Robert Bouchard

I have a question on the Minister’s answer. I’m wondering if the Minister has indicated to the executive that this is a priority, this is something that we feel that Hay River has been left out of the process somewhere along the line. They designed a new health centre and excluded the 10 long-term beds that are currently in the hospital.

Has the department and himself stressed the fact that there is some shortage that is going to be happening very soon once the new facility is open?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my short time here in the Ledge in the last 16 months, obviously we’ve had a lot of questions in Hay River about health care and the health care system. You would think that would be odd, Hay River being the beneficiary of a new health centre being built there. We hope that in the springtime this facility begins and that it’s going to be a great facility for 50 years to come.

But there are a great many of questions out there in the community about what’s going to happen with the long-term beds in the Hay River area, and what’s going to happen with all the other...

Thank you, Madam Chair. I think most of the information or concerns that I have will come out in the details of each department, but I think my biggest concerns today that I’d like to express is the continuing increasing size of our budget. Our expenditures continue to get larger and larger, even though the Minister and the Cabinet keep indicating to us that we’re on fiscal restraint and we want to keep our expenditures down as much as possible, but we continue to grow the size of our budget every year. Phenomenal numbers for the population of 43,000 people.

I think one of the biggest concerns...

I respect the Minister’s answer and I understand the long-term beds solution throughout the North, but we are dealing with Hay River, one of the largest centres in the Northwest Territories. I am hoping the Minister’s statement doesn’t mean that he’s looking at putting Hay River residents elsewhere.

Is there a commitment from the department? I know the Minister of Health has indicated, in a public speech, that they are looking at solutions in Hay River for those 10 long-term beds.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I indicated in my Member’s statement, we are having concerns in Hay River about the new health centre and what’s not going into it. I have questioned the Minister on this in the past, about the 10 long-term beds. Can I get an answer from the Minister of Health and Social Services on what he has done since the beginning, what he and the department have done for a solution for the 10 long-term beds in Hay River?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This evening I have the opportunity of returning home again to take part in a great event. My colleague Mrs. Groenewegen and myself drop the puck for the Northern Hockey Challenge. The YK Flyers are going to play the Hay River Huskies tonight. I’d just like to talk about the Northern Hockey Challenge and the activities that are going on.

The Western Arctic and Nunavut are having two different competitions where the two will meet the winners of… The two divisions will play each other later.

Back in the early ‘90s, senior hockey was taken out of the Arctic Winter Games...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Seeing as it is budget address day, I would like to discuss some of the issues that were presented in the budget. I am looking forward to criticizing some of the issues there, but today I think it’s kind of a day where we like to see some of the benefits that are there.

We are seeing some revenue growth. It’s good to hear that the economy is recovering a little bit better. Also, I like to see that our government is investing money into prevention, into the infrastructure in the Northwest Territories. I think it’s great for the people of the Northwest Territories.

Obvious...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The question on the Hay River dredging, I’m just wondering if the Minister has any dollars to commit to doing, other than letter writing. Any dollars for assessing the value and the cost of dredging the Hay River?

I’m just wondering, with the meetings with Minister Lebel, if there was discussion of other infrastructure such as the Mackenzie Highway and the potential of needing funds for that, and is the federal government interested in the responsibility for constructing roads on the Mackenzie Highway; specifically, the Sahtu area.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to also recognize Mr. Brad Mapes, a proponent for Aurora Pellets and our deputy mayor of Hay River and also a former basketball coach of mine. Also Lloyd Chicot, the chief for Kakisa. I’ve worked with Lloyd in his community before. Welcome.