the father was not able to be with her. When that happens, at the time of the birth she’s given the required forms for registration to fill out and the father was not available at this time, which is...

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I am pleased that the planning study for replacement of the Fort Simpson Health Centre is underway. This is a facility that needs to be replaced due to age and maintenance costs. A new building will improve the quality of health care service delivery in Fort Simpson and the five outlying communities which depend on this as a regional centre.

As we continue to improve and expand our health care services, we need quality medical workspace and offices. This session we are debating the operations and maintenance budget of the GNWT. While this project I’m speaking...

The community is certainly interested in exactly what type of building is being planned. I think there were several types. I think there is a B/C that is currently being built in the community of Fort Providence. I’d just like to try and get a handle from the Minister what guidelines or parameters or design plans does he have from the Minister of Health and Social Services to develop the replacement health centre for Fort Simpson.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Earlier in the day I spoke about the planning study for the replacement of the Fort Simpson Health Centre. I’d like to ask the Minister of Public Works and Services what is the current stage of the planning study. I am aware that they’ve done an initial visit to Fort Simpson I think at the end of November. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Certainly, I was just trying to get around if there is a standard design plan that would offer Fort Simpson, like, I think there was a standard design for Fort Providence, and I think in, oh, I forget. I think it was Lutselk'e. I don’t know if there’s another specific design that’s being offered there, or is it all the same design? What I’m getting at is that many years ago I went to Alaska and I saw their Aboriginal-built hospital. It was very welcoming. It had lots of Aboriginal culture attached to it visually as you go through.

I would just like to know what...

Thank you very much. I guess I was mistaken, because there was an initial visit to Fort Simpson by Public Works and Services staff. So maybe the Minister can indicate exactly what that initial visit was about. Thank you.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. The Minister of Health and Social Services announced a new medevac contract in January of this year. The new eight-year contract combines the medevac and clinical services as well as provides for newer aircraft and new equipment to serve all of our communities in the Northwest Territories. This is designed to improve the quality of service and response times.

In my constituency in recent years, there have been two instances where people felt that our medevac system failed them. Firstly, in May of 2013, the medevac took six hours to reach the community of Trout Lake, a mere...

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I think the contract combines, of course, the medevac and clinical services. So when you’re talking about improvement to the services, is the prime contractor welcomed by this service that you just spoke about medical triage? Maybe the Minister can explain that. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Given the Trout Lake situation with the old contract to actually go out and find a Twin Otter outfit, I think that was part of the delay.

I wasn’t clear from the Minister’s response. Is there a specific airplane that can respond to the smaller runways in the smaller communities? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I too would like to recognize Ms. Joanne Deneron from Fort Liard, along with Charlie Furlong. Welcome to the gallery. If your grandchildren check Hansard, you’re going to see that your names are mentioned about five or six times in the House on February 4, 2015. Thank you.