Mr. Speaker, my question is to the Minister of Health and Social Services. I would like to know when the Minister is going to work with our stakeholders in the Sahtu to see the Sahtu regional health centre put on the capital acquisition plan.
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Minister of Health and Social Services, Ms. Lee.
Mr. Speaker, I first of all would like to assure the Member that Health and Social Services and the government are pointing millions of dollars into the Sahtu region. I do appreciate that there are no substantial capital projects on the books for the Sahtu region. I’d be happy to see a needs study or an assessment of the region to see what their capital needs are and work through the new capital planning process with the Member.
My people certainly would like to know where these millions of dollars are that have been pointed to the Sahtu. I have on the books for 2005–2006 $8.1 million coming into Sahtu Health. In Hansard it has on Friday that they poured millions downtown into Yellowknife in terms of projects: a $15 million dementia centre. We’re asking if this government can put capital into our region to bring the standards of health care similar to downtown Yellowknife — for the Sahtu region to have a regional health and wellness centre that our region can enjoy, just like any other region in the Northwest Territories. We’re tired of flying in and flying out and using Yellowknife and these types of conditions. We would like a regional health centre. When will the Minister commit to seeing something on the books?
Mr. Speaker, I have not had a chance to actually go and see the facility and meet the Sahtu authority staff and leaders. I want to do that. I have not had a chance to do that as the Minister. Also, right now I don’t have the information on what their needs are. In order for us to work toward capital planning and capital projects for Sahtu, we need to initiate that process. I’m making a commitment to the Member that I will look into that and work with the Member on that.
I thank the Minister for making the effort to come to the Sahtu and talk to the stakeholders. The Minister has dealt with the Sahtu regional health board. You have talked to them. You have talked to them also as a Regular Member. I remember you coming to the Sahtu region. There’s no difference. There are no changes in terms of our health centres, Minister Lee. In Tulita we’re busting at the seams in terms of our health centre. We’re getting two nurse practitioners in our region. Where are we going to put them? How are we going to have this facility? Where are they going to work in the facilities in our region? I think that if we can approve a $12 million project in Inuvik for an office and storage centre, certainly we can do something for the Sahtu region.
Again, I would ask strongly of the Minister to meet with the stakeholders and put this on the plan. We can start that process here and give hope to the people. When can we put this on the plan so the region can have a regional health centre?
Mr. Speaker, I know that the Sahtu regional health authority is new, young and vibrant. It’s working hard to bring up the programs and services in the region. I’m willing to work with the authority as well as the Member to look at what we have in the Sahtu and what we need to work on, not only in the programming but also with respect to capital planning. I do make a commitment to the Member that I will ask the department to work with the Sahtu to see what their capital needs are. There are processes, step by step, that we need to follow, and I’m willing to begin that process.
Thank you, Ms. Lee. A final short supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My former colleague Mr. Braden fought hard for the dementia centre. He fought hard for the dementia centre in Yellowknife. All of a sudden it’s in the books, it’s on the table, and $15 million is spent. We have over the years been fighting for a centre in the Sahtu region. Now we have to go through the process to get a regional centre for the whole Sahtu region. We would like a piece of the pie in terms of the dollars coming in.
Again, I have seen elders get on the plane in terrible weather. Myself, I’ve experienced where we see people fly out to Edmonton or Norman Wells with sore teeth. I would say to the Minister: would she fight hard for the Sahtu people to see that we have a regional health centre in the Sahtu so that she can proudly stand up and say that we have one here, as she says for funding for the dementia centre in the Northwest Territories?
As the Member is aware, the dementia centre was debated and fought on in this House for about eight years. I am willing to make the commitment to the Member that I will look at what’s in the books or not for the Sahtu region and that we will work to make sure that our O&M and capital budget is spent equitably. I have also made a commitment in this House that I will review programs and services for small communities with the objective to enhance what we can do and to work on empowering and building capacity in small communities and how we deliver our health and social services programs in our communities. There’s a lot of work underway, and I’m looking forward to working with the Member on that.
Thank you, Ms. Lee. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.
