Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister of Health and Social Services as well. In my Member’s statement I spoke about the renovations that were slated for the Fort Simpson Health Centre. They have been delayed. I’m just wondering if the Minister can tell me: when will the plans be restarted, and when can Fort Simpson look at getting the renovations done?
Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The honourable Minister of Health and Social Services, Ms. Lee.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The capital project for Deh Cho has not been made available to me. We have just finished our ’09–10 Capital Plan, and we’re getting into the new stage. I’d be willing to look at what the Dehcho Authority is proposing.
In my tour to Deh Cho the administration had suggested that they would like some work done at the hospital as well as, perhaps, Fort Providence. I think there was some suggestion that they might want to use the surplus money to do that. I understand that’s not the right way to spend the surplus money, but Deh Cho has the right to make their submission and to work through the capital planning process. I’m willing to work with the Member to see how we can put that into the process for next capital year.
Probably I need some clarification. I thought the Dehcho Health and Social Services board was working in conjunction with the Department of Health and Social Services in terms of establishing the renovation project. It is my understanding that it was on the books for this fiscal year, and it is nowhere to be seen. That creates the illusion that it’s not going to be done. I just want to get assurances that these renovations will continue.
I know some of the renovation has been done in the centre. As the Member knows, we’re engaged in a different capital planning process now. All of the proposals will be submitted to the capital infrastructure committee to look at putting them into the plan. There are a lot of projects that were slated for years 3 or 4. Unless they had a very specific plan, I believe they are being redirected. I would like to commit to the Member again that I will look at that proposal from Deh Cho and see how we could put it into the process.
Thank you, Minister, for that clarification. Once again, I just want to get an assurance that just because it’s not on the books or in some plan somewhere, it doesn’t mean that it’s not going to happen; there is still a process. To whom would Dehcho Health and Social Services bring forward that plan, once again?
Mr. Speaker, yes, this new process has required that unless there is a very specific plan in an advanced stage, some of the capital projects that were on the books got taken off — the Stanton master plan is one of them — and they are being redirected to work through this new capital plan process. I commit to the Member that I will revisit this capital project to see where it is and put it into the process.
Thank you, Ms. Lee. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Abernethy.
