Shane Thompson

Thank you. Hopefully just one quick follow-up here. Has the department started looking at developing a course or a training program that will be able to help municipalities deal with ATIP? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to thank the Minister for answering those three questions with good information, and I appreciate that. My last question: does Stanton have therapists who can provide specialized services for children with complex needs, and how does the region access these resources? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you. Just to clarify, it's going to be a supplemental, but then it is going to be a budget line every year afterwards? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I apologize if my notes said "2017." That is what I had down in my notes, so I apologize, and I thank the department. That is my last questions for this section. Thank you.

That's good information to hear. Can the Minister please tell us how many rehabilitation speech and language pathologist and occupational therapist caseloads people are on the waiting list for in the 2018-2019 fiscal year?

Thank you. I believe the Minister has already committed to bringing the findings back to the standing committee and any proposed changes. Can I just get that confirmation again from the Minister? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Again, when we talk about gas tax, there are challenges, and, you know, we have had conversations about this, where communities' the funding has been withheld there. Can the Minister update us with the designated authorities, what is the status, whether it is today or a follow-up? I know we have had a conversation, but can we get that follow-up to tell us where we are? It is just not designated authorities, but any communities out there that are being impacted by this. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have been approached by many parents and leadership that we need our own speech and language pathologists and occupational therapists in the Deh Cho. It is my understanding that there are over 70 speech and language pathologist cases and over 50 occupational therapy cases that need to be seen from the Nahendeh alone. The frustrating thing is that this has to be done in 13 service days. If there is one day of bad weather, the assessments get cancelled for months. This tells me that the services are lacking for the Nahendeh and Deh Cho and our youth. It explains why...

Almost, almost, almost there, Mr. Chair. I will just stand up and make sure I get recognized. Thank you. Mr. Chair, talking about the NGO Stabilization Fund, I would like, first of all, to thank the Minister and Cabinet for the significant increase in the funding, of which has been seen, you know, it was doubled, so I think that is an amazing feat. I thank them for that. I understand that the department is going to undertake an evaluation of the NGO Stabilization Fund to ensure that the funding is being distributed accordingly to the policy, including seeking input from past funding recipients...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Being an MLA for designated authorities, four of them anyway, what is the status with respect to designated authorities with this program or with this strategy? Thank you, Mr. Chair.