Sandy Lee

I think it’s important to note that our health care professionals, none of them are working alone. They are connected to our entire NWT health care system. A nurse or a health care community health rep or any of the staff in our remote communities are our front-line response, but they are connected to the doctors and specialists in the regional hospitals like Inuvik, then to Stanton and, if needed, to southern facilities. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the Member’s questions and it is important. We are working on making sure that our staff gets what they need to provide the services they need...

The Member is right; the finance section of the hospital is in the process of moving out to Ice Plaza, the new retail outlet upstairs. It’s taken longer than we would like for the renovations, but hopefully they will be able to move soon.

With respect to the medical clinic and every other function at the hospital, that is under review. A master development is not just a blueprint, a floor plan, but it is a real vision about what the Stanton Territorial Hospital will be. We anticipate with the building and opening of the Territorial Dementia Centre and the consolidated clinic, it would have a...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. That review is being undertaken by the motion of this House. I understand from just hearing from the committee members that they’re having a very good review of this whole area and obviously the committee will report back to the House on their findings. Our department’s approach, and my approach with the deputy minister, has been that we are there to assist in any way, provide whatever information and resources that you may need. I am looking forward to what the committee has to recommend and at that time we will have to work together to work out the plan on how the...

Yes, I understand what he’s saying. We could provide him with a breakdown of exactly what that $600,000 is, but what I did say is correct, I believe, but I will give him a breakdown. Each authority had their own fuel costs imbedded into their budget; now it will be transferred out. THAF funding had a different impact for different authorities, whether it’s the Midwifery Program in Smith, the Home Care Program was spread into three or four different authorities, nurse practitioners were in different areas, STI nurse was in Yellowknife health, and some of the physician money out of THAF was all...

Mr. Chairman, the topic that the Member is bringing up is the medical travel escorts. I think that is primarily what the Member is speaking to. As the deputy minister mentioned yesterday, that program is under in-depth review. The government spends about $26 million a year on medical travel. It is one of the highest costing programs we have. It is in our interest to make sure that it works, it does what it is supposed to do, that the people are served well. Our government has a policy that says that elders over a certain age and those who need physical support, mental support in that defined...

Even though there isn’t any planning money, there is a lot of work being done on that issue. I would just like to get the deputy minister to given an update on where we are on that. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The department is responsible for two areas in this regard. One is family violence shelters, which is not necessarily a homelessness shelter but that might be the area in which you have seen some increase in funding as a part of our Strategic Initiatives committee and that money funds family violence shelters in Yellowknife, Hay River, Tuktoyaktuk, Inuvik.

The homelessness programs in the department, we have three. We have two under homelessness. One is Homelessness Assistance Fund and small community homeless fund. Small community homeless fund, we have about $200,000...

That’s the new position for Healthy Choices Framework and that’s the health promotion and healthy eating. That’s one of our strategic initiative investments.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. As I stated earlier, the numbers of adults and children that we place in these institutional settings hasn’t changed that much and I could give Members figures on that. I remember seeing that most recently. It is the cost of providing those services that has gone up.

With respect to the Hay River assisted living facility, we have, I believe, about 20 residents there and the department has worked very hard to look at all the people we have in southern settings to see who are eligible and who can be moved up and that depends on the person’s care needs as well as the...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am aware that the Members and Members’ groups have applied on some funding under the homelessness fund and it was fully subscribed by the time that came in this fiscal year, but we will resubmit it for next year, which is beginning in a few short months. So hopefully that application will have better luck. That’s how our program works at the moment. Thank you.