Robert C. McLeod

As far as being published publicly, no, it’s not, but I mean, I have committed to the Member and he talks about the importance of emergency plans, and we recognize the importance of emergency plans. MACA has been having to deal with these for so many years. We’re working with the 15 communities that need to update their plans. We’re working with them to try and get their emergency plans updated. I have committed to trying to compile as much information as possible, finding somewhere we can put it so that everyone has access it, and I will honour that commitment. If the Member is looking for...

Thank you, Madam Chair. We recognize that there is going to be a lot of activity around the Sahtu. I think our staff can prepare for that. Our superintendents and our regional staff will work closely with communities, probably identify some of the challenges that they may be facing.

Again, we go in there at the communities’ invitation. We work with them very closely on this issue. I can assure the Member that we know. We will have the assistant superintendents in all regions too. I think that will go a long way. We will work very closely with community and do our part in supporting them in...

Well, the working group are looking at all these different issues right now and they’re coming up with ways, some options, and also looking at the cost. I think it’s been mentioned in this House before, if we were to look at the cost of implementing the overall ambulance service across the Northwest Territories, it would be quite high. So they’re exploring all these options.

As far as an actual timeline goes, I don’t have the actual timeline. I know that they are looking at a number of different issues, but I will keep the Members up to date on the work that they’re doing and hopefully we can...

Thank you, Madam Chair. As far as formalized communication plans go, I mean, I committed to the Member before that we’ll undertake the work in trying to provide a database and putting one together. We will update the Members regularly on the work that we’re doing, that way they have some comfort and we’ll even provide them with a lot of information that we get from the communities as far as contact numbers go. But I have to say that our communities, especially those that have had to deal with emergencies before, do a fantastic job reacting to emergencies, and they know who they’ve got to...

Madam Chair, as far as capacity part, as I said before, we have added an extra enforcement person. Once we come back in the fall time to do the business plan review with committee, if there’s an opportunity there, if we feel that we’re lacking in capacity, then we will possibly come to committee and get some feedback from committee on that issue.

I’m sorry; I missed the first part of the Member’s question. I think it was just complimenting the department in all the good work that we’ve been doing.

---Laughter

Except listening. Thank you, Madam Chair.

He said it was a simple question. Well, in some communities I believe the health centre might have a van or a vehicle that they use. I think the question was who is responsible, if somebody is hurt in their home, to get picked up and be brought to the health centre. Am I correct, Madam Chair?

Madam Chair, we don’t have that right now, but again, I will commit to the Members that we will work with our community governments and we will try to get all of this information updated. If there’s a database that we can put this into where it constantly changes once there are changes at the community level, then I will commit to having our department do that. Thank you, Madam Chair.

The enforcement, we’ve added into our enforcement. I think we have an extra enforcement person. I will confirm that and provide that to the Member. But I know it was a concern that the Member had raised. I think it was during the business plan review. Then recognizing that we may be getting more responsibility here very shortly, so enforcement is going to be a critical issue. I can assure the Member that that is being worked on.

The familiarity with the area, our folks have done a lot of site visits. I think they’ve had one study done I know on a particular lake, and the turbidity of the lake...

Thank you. This is application-based funding, and it would support some training and some minor capital upgrade for ambulance and highway rescue services in communities. Some communities don’t have the equipment, but it would be able to support training in some small communities. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair. What I can commit to the Members of this Assembly is that we’ll try and work a communications plan and let the public know that there is a consumer affairs division. We’ll actually let all Members of the Assembly know the consumer affairs division we have. We’ll give them a name and number that they can possibly pass on to any constituents that might be calling them. I think that will go a long ways into getting our consumer affairs department more in the forefront. I understand, with things going the way they are going now and many of the issues that are being raised...