Sandy Lee

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Specifically to McPherson and Tsiigehtchic, I have committed to the Member to make sure that the mental health and addictions funding for the community is reinstated. I know the community has been in need of that. I made that commitment, and I’ve advised the Member that I directed the department to work with the Beaufort-Delta health authority to see what options we have to extend the nursing coverage in Tsiigehtchic. I was in the community, and that was of concern to the community.

Now, on the larger picture, the Member knows there are lots of things at play in the way...

I know some of the renovation has been done in the centre. As the Member knows, we’re engaged in a different capital planning process now. All of the proposals will be submitted to the capital infrastructure committee to look at putting them into the plan. There are a lot of projects that were slated for years 3 or 4. Unless they had a very specific plan, I believe they are being redirected. I would like to commit to the Member again that I will look at that proposal from Deh Cho and see how we could put it into the process.

Mr. Speaker, I think it’s important to note that the NWT has one of the best coverages for extended health benefits. We have a long list of things, pharmaceuticals and equipment, that the government does provide. Once in a while there comes a product on the market that has to be tested and examined before it gets on the list. Certain governments try it on an experimental basis. I understand that Alberta is trying that.

We do protect our constituents and provide them with services. All we ask, then, is to work with us to see what we can do to help her. We are working to help her. There are...

Mr. Speaker, I understand there is a long list of available, approved and cost effective walk aids on the formulary. We also have doctors available in the NWT who would have been happy to see her. We forwarded her to the neurologist. I don’t have the background on why she had to go to Alberta. I would like to look at that.

I think the important point here, Mr. Speaker, is that we are wanting to help her. We are wanting to see how much of the cost we could cover for her, even though she did not see a doctor here — I know no reason why — even though she purchased something that was not on the...

I tell you, I’d give him everything I owned if I could. I don’t know what else to say, Mr. Speaker. The rule is that we need to have at least two nurses in each community. That’s one of the reasons I have committed to the Member that I will look at all options available to see if we could have this person stay there.

Mr. Speaker, if I had the power to order that right now, I would. I have to work through the health authority. We do have the Beaufort-Delta health authority board. They decide on how their block funding will be spent. I will get back to the Member. I’ve given him the commitment to...

Mr. Speaker, I have committed to the Member that we will work to extend the nursing coverage in Tsiigehtchic. The community has expressed interest in extending the nurse visits there, because right now the nurse visits weekly, and then they have extended stays during the freeze-up and breakup.

I have committed to the Member in writing, verbally, in meetings, in committees that I have directed the department to revisit this issue and look at all options available to extend the nursing covering in Tsiigehtchic.

Yes, and I have been communicating also with the Member for Mackenzie Delta on this issue. I’m not sure if the wellness centre is looking for treatment programming. They have lots of creative ideas about how they want to use that facility, and the department is certainly there to assist them in any way it can.

I understand that there was a nurse about five years ago, and that nurse moved to Hay River. Since then Tsiigehtchic has had a visiting nurse. The Member has been keeping me informed of the situation from day one. I am absolutely doing everything I can to extend the nursing coverage there. I have directed the department to work with Beaufort-Delta to enhance the services in Tsiigehtchic. That is a commitment I can give. I cannot give an exact date of when that’s going to happen, but I’ve committed to the Member to get back to him on that.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to just speak briefly to this motion, as lead Minister of the Reducing the Cost of Living Strategic Initiative. I appreciate the intention behind the motion and agree with the Members that we need to make sure that our children get every opportunity to grow up healthy and strong. As a government we believe that all of our residents should be able to meet their basic needs and already have many programs that help ensure this.

At the same time, Mr. Speaker, we know that economic pressures on our residents are increasing, and we welcome the opportunity to work...

Mr. Speaker, I know that the Sahtu regional health authority is new, young and vibrant. It’s working hard to bring up the programs and services in the region. I’m willing to work with the authority as well as the Member to look at what we have in the Sahtu and what we need to work on, not only in the programming but also with respect to capital planning. I do make a commitment to the Member that I will ask the department to work with the Sahtu to see what their capital needs are. There are processes, step by step, that we need to follow, and I’m willing to begin that process.