Sandy Lee

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to join many of the colleagues who have spoken about the situation surrounding northern clients in Alberta facilities. Mr. Speaker, there are lots of issues and questions surrounding this issue, but I would like to speak most of all in favour in moving quickly to repatriate these clients and any other clients we have in southern institutions. Mr. Speaker, I venture to say that Yellowknife has everything that Edmonton does and we could do it better in the North.

I believe there are also facilities in the North that could do this. Mr...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Surely that's not what I'm suggesting, for the Minister to do anything willy-nilly. I don't mind breaking out into a song, "I Can't Get No Satisfaction,"…

---Laughter

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…as long as I'm doing that on behalf of my constituents and people of the North. Mr. Speaker, he has not answered the question about whether or not, first of all, he knows about these four facilities. Have any of the hundreds of staff that he has under his supervision looked at these buildings? Has that come onto his radar screen? Could the Minister commit to look at these buildings and see...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to pursue a further question on the Member's statement that I made earlier today. As I stated, Members here often express our frustration of the fact that when we are presented with a budget so much of it is locked in. One of the things that are locked in is the care for these clients in southern facilities for various causes. It could be for a disability or for some other cause, and they're just locked in. We don't revisit it, we just pay whoever it is that we're paying, and for some of it a lot of money. This facility that we're talking...

Mr. Speaker, I am not suggesting that these clients be sent to an offender facility, but I understand it’s a very low-risk facility, and perhaps the government should look into moving that young offender to another facility so we could repatriate 10 people to stay in the North and for us to build capacity. I believe we can do that and we have to stop just locking these programs and expect that it will all be taken care of. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm not asking any of the Ministers to satisfy me…

---Laughter

…I'm asking the Ministers to do their jobs and use the money wisely. Mr. Speaker, I want to say that I'm not looking for all these 25 or 35 adults to be put together. I understand that they all have different needs. But we know for a fact that it was enough, it was satisfactory to put 10 people together in a facility in Edmonton. If it's good enough for them, it's good enough for us. Would the Minister consider putting them together into any of these facilities we have? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I sense a little bit of contradiction in the answer that he gave, Mr. Speaker, as he is saying that this not a new issue, but he is also saying that he's going to look at the long-term plan, and I'm telling the Minister that's not good enough. Mr. Speaker, I understand the Minister has found the notes, and he's budgeting $3.1 million for 25 adults next year, and $4.1 million for 35 adults the year after. I'm telling you that is enough money for us to have our own facility in place whether we are using existing buildings, and the Member for Hay River South mentioned...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I wish to make a short comment on my position on this motion. I have supported the introduction of this motion in this House because I do believe it is a topic worthy of discussion and my honourable colleague from Inuvik Twin Lakes has been working diligently to advance this item. I thought it was a good idea to have it out here and to get feedback from the Members and to get our position known to the people and parties outside of this assembly.

Mr. Speaker, I have to say that I will not be supporting this motion as it is written in terms of what it is...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Minister brings up a few valid points. I guess if some of these positions are going to be grandfathered, there are no further issues with respect to those incumbents who could benefit from that. But as the Minister indicated, those people who are under community wellness worker training, that’s one of the examples where it’s working. My point is there is no training available to implement this program currently in place, and the suggestion being proposed by authorities that are responsible for implementing this is if you had someone who could do this job but doesn...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have a new question for the Minister of Health and Social Services. It has to do with my Member’s statement earlier today with regard to the new program that the government has to put more mental health and addictions workers in communities. As I indicated earlier, the qualifications being asked under the contribution agreements are such that it really is sure to exclude most local people from taking on these positions. This raises two questions. One is not being able to provide employment opportunities that are available, but secondly these are important positions...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question today is for the Minister of Health and Social Services with regard to the coverage for drug benefits for seniors. Mr. Speaker, recently there was a change in insurance companies. I believe it went from Sunlife to Alberta Blue Cross, I am not sure exactly. The new insurer is Alberta Blue Cross. In the process of changing this insurance coverage, many seniors are finding that their pharmaceutical products that used to be covered under the old benefits are no longer covered under the new one. Part of it is just transitional problems where the...