Sandy Lee

I need to get more detail. I don’t want to get the facts wrong. I believe some of it is leased. Government is leasing from Tlicho the B-C health centre, but not the long-term care centre that is there right now. I will confirm that. I just want to make sure that I have my information correct. That’s my understanding.

For many, many years now we have not had a long-term care facility in small communities funded. There were long-term care facilities built by the Housing Corporation and I do support what Member Beaulieu said, for example, that we need to work to make those rooms available to our elderly and other people who need those rooms in our communities as assisted living facility, which is what it was meant to do. So I don’t think there’s much change in what we are doing, what we have been doing in the Territories for the last 10 years.

What is different with the recent work that we have done is that...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. There is an item in the budget, in the capital estimates for Stanton, eight hundred and some thousand dollars to do a planning study. I’d like to ask the deputy minister, who is also the public administrator, to give the Members an update on the work that we’re doing with respect to Stanton Territorial Hospital.

My understanding is that building will come down and the new building will be built on that site to replace it. That existing building has flooring problems or roofing problems and where using the same site.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I don’t have the numbers on me right now, but some of them were ready before division. It’s not huge in numbers, but we have a few. So I will get back to the Member on the numbers. Thank you.

Yes, I will, Mr. Chairman.

My understanding is that the long-term care facility is an NWT Housing Corporation asset. I think the Member might be referring to the health centre which we have a lease arrangement with. That’s separate from this project. Any future arrangements that might come to play would be something that would be done by DPW.

Thank you. As the DM mentioned earlier, we have reviewed every health facility in the Territories in the last year. Many of our facilities are over 30 years old and I can advise the Member that Fort Resolution is one of the ones that needs major renovations. As well, Lutselk'e is one that needs to be looked at in short order. It will be part of the next cycle of planning studies going through the process in the next two or three fiscal years. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, all that work will have to be done when legislation is drafted, and in most circumstances in drafting legislation that governs professions, whether it be… I mean, we’ve had recent examples of social workers, but I remember NWT doing one for the architects and engineers. It’s a normal practice to look at what other jurisdictions are doing and to update the legislation and bring any new precedents that we should be considering.

So, in drafting new legislation, that will be done. Mr. Speaker, that would be a normal practice. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I could get that information, because every facility I go to there are many, many aboriginal people that work in these long-term care facilities in the Territories. I also need to add home care, because that’s what I’m talking about. Home care jobs are good jobs and they are jobs that our local people can take on. Home care has many aspects to that profession. I will provide that information to the Member.