Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I indicated that I did not know the exact date, but we have had delay and cancellation of elective surgeries in January and February. I do not know exactly what date, but I would be happy to get that for the Member. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, I find it hard to believe that the Minister, even after questions yesterday, wouldn’t come to the House today fully prepared and briefed on this situation and on the issue at Stanton and be able to answer some questions. Specifically, a date when elective surgeries were delayed or cancelled, began to be delayed or cancelled. She’s got to know that date, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to ask her again was it the first week of January, Mr. Speaker? Thank you.
As I said, we have had cancellation of elective surgeries. Other surgeries are going on. We have had cancellation of elective surgeries in January and February. If the Member wants me to get back to him on the exact date, I would be happy to do that. I believe that’s the same question and I’m answering it for the second time. Thank you.
She’s not answering it for the second time. That’s the problem. Again, I’d like to understand and get a better understanding, I guess, of when that date is, because if it’s not three weeks and it’s six weeks, Mr. Speaker, that’s a bigger issue. If surgeries have been cancelled, they’re delayed for a period of six weeks and the Minister doesn’t know what the parts are, when they were ordered or when they’re going to show up, that’s another issue, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to ask the Minister when she might know what exactly these parts are and when they’re going to show up and when the surgeries at the hospital are going to be back up to being performed at the rate they were prior to the new year.
I’ve already made a commitment to get back to the Member on the exact description of this equipment. It’s the level of detail that I do not keep here, so I will get back to the Member on exactly what date and what equipment. Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Lee. Your final supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’ll try this question, I guess. Does the Minister have a date or a time frame in mind when things will be back to normal procedures and operations at Stanton when it comes to elective surgeries at that hospital? Thank you.
The CEO has indicated in the media, and I have indicated to the Member, that the reason for the cancellation of elective surgeries is because of the fact that they are waiting for this equipment, so I will get back to the Member as to what is the best information they have on the date by which they expect to have this equipment in. I don’t know if the Member knows the exact type of equipment, but I don’t think it’s really beyond one’s imagination to accept that there is some highly sophisticated equipment that is being used at the hospital that sometimes takes time to have their parts delivered. Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Lee. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Does the chief medical health officer provide any type of public education on any of the issues that they oversee? That question would be directed to the Minister of Health and Social Services. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The honourable Minister of Health and Social Services, Ms. Lee.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, a large part of what the public health officer does is to advise, inform and communicate to the residents about public health issues. She has communicated information in the past. I’ve had inquiries about pros and cons of fluoride from our residents and the public health officer has communicated to that. She has also indicated to me that she is willing to talk to anybody who wants to have more information about concerns about fluoride. I can tell the Member that she communicates also through websites and other means. Mr. Speaker, that is part of her job. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, can the Minister advise the House specifically what does the chief medical health officer advise the public by way of details to levels of fluoridation as well as the context of the pros and cons and, therefore, we have an informed public, I believe, both in Inuvik, Fort Smith and Yellowknife? Thank you.
As I indicated earlier, she’s responsible for setting the procedures and setting the maximum standards. I’m sure there is information on our publication material, but I will confirm with the Member as to what information is available on fluoride. Thank you.
I wasn’t sure if that was a confirmation that the Minister will follow that up or if that was a clarification. Mr. Speaker, I’ll ask again, would the Minister be willing to commit to ensure that the chief medical health officer does provide some type of public information and ensure that it’s publicly available so people understand the pros and cons of fluoridation and they are clear as to where they are by community and what levels they are being managed at? Thank you.
I will undertake to get the information from the public health officer about the level of communication she has with the communities that use fluoridation in their water.
Thank you, Ms. Lee. Your final supplementary, Mr. Hawkins.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This is a concern of many of my constituents, especially in the sense that Calgary has recently dealt with this particular issue and I think has drawn it back into the public spotlight. Will the Minister ensure that that information is on the Health and Social Services website as soon as possible so that way the average, everyday citizen has this accessible rather than it buried down into some fine line somewhere in the department where it becomes counterproductive? Thank you.
