Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are addressed to the Minister of Health and Social Services.
I want to follow up from my statement that I made earlier about the Dene Ko Day Shelter here in Yellowknife, and whether or not there’s going to be funding once we come to the end of March of 2013, whether it’s going to be able to continue its work into the next fiscal year. So I’d like to ask the Minister, first of all – it wasn’t referenced in the Finance Minister’s budget address – what amount of money is identified in the 2013-14 budget for the Dene Ko Day Shelter in Yellowknife. Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. The Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Beaulieu.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The department has identified their portion of $125,000 plus the portion that has expired from BHP. So that would be, I guess, $175,000 we would be putting into it this fiscal year; and if there was an agreement to continue beyond March 31st, then it would be $175,000 the following year. Thank you.
Thanks to the Minister for the information. He said if it’s determined to go beyond, then it would be that amount in ‘13-14, I think is what he referenced. So my question to the Minister is, if we’re putting in $175,000 in this fiscal year, is there something which has yet to be determined for ‘13-14 to allow the Dene Ko Shelter to be funded. Thank you.
We were just having a couple of little issues here with the contribution agreement year-end report and proposal. So we need to get some of this administrative stuff out of the way and then the department, seeing all those things and everything being in order and finding somebody to run the facility, if the organization is still prepared to do so, then we will fund for the following year. Thank you.
Thanks. I’m still confused. The Minister said we will fund for the following year. I would really appreciate it if he could give me some numbers so I’m sure of what years he’s referencing. I would think if the money is identified – and I would hope that the money is identified – I guess I want to hear from the Minister that, yes, the money is going to be in the ‘13-14 budget or, no, if we can’t get a contract by the end of March, it’s not going to be there. I would like that clarification. Thank you.
Thank you. The Department of Health and Social Services is earmarking $175,000 for the fiscal year ‘13-14 for the operation of that facility. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Final, short supplementary, Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thanks to the Minister for that clarification. I’m very glad to hear that.
I would like to know from the Minister if it is the intention of the department to continue that funding over more than one year, or is this going to be a one year to one year to one year where they are always waiting for confirmation of funding. Thank you.
Thank you. No, we’re not sure that we will continue beyond ‘13-14. This was initially a three-year pilot project, and at the end of the three-year pilot project, which would end on ‘12-13, there was supposed to be evaluations and a year-end report and proposal for the ongoing years. None of that has been received. So we’re going to fund it for one more year. Hopefully, that will give us an opportunity for Health and Social Services to work with the society that runs the day shelter to be able to get that information together so that we could plan for maybe the longer term. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. The Member for Range Lake, Mr. Dolynny.
