Thank you, Mr. Chairman. No, it does not.
I have spoken in my general comments about the need for Stanton to be redeveloped, redesigned, refurbished. I think the Minister knows as well as anybody, it’s a 20-year-old building and we need to get planning sooner rather than later. It’s our only territorial hospital. When can we expect that there will be money for the hospital for the Stanton hospital to do the development of a master development plan? Thank you.
Even though there isn’t any planning money, there is a lot of work being done on that issue. I would just like to get the deputy minister to given an update on where we are on that. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. I’ll call on Deputy Minister Meade.
The original work in Stanton looked at services in the current state and the issue is how we push greater services out to the community and we use technology to support some of that. Some of the services also have to be looked at. How can we move some services, for example, to Hay River? How can we use our physicians in a different way to mobilize? So that work on the real adjusted service plan under Foundation for Change has begun with the CEOs and myself, also with the medical directors and a few directors around how we’ll actually have the ability. What services can we continue to do? What other services and how is the best way to deliver it? So the initial planning before you get into master planning for the capital purpose has started. They will dovetail at some point and part of the medical review is also going to give us input into what kind of services we are actually moving people for, how we can better do some of those here or do support community to manage them. So it’s very complex. I would suggest that it’s probably a year out before we can start to marry that up with the capital planning process. That again is a different process, so I can’t say when that would fit on a master plan.
Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. One last question, then, or a comment, I guess. I want to encourage, as strongly as possible, the Minister to very seriously consider putting money into the next year’s capital budget to get some of this planning for the building done. Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. A comment there. Next on my list is Mr. Menicoche.
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. Just with regard to page 8-33 -- I believe we are on that page -- there is a $700,000 reduction in the Deh Cho Health and Social Services Authority. I was just wondering if the Minister knows what would be one or a couple of the biggest single contributing factors in the decline in funding.
Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Minister Lee.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I can tell all the Members that the only reduction we have through the system is the THAF funding. The government initiative to consolidate fuel costs, we are transferring $7 million to Public Works. So some of that will come out of all of the authorities.
That reasoning doesn’t make sense, because some authorities actually go up in funding and some remain the same. So I’m not quite sure about that answer. The only reason I’m answering is I didn’t want to see a reduction of programs and services in the Deh Cho Health and Social Services Authority. Any other explanation from the Minister, Mr. Chair?
Yes, I understand what he’s saying. We could provide him with a breakdown of exactly what that $600,000 is, but what I did say is correct, I believe, but I will give him a breakdown. Each authority had their own fuel costs imbedded into their budget; now it will be transferred out. THAF funding had a different impact for different authorities, whether it’s the Midwifery Program in Smith, the Home Care Program was spread into three or four different authorities, nurse practitioners were in different areas, STI nurse was in Yellowknife health, and some of the physician money out of THAF was all over the place. Really, there’s no other reduction than the fuel cost transfer and THAF, but the breakdown will be different so I will provide the Members with that.
Thank you, Minister Lee. Committee, we’re on page 8-33, information item, details of funding allocated to health and social service authorities.
Agreed.
Thank you, committee. Page 8-34, information item, lease commitments - infrastructure.
Agreed.
Page 8-35, information item, lease commitments - infrastructure, continued. Mr. Yakeleya.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I just wanted to ask about the Yellowknife Health and Social Services Authority. They have a bunch of lease arrangements here with the health office program space there. Is this a one-year lease? I know you’re building a consolidated clinic in Yellowknife here, so these leases are for one year then?
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Minister Lee.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I don’t know which one is which, but for the one we are building in Yellowknife I would hope that’s not a one-year lease because we have invested in renovating and we expect that clinic to do the work that four other clinics have been doing. We have different leases in different communities for our office as well as health centres. The one in Yellowknife, I’m told, is a 10-year contract. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister Lee. Committee, we’re on page 8-35. Mr. Ramsay.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. There was some talk, I guess, about moving some of the administrative staff out of Stanton and into other office space. I think some of that has started, whether they go over to that new, used to be the old Extra Foods building on the corner of Range Lake Road and Old Airport Road. That was one area.
I’ve also raised in the past the issue that the medical clinic is woefully inadequate for the programs that it’s delivering. The one I’m talking about is Stanton Medical Clinic next to McDonald’s. I believe the Minister said last year during budget deliberations that the department was going to be looking at future requirements for space for that medical clinic. I’m just wondering if she could give us an update on where exactly those discussions are at in trying to get some more space for that medical clinic. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Minister Lee.
The Member is right; the finance section of the hospital is in the process of moving out to Ice Plaza, the new retail outlet upstairs. It’s taken longer than we would like for the renovations, but hopefully they will be able to move soon.
With respect to the medical clinic and every other function at the hospital, that is under review. A master development is not just a blueprint, a floor plan, but it is a real vision about what the Stanton Territorial Hospital will be. We anticipate with the building and opening of the Territorial Dementia Centre and the consolidated clinic, it would have a direct impact on how the services will be delivered at Stanton. For example, previously the emergency area was in real tight space and that might actually change in light of the consolidated clinics that we would open with extended hours, for example. Having lab and radiology, or X-rays, being done downtown could change the function of that also. Stanton Hospital is a territorial hospital and the design of the master plan and the functions at that hospital will be determined by not just at Stanton, but by all of the health authorities. So that is very much in my discussions with the Joint Leadership Council.
