Tom Beaulieu

According to the integrated service delivery model we are using and have been using for a while that we are updating, there would be a savings of travel, that’s true, of medical travel and so on. To what degree I don’t have that information here with me, because we haven’t tested that to the degree where we are trying to put a service in Tsiigehtchic, but we haven’t cost out to what degree that would save by having a registered nurse in Tsiigehtchic at this time.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The plan is for a major upgrade, a major renovation at Stanton. The hospital would almost be completely renovated right from one end of the hospital to the other end of the hospital. There could even be additions. So it would depend on how the planning studies come out.

We’re at the stage of the planning studies… When you’re doing renovations to the hospital you can realize that you can’t shut the hospital down, right? I think everybody knows that. So what would happen would be that if we were planning on doing a renovation, or as we plan to do a renovation, the...

Thank you, Madam Chair. I will get the assistant deputy minister to provide the cost details of what has been spent to date.

Yes, our department does support that type of philosophy. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, initially when the shelter opened, it was just to give the people a warm place during the day so that they are not wandering around and up and down the main street. It was someplace where they could sit in a warm place, watch movies, watch TV and use facilities and so on that were available there. That was the intent of it.

As time went on there were more demands placed on the society that was running it, such as are there any programs available for those individuals? Is there something that could be done with them? Could you do in-house programs? Do you recommend them to...

Thank you. Maybe yes, maybe no.

---Laughter

Mr. Speaker, I don’t know if we are going to be funding it beyond March 2013, because this was originally a three-year pilot. All the partners were in for three years. Now we are alone. We are continuing to fund it. We have funded it for one more year. It has its opposition; there is no question about it.

We want to evaluate what is there. We want to see if there are programs that we are putting in there now such as a navigator type of service to help individuals to pursue employment, education opportunities. I am going to see if those things actually have an impact.

We are going to run this...

I don’t have that information with me. I don’t remember if the crisis line is still open or not. I can verify that information for the Member and advise the House whether or not that crisis line is still open.

This week we are running the course again, the Mental Health First Aid course. It’s going to be offered to all the regions, and some of the major communities that I notice on the list – I don’t have the list here with me - but I believe one is Hay River. Somebody from Hay River is here. For sure someone from Smith, Yellowknife, Deh Cho, Sahtu, and the Tlicho communities are here taking that course that they will take back to their regions.

Mr. Speaker, probably more success than failure or we would have probably quit funding it after the three-year pilot. Thank you.