The Department of Health and Social Services provides funding to the NWT Foster Families Coalition. The Foster Families Coalition supports the foster children or foster parents across the Northwest Territories. They are sort of like a network organization that provides the foster care assistance to everyone that is a foster parent across the Northwest Territories. I think that is really the key way that we assist foster parents as the support is necessary for them to continue to be foster parents.

Likely you would find a policy that indicates the decision for who goes on the medevac is made by a medical practitioner. I’m sure that it would describe any sort of discretionary decisions inside the policy, but I’m assuming that if it says that individual will make that medical call, then it’s not a political decision or an administrative decision. It would be a medical decision.

Like I said, the first priority is the health and well-being of the patient. Now, it is still a medical decision. So it would be the medical practitioners that are making the decision whether or not they think it’s safe for the patient if the individual would take the escort with them, whether it be a family member or somebody’s spouse and so on. But generally, usually when we use medevac it’s because it’s urgent, and under urgent situations we generally try to use the spaces in the facility for somebody that would be able to assist the patient if they were to become distressed during the...

The Department of Health and Social Services and the Sahtu Health and Social Services Authority are currently discussing training requirements and working with Aurora College for that required training. So I can provide the Member with the plan and schedule as to what type of positions will be needed, and at what time the training will be required to be able to operate that facility. Thank you.

All of the requirements that are in for a home, a long-term care facility, will be met. Individuals that are working there will be trained. The exact timeline, the schedule is that there will be some construction this summer, and then continuing on probably, if the unit is closed, in that there will be further construction until finished the following season.

I do believe the facility is scheduled to be finished at the end of the 2014-15 fiscal year. So through this coming fiscal year and being finished over the next fiscal year, with a full staff complement that’s needed to provide the service...

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. [English translation not provided.]

Today I would like to speak about the passing of a good friend of mine, Henry Fabien of Fort Resolution. Henry was born September 23, 1948, and passed away on December 3, 2012. Henry was the third son of Albert and Rose Fabien.

Henry was a loving son, brother, uncle, nephew, cousin and friend. He had the utmost respect for anyone who had the pleasure of knowing him. Henry loved going out on the land. He enjoyed hunting and trapping during his lifetime. He took many hunting trips, trapping trips with his friends and relatives.

Henry...

I can keep the Member in the loop. There is no issue there. I’m hoping that this is a facility that will retain at least the number of beds that are in there, whether it’s the acute care or the long-term care beds, that the facility will be at least the size of the facility that is there now. Because the population of the people all across the country is not… The population is getting older and we do need that facility to be up to pace and not scheduled to go down. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’ve been dealing with the infrastructure people at Health and Social Services, and I’ve recognized that we’re, I think, at the very, very initial stages of looking at the health centre replacement in Fort Simpson. I don’t think it’s scheduled to be replaced within the next five years. Thank you.

I don’t have any indication here that the Foster Parents Coalition travels; however, they do work with the various authorities at the regional levels to provide support, proper ways to retain foster children, and they provide some training. They also advocate for the foster parents. This is a group that does support foster parents right across the entire territory.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The department has a program called PRIDE. It’s the Parent Resources for Information Development and Education. That is a program that the foster parents are under in order to be trained as foster parents.