Tom Beaulieu

Mr. Speaker, I recognize that it’s an issue in the medical travel. Right now the budget for individuals to come and travel to a community is very, very minimal, and we are examining that and recognizing the fact that the amount of money allocated on a daily basis, the per diem for meals, is insufficient to cover the amount needed to be able to eat three meals when you’re on travel. Thank you.

Also, once the information is in, I think the next process we’ll have to look at is maybe a motion from the Member from the House to look at designating such a day. Thank you.

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. It gives me great pleasure to recognize Paul Andrew and Laurie Sarkadi, from the Minister’s Forum on Addictions and Community Wellness. I’ll be tabling their report.

I see I’m also given opportunity to represent a couple of other folks who are supporting people: Dr. David Pontin, president of the NWT Medical Association, and Mr. Paul Bennett, principal of Sissons School. Thank you.

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Great Slave, that Bill 21, An Act to Amend the Dental Profession Act, be read for the first time.

As I indicated, we would do the planning study this fiscal year, and recognizing that the health centre in Tulita is about half the size it should be to accommodate the needs of the community will be a factor when we move this capital plan into the capital allocation process. That’s something that we’re going to indicate loud and clear, that this centre is inadequate for providing all of the services necessary to that community at this time.

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. The planning study for the new health centre in Tulita will be completed this fiscal year, the ’13-14 fiscal year. The hope is that after the planning study is completed that it will be included into the ’15-16 capital acquisition plan. Thank you.

Yes, the review is complete. We are actually looking at making actual changes to the medical travel, to improve the medical travel system for the patients. I don’t have the specific dates on when the changes will occur, but the review is completed. We know what the problems are. It’s just a matter of incorporating change into the system now.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The decision on medical travel is a clinical decision, so it would be a physician. It could be a doctor; it could be a nurse practitioner or possibly even a registered nurse, when the person is in recovery and going back home. Thank you.

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. I am no expert in this area, but I notice that over the last couple of years a lot of the days that are dedicated to things such as this were started off by interest groups. So my first recommendation would be that if there’s an interest group that wants to discuss this with our department, that would be a good place to start.

I think we can start off by determining between our renewal office in Inuvik and the department and any of the communities where there may be some complaints about applications being lost, and determine that number and then specifically deal with those individuals who may have lost applications.

I guess to the public we can do our best to try to ensure that when they do the proper thing of putting the information in the mail, that it gets to our office, and once it gets to our office that it’s handled with due care and that it’s packaged and sent for printing, and then from the printers to...