We will do everything we can to speed the process up with the understanding that this review is going to be cross referenced to insured services, appeal process, two parts of the health benefits review that need to be done with extreme diligence. The case file review is something that we’re currently using and will continue to use until there are changes in this health benefits policy. On a case-by-case basis, we will use the case file reviews in situations where we think that an individual, or an individual has come to us through some medium that they need to have a second opinion. Then we...

Thank you, Madam Chair. The three pilot projects are for renal care, diabetes, and mental health and addictions.

We are going to be putting an RFP out for medevac services. This spring we are starting the evaluation of the service that we currently have. The detailed information we get from the current medevac services is going to give us the information that we need to draft an RFP that’s going to be able to provide the best service to the patients possible. The RFP would not indicate that we need a decentralized model, that you have to have a plane in Norman Wells or you have to have a plane in Inuvik. It’s not going to request that kind of detail. It’s going to request that the best service possible...

In my response to MLA Menicoche, I indicated that we had hired a policy officer to review health benefits. That review of a second opinion is within that review.

Yes, I would.

The federal portion of medical travel is $3.2 million. There are many factors that are involved in reducing medical travel costs. Inflation is an issue. Any contracts within the medical travel system could also be an issue, depending on how much we’re able to sign contracts for, such as medevac, ground services and so on. These are things that are very difficult to predict. Also, the usage of some of the systems that are made available, how effective they are at using the system. The electronic system is designed to reduce this and, actually, mainly designed to provide a better service to the...

Yes, Madam Chair. To my right I have Debbie DeLancey, deputy minister of Health and Social Services. To my right I have Jeannie Mathison, director of finance, Health and Social Services.

Yes, I do, Madam Chair. I am pleased to present the Department of Health and Social Services’ main estimates. The proposed operating budget for 2013-2014 is $363.856 million which represents a 4 percent increase from the current fiscal year.

This budget includes $9.1 million in forced growth and $4.6 million in new initiatives. Like other provinces and territories, we are facing cost increases in areas such as staff compensation and investments in new technology. The budget also includes forced growth to address compensation and other inflationary pressures.

I would like to report our budget...

If an emergency shelter was started in the Sahtu, then the O and M to operate that shelter would come back to the Assembly. There would be a determination of which department would support the shelter and then that decision would come back to the Assembly on how much support would be needed and what type of support would be issued to such a shelter.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, the organization that is responsible for the day shelter here in Yellowknife tracks where the individuals are from. I don’t, unfortunately, have the breakdown with me in the House today of where each of those individuals are from.