We are reviewing the medical travel, we are reviewing the specialist clinic, and all that the DM is working on right now with Stanton. That will all be placed into it. In the House we have made a commitment to MLA Ramsay and others that we expect to have the plan done within two years, so we are working on that. Thank you.
In addition to that, the government has done some work on an office space requirement. It was done by the program review office. Given what you’re spending on leasing office space in this new place… I know the Department of Health has some floors downtown in the Centre Square Mall as well. How is the department involved in any discussions, government-wide, to be a part of the new office building that the government’s proposing be built here in Yellowknife and have any of those discussions taken place? I do believe that there’s some land at Stanton, and I’ve talked about this before. If you look at health care centres in southern Canada, oftentimes they have a building that’s an administrative office utilized for office and administrative staff next to the health care facility. It would only make sense to me that if we do have the land out there and we’re looking at building an office building, why we wouldn’t coordinate the health care workers, the ones downtown, the ones that are going to be over at this new place, and put them all under one roof. I think it was about 6,000 square metres that the government was proposing be constructed. I don’t know if it can be done on that site or not, but I think that’s something that we should be at least looking at or having some discussions about. Thank you.
I can tell you that my deputy minister is part of that office space review and she will be putting input into that and we are involved. Secondly, absolutely, the hospital owns all the space so when it comes to planning for the building, that would be, obviously, in the equation. I mean, they would look at the entire parking lot and all the surrounding areas to see how they would design the facility. I need to say, once again, that it’s the function before the form. We are trying to determine the functions of the hospital. That is the most important part of that. That’s why it’s taking longer than just hiring an architect and saying build us a 20,000 square foot building. We need to know what’s going to be in it, and it’s in flux. This is what’s taking time. I will be interested in consulting with the Members as we go forward on that. We are doing a massive review of what that hospital should do in the coming years. Thank you.
I do look forward to that. It seems every year that the Minister, or whoever happens to be the Minister of Health at the time, says exactly the same thing. That you’re looking at Stanton; they’re going to look at the programs that are delivered there; they’re going to look at the space utilization. They’re going to do all that work, and here we are in 2010 and the Minister is saying the exact same thing I’ve heard for the past six years. You know, the Master Development Plan fell off the rails. I know they’ve got the Foundation for Change. I guess I have to remain somewhat optimistic that at some point in time we are going to get to a point where we can make some substantial changes to that hospital. I guess I’m going to have to wait and see if that actually does happen, but I’m not going to hold my breath, Mr. Chairman.
On the consolidated clinic in Yellowknife, I just wanted to ask the Minister: when exactly is that facility slated to open and what will the overlap of the other operating clinics in downtown Yellowknife be with the new clinic opening up? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The clinic is slated to open on April 1st, provided that everything is going well. I think they are. I haven’t heard any other issues. The other clinics are expiring within two to six months after the new clinic opens. It was designed that way and it was planned that way. Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Lee. Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Committee, we’re on page 8-35, information item, lease commitments – infrastructure, continued. Agreed?
Agreed.
Page 8-36, information item, work performed on behalf of others. Mr. Yakeleya.
Thank you. I have one question to the Minister here in terms of this page here. It’s health services contribution agreements funding, prevention and treatment. There are programs listed. I wanted to ask the Minister, I know she wrote to me about the National Native Alcohol and Drug Abuse Program. We receive about, I say we, the Department of Health and Social Services receives about $375,000. Approximately $280,000 is allocated to southern addiction treatment options for aboriginal clients and I think that’s good to have that there. The remaining funds are used for focusing on addiction training in the communities and regions. Right now I’m hearing from my region that several of our aboriginal mental health workers are having some real issues with staying on with the job and working in the communities. I’m not too sure, that’s why I say there are lots of things that need to happen and I’m not too sure if it’s because of the authority now is under a government health authority. Before it used to be under a non-government agency. I’m just very concerned that we might lose about four good people in my region if things are not being looked at immediately. I want to make note of that under this section that lots of things that the Aboriginal Diabetes Initiative, I don’t know if it’s an aboriginal tobacco control strategy, things like that. I just want to make note to the Minister that we need to pay attention to some of the things that are happening and I hope we can resolve some of these issues.
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Ms. Lee.
Thank you. I have listened to him and I will follow up with him and see what we can do.
Thank you, Ms. Lee. Moving on, committee, we’re on page 8-36, information item, work performed on behalf of others. Agreed?
Agreed.
Page 8-37, information item, work performed on behalf of others, continued. Agreed?
Agreed.
Page 8-38, work performed on behalf of others, continued. Agreed?
Agreed.
Page 8-39, information item, work performed on behalf of others, continued, $20.26 million. Agreed?
Agreed.
Thank you, committee. We will now return to page 8-7, department summary, operations expenditure summary, $325.825 million. Agreed?
Agreed.
Information item, infrastructure investment summary, page 8-8. We’ve done that already. Thank you, committee. So we’ve agreed on page 8-7, the operations expenditure summary. Does committee agree that this concludes the Department of Health and Social Services?
Agreed.
Thank you, committee. I’d like to thank the witnesses and the Minister and ask the Sergeant-at-Arms to escort the witnesses from the House. Mahsi. I’d like to call on Mr. Beaulieu.
Mr. Chairman, I wish to move that we report progress.
---Carried
