Sandy Lee

I’ll get that for the Member.

Mr. Chairman, absolutely. I think that’s what I’ve been saying. Once again, there are 17 positions impacted in the Department of Health and Social Services. It’s all in the department, not in the authorities. Out of 17, nine positions were vacant, which means there are no active bodies impacted there. Out of those impacted 17 positions…. In six positions there were incumbents there, and most of them have been reassigned or they have places to go.

We looked at whether there were vacant positions, whether any of those positions could be rewritten or re-profiled so it did not impact the program...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. As of May 2008, we have 24.5 funded positions and two unfunded positions for nurse practitioners.

Currently, out of those, 11 funded NP positions are filled, plus two unfunded. So out of 26.5 NP positions available, we have 14 positions filled. Seven of them are in Yellowknife, one is in Resolution, one is in Smith, and two are in Fort Providence.

There are two unfunded positions at Stanton, as Members are aware, that we have funded for six months. And there is half PY funding being used for NP relief in Yellowknife.

Mr. Chairman, I could also add that there are 12 NP...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The headquarters person in Yellowknife…. We have one in headquarters, one in Inuvik, one in Yellowknife Health Authority, one at Stanton. We are proposing to eliminate the positions at Stanton and the Yellowknife Health Authority.

I could advise the Member that the elimination of these positions does not impact, in any way, the department’s ability to follow our mandate and deliver the programs and services we have been given to do. We just have to do them differently.

I understand that that bursary program still exists — it’s just reduced — and it still meets the level of demand or interest that has been shown in the past.

Mr. Chairman, I could give him that assurance. Anybody who needs that dialysis service is being, and will be, provided with it at Stanton.

I think the Member mentioned that…. I’m not sure if I would put it that way. I mean, I don’t think a Minister or any official in the department goes into the book and says, “What mandate can we eliminate?” May I just get that reworded?

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I could assure the Member that the reductions being proposed are more than compensated for by new investments we’re making. As the Premier stated in his budget statement, there’s a $1.8 million new initiative, and most of the money is coming from THAF. It’s going to enhance the NP programming we have and the opportunities we can give to the NPs.

Mr. Chairman, the increases to Stanton are the registered nurse for Northern Women’s Health and two positions for dialysis registered nurses. So that’s three. There is a typographical change, a correction of the error from last year, on three positions, so it’s not real positions per se. The only reduction at Stanton Territorial Health Authority is a Telehealth position.