Tom Beaulieu

Our Mental Health and Addictions Action Plan talks about filling the gaps, and those are some of the gaps that we are hoping to fill. We recognize that we do not have a good treatment facility within the Territories on hard drugs. That we might be able to provide treatment for alcohol at Nats’ejee K’eh, but I think the hard drugs is certainly a gap that we need to fill, and the Member is correct that the issue is starting to spread into the smaller communities as well. We’re going to be using the community counselling as much as possible. We need to get stats, if need be, and then to work with...

Yes, I do, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I believe that aside from the capped contribution from the Government of the Northwest Territories there are no plans at this time to have any O and M spending on Betty House.

Mr. Chair, we have agreed and we have agreement from all of the authorities that we will make deficit adjustments and that we will… The term alludes me right now but we will be taking money from authorities that have surpluses, and with the amount of money that each of the authorities that have surpluses are allowed to keep and then we will have the rest of the money moved around to put money where the deficits are greatest, make those adjustments. The plan at this time, if there continues to be deficits in Inuvik and Stanton, or in Beaufort-Delta, pardon me, and Stanton, we would continue to...

Thank you, Madam Chair. We haven’t done that yet. We set up accountability steering committees with the authorities to develop this.

I am again prepared to have that within that direction to Health and Social Services to ensure that they engage the RCMP, so that any of these recommendations or solutions that come out do involve the RCMP or have the RCMP’s blessing.

I don’t know what the savings are on the bulk purchase of that particular drug to the Northwest Territories. I know there is a plan to add more drugs onto this bulk purchase across the province. I think it’s being led by maybe, I believe, British Columbia that has the lead role, but I wasn’t aware that it was only the western p provinces. I can get that information on that specific project and let the Member know.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Yes, our response was the replacement and additional beds to the Jimmy Erasmus Long-Term Care Facility in Behchoko and the Norman Wells 18-bed long-term care facility also. Thank you.

I commit not to put Yellowknife at the bottom of the pile. I would have the department take the wellness plans in the order that interest is shown.

The experience for the patients seem to be very positive in Fort Smith, Hay River, Yellowknife as indicated, and anywhere, even in the smaller health centres, where we’re using nurse practitioners, it has gone very well.