Wendy Bisaro

Thanks, Mr. Speaker, and thanks to the Minister. I know it’s a large document; I’ve looked at it. I would like to know from the Minister, if he’s talking about consultation and he’s talking about making sure that everybody likes the document – there was huge debate the first time this came out – so who is the Minister going to be consulting with? Thank you.

Thanks to the Minister. He said that there were some attempts that were unsuccessful, but there was a very successful attempt and the Minister received the results of that successful attempt in January of 2012.

Last year, on February 26th, in 2013, in answer to my questions in the House, the Minister advised me that the report was about to be reviewed by the WSCC Board of Governors, and that then the Minister and the Minister responsible for WSCC in Nunavut were going to look at the report, and there would then be some decision, from what I gathered.

I’d like to ask the Minister, what were the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d also like to recognize the educators up behind me and the group of coroners who are here and welcome them to the House. I’d like to specifically mention Mr. Garth Eggenberger, a resident of Frame Lake, and if I’ve missed any other residents of Frame Lake, my apologies, and welcome.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move that we report progress.

---Carried

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I just have one question and I want to ask it around the Stanton Hospital renovation project. We had a number of questions and answers yesterday, and at one point, I believe it was Minister Miltenberger who stated that there was a good business case to make this renovation a P3 project. I thought to myself, okay, yes there might be a good business case, but I have been advised and I have done a little searching myself and have found that hospitals are not necessarily the best projects for P3. There are some pretty damming reports out there about other jurisdictions that...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I just have a few general comments and I feel the need to pretty much repeat the comments that I made yesterday when we were considering the Housing Corporation’s budget. It follows up on my statement and my questions to the Minister earlier today, and that’s my concern for seniors’ housing.

The Minister has advised that yes they are, they recognize that the numbers of seniors are going to increase, that they are using an Aging in Place Strategy, but he has yet to recognize, in my view, that we have seniors right now who need supported living and there is no space for them...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I don’t think I heard an answer to the question there. We can assume that residents will be there, but in order for Avens to go to the bank, they need some kind of a guarantee from the government that, yes, we will actually put people in there and yes, we will provide the funding for operations and maintenance. I know that the Minister knows that the need is there and I don’t yet understand why we can’t get that done.

My last question, my usual question, has to do with timing, and the Minister says that he is looking at getting this renovation, this expansion into the...

Thanks to the Minister. I appreciate the work that the Minister is doing. I know that he supports the project as much as I do.

The Avens kitchen has long been known, and it has been evident, that it’s deficient – it’s been many years now – and it is in need of upgrading. If Avens does not get the funding that they require to renovate this facility and to do their expansion project, which is an integral part of it, it may be closed down by the very department which is actually responsible and funds the whole facility.

So if that comes to fruition, what will the Minister do to avert such a...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to welcome the SADD group who were here earlier and left. I think the work that they do is much appreciated and it’s extremely valuable.

I’d like to welcome all the students from Aurora College and particularly mention Ginny Wainwright, who is a resident constituent from Frame Lake; and Geraldine Hunter, who is the student representative on the Aurora College Board of Governors. So, welcome to all.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We have an increasingly urgent need for seniors housing in the NWT. My community, Yellowknife, is blessed with a visionary, committed organization whose reason for being is care for seniors. I speak of Avens – A Community for Seniors.

Avens is unique in the NWT’s health system as it is the only independent organization that runs a health care facility in the NWT. The Aven Campus has four facilities which house seniors across the continuum of care. Aven Manor, the oldest and the original Avens facility, will soon be declared unfit without a major retrofit.

To prepare for...