Tom Beaulieu

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. There are basically two solutions, two long-term solutions that would address this issue. The first is amending the authority funding to address the structural deficits. This being addressing this with what is happening. Like I indicated previously to some questions was that we have to move some of the costs right now. The budget for some of the costs like a lot of the medical travel and doctors’ services to the Stanton in order to cover it. Right now the health and social services authorities that have the budget do end up sending their individual clients to Stanton...

Mr. Speaker, this Assembly has talked about the importance of supporting residents to be healthy, educated and free from poverty. I think most people in our territory will agree.

We need to help our children, families and communities get to a place where they feel good, can meet their own needs and contribute in a positive way to our society.

We’ve talked about the need to use prevention, education and awareness in making this happen. Today I will speak about the approach we want to take through the health and social services system to reach this goal.

Prevention is basically about making...

Thank you, Madam Chair. The Member is talking about the need to reform the governance. Without reforming our governance and operating great parts of health and social services as one system could go a long way to resolving the solution. We have looked at our audit and in the Auditor General’s report they talk about a lot of the cost pressures and how the various authorities do the same programs, the same programs that we deliver to those in a different way. There is savings to be had in the area of putting one system together under procurement. Also in the various aspects of finance where a...

Yes, I can provide that information to the Member and the House.

Yes, we will work with the John Howard Society, if they were to continue to operate the day shelter, and we can put some of those requests into the new proposal or the new contract with the John Howard Society to ensure that those things do not continue in the day shelter. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Department of Health and Social Services has completed an evaluation of the day shelter pilot project. The evaluation has come back to us recently. We have given the evaluation to the John Howard Society for a response. Once we receive the response from the society, in addition to the evaluation, we will be looking at the day shelter for its effectiveness. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The situation with the nurse practitioners that are being trained has been very difficult. The nurse practitioners have worked well in Hay River, as an example, where there’s a nurse practitioner there that they do a little more than the registered nurses. They’re able to do diagnosis and prescriptions. They’re valuable. We have a nurse practitioner in Fort Resolution and in Hay River. We have seven nurse practitioner positions in Yellowknife but a lot of what’s been happening is the nurse practitioners that are advancing from registered nurse to nurse practitioner...

At this time the department intends to continue its funding beyond the three years, that in the business planning process the department has put the $125,000 back into the 2012-13 budget. I understand that the City of Yellowknife will be continuing their funding and that we’re waiting for confirmation from either BHP Billiton on their contribution, or if they are moving their contribution to another initiative, then we will be looking for a third partner to continue. Thank you.

I will commit to providing that evaluation to the Member for Yellowknife Centre and also to the Social Programs committee. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair. On the child and family services review, one of the main recommendations was the child and family services committees in the communities across the territory. We have advised the Beaufort-Delta along with all of the health and social services authorities, starting with the Beaufort-Delta right down to the Fort Smith Health and Social Services Authority, that we are going to start the training component, that they will work on a training component with the communities to start developing those committees in the communities. We’ve had, in addition to that, some...