Yes, the department and the CPHO and other people involved with the department use the website for lots of information dissemination, so I’d be happy to undertake to do that. Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Lee. The time for question period has expired. Item 8, written questions. Item 9, returns to written questions. Item 10, replies to opening address. Item 11, petitions. Item 12, reports of standing and special committees. Item 13, reports of committees on the review of bills. Item 14, tabling of documents. Item 15, notices of motion. Item 16, notices of motion for first reading of bills. Item 17, motions. Item 18, first reading of bills. Item 19, second reading of bills. Item 20, consideration in Committee of the Whole of bill and other matters: Tabled Document 4-16(5), Executive Summary of the Report of the Joint Review Panel for the Mackenzie Gas Project; Tabled Document 30-16(5), 2010 Review of Members’ Compensation and Benefits; Tabled Document 38-16(5), Supplementary Health Benefits – What We Heard; Tabled Document 62-16(5), Northwest Territories Water Stewardship Strategy; Tabled Document 75-16(5), Response to the Joint Review Panel for the Mackenzie Gas Project on the Federal and Territorial Governments’ Interim Response to “Foundation for a Sustainable Northern Future”; Tabled Document 103-16(5), GNWT Contracts Over $5,000 Report, Year Ending March 31, 2010; Tabled Document 133-16(5), NWT Main Estimates 2011-2012; Tabled Document 135-16(5), Response to the Standing Committee on Social Programs Report on the Review of the Child and Family Services Act; Bill 4, An Act to Amend the Social Assistance Act; Bill 14, An Act to Amend the Conflict of Interest Act; Bill 17, An Act to Amend the Income Tax Act; Bill 20, An Act to Amend the Evidence Act; Minister’s Statement 65-16(5), Devolution Agreement-in-Principle, Impact on Land Claims and Protection of Aboriginal Rights; Minister’s Statement 88-16(5), Sessional Statement, with Mr. Krutko in the chair.
I would like to call Committee of the Whole to order. Item 20, consideration in Committee of the Whole of bills and other matters: tabled documents 4, 30, 38, 62, 75, 103, 133, 135; Bills 4, 14, 17, 20; Minister’s Statement 65-16(5) and Minister’s Statement 88-16(5). What is the wish of the committee? Mrs. Groenewegen.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The committee would like to proceed with the consideration of the budget for the Department of Education, Culture and Employment today. Thank you.
Does committee agree?
Agreed.
We will take a short break and begin with the Department of Education.
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I would like to call Committee of the Whole back to order. At this time, I would like to ask the Minister of Education if he would be bringing in any witnesses. Mr. Lafferty.
Yes, Mr. Chairman.
Can the Minister bring in his witnesses?
Agreed.
Sergeant-at-Arms, would you please escort the witnesses in.
Mr. Minister, for the record, can you introduce your witnesses?
Mahsi, Mr. Chairman. I have with me Dan Daniels, deputy minister of ECE and also Paul Devitt, director of business and strategic planning, ECE. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Minister. Welcome, witnesses. I believe we are on page 10-10, active position summary, information item. Mr. Abernethy.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have just one quick question on this section. Ultimately the number of positions appears to be going up, but there is some drop in position numbers in some of the regional areas. For instance, in the Deh Cho... No, that one is right. Overall, it looks like we have gone down by three. Never mind. I was reading the wrong line and I got myself good and properly confused.
In regional area offices in the department, it has gone down from 54 to 50, whereas the total number of positions in the department has gone up from 191 to 195. Often you hear conversation in this House about regional positions. I am wondering if the department can explain to us why we have a decrease in regional while we have an increase in headquarters. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. Minister of Education, Mr. Lafferty.
Mahsi, Mr. Chairman. There has been some increase in various positions. I can highlight just a few of them that will be stationed in Yellowknife: archivist in K to 12 literacy specialist coordinator, community literacy coordinator, and also dealing with the official languages, we have to deal with the court order that was before us, as well, to do our obligation as the Department of Education. Those positions are executive director, planning facilitator, French language administrative assistance, French language client service officer and there is also a literacy coordinator. Those are the positions that have been highlighted. Mahsi, Mr. Chairman.
Are there any other questions on page 10-10? We are on page 10-10, active position summary. Mr. Menicoche.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Just with the regional area offices positions, I know that legislatively the Minister did have to increase some positions, but I don’t know if I heard an adequate response why the positions went down in the regions though.
Deputy Minister Daniels.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. The decreases, there were some decreases in headquarters as well as in some of our regional offices. Those decreases reflect the transfer of the Public Housing Program back to the Housing Corporation. Thank you.
Mr. Menicoche.
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. I think I’ll just wait until further details on the other pages that do show better numbers for regional positions. I’ll ask further questions at that time. Thank you.
Okay, we’re on page 10-10, Education, Culture and Employment, active position summary, information item. Agreed?
Agreed.
Agreed. We’ll move to page 10-13, Education, Culture and Employment, directorate and administration, activity summary, operations expenditure summary, $10.219 million. Agreed? Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I have a question -- I hope it belongs here -- with regard to bandwidth and provision for bandwidth within the department, at the schools and so on. My understanding is that ECE is working its way out of the GNWT IT system, in terms of provision of bandwidth anyway, and are going to be sort of having their own portal, for lack of a better way of describing it. I’d like to know where that project is at and what kind of cost is being incurred by the department for this kind of moving away from the total government IT. Thank you.
Director of finance, Mr. Devitt.
Mr. Chair, the Redirect Project is currently being piloted in the regional centres. The additional costs were largely associated with equipment costs and it was, I think, approximately $100,000.
So that’s $100,000 for three centres at the moment, is that correct?
