The short answer is yes. The steps required for the disposal of the Hay River hospital include a number of different steps. The Department of Health and Social Services, as I’ve indicated previously, must first identify that they don’t have any use for it. If they have some uses for it, then we will work with them to find a way to make that building meet those needs. If the old hospital is actually deemed surplus to the needs of the Department of Health and Social Services, the disposal of the facility would follow our normal provisions, which I’m sure the Member is familiar with, and that’s under our policy 32.05 in the Improved Real Property Policy.
One we get the notice of surplus, Public Works and Services will obviously follow the guidelines, and if the GNWT departments have no further interest in the property – and that’s any other department, not just Health and Social Services – the surplus property will be offered for sale to certain property interests that may be NGOs in the community or others. Our priority on that list is priority one. The Northwest Territories public corporations obviously have an opportunity; that’s the NGOs, community governments will have an opportunity, non-profit organizations and, finally, if nobody else is interested, it will go out to the general public. The surplus of the property may be sold for the highest successful bid without priority interest groups, and all surplus GNWT real property requires a real estate appraisal so we can set fair market value. The provision within an estimated value of $50,000 can be done by us. If it’s more than that, it’s going to go through an independent provider like Coldwell Banker or some other organizations. But the bottom line is we will work with committee. We will share our information with committee and we will make sure this property is disposed of in the best and most appropriate way. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. The time for oral question period has expired. Item 9, written questions. Item 10, returns to written questions. Item 11, replies to opening address. Item 12, petitions. Item 13, reports of committees on the review of bills. Mr. Moses.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to report to the Assembly that the Standing Committee on Social Programs has reviewed Bill 12, An Act to Amend the Education Act, and wishes to report that Bill 12 is now ready for consideration in Committee of the Whole as amended and reprinted. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following two documents, titled 2012-2013 59th Annual Report of the Northwest Territories Liquor Commission, and 2012-2013 59th Annual Report of the Northwest Territories Liquor Licensing Board and Liquor Enforcement. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have three documents to table. The first one is entitled Climate Change 2013: The Physical Science Basis. It’s a brief compilation of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s most recent report.
The second one is entitled More Bad News for Fracking: IPCC Warns Methane Traps Much More Heat Than We Thought.
The third one is the CBC interviews of Sahtu residents about the fracking education workshops that was aired this morning, titled Questions About Fracking in the Sahtu, CBC Special Report, Thursday, October 24, 2013, 7:40 a.m. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I give notice that on Monday, October 28, 2013, I will move the following motion: Now therefore I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, that the Legislative Assembly resolves to formally observe October 15th as a special day of awareness and remembrance for pregnancy and infant loss in the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Item 16, notices of motion for first reading of bills. Mr. Blake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I give notice that on Monday, October 28, 2013, I will move that Bill 26, An Act to Amend the Legislative Assembly and Executive Council Act, be read for the first time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I MOVE, seconded by the honourable Member for Thebacha, that, notwithstanding Rule 4, when this House adjourns on October 24, 2013, it shall be adjourned until Monday, October 28, 2013;
AND FURTHER, that any time prior to October 28, 2013, if the Speaker is satisfied, after consultation with the Executive Council and Members of the Legislative Assembly, that the public interest requires that the House should meet at an earlier time during the adjournment, the Speaker may give notice and thereupon the House shall meet at the time stated in such notice and shall transact its business as it has been duly adjourned to that time.
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The motion is in order. To the motion.
Question.
Question has been called.
---Carried
Good afternoon, committee. I would like to call Committee of the Whole to order. What is the wish of the committee today? Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Committee wishes to continue with Tabled Document 107-17(4), NWT Capital Estimates 2014-2015, with a continuation of the Department of Health and Social Services, then Justice; Industry, Tourism and Investment; Environment and Natural Resources; and Legislative Assembly. If we get through all those, then we will go through a few bills, perhaps.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Does committee agree?
Agreed.
We’ll commence after a brief break.
---SHORT RECESS
Welcome back, committee. We’ll go to the Minister of Health to see if he has witnesses to bring into the House.
Yes, Mr. Chairman, I do.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Does committee agree?
Agreed.
Thank you. Sergeant-at-Arms, if you could please escort the witnesses into the House. Thank you.
Mr. Beaulieu, if you wouldn’t mind introducing your visitors to the House again this evening.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. To my left I have Derek Elkin, ADM, corporate services; and to my right, Perry Heath, director of infrastructure planning, Department of Health and Social Services.
Thank you, Minister Beaulieu. Mr. Heath, Mr. Elkin, welcome back. Committee we’re on 2014-2015 Capital Estimates in the Department of Health and we are still on general comments. Mr. Menicoche.
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. I noticed as we moved to health centre replacements and I’d just like to ask the Minister and his staff while he’s here, it’s not on this capital plan but a future capital plan and I think there’s a health centre replacement in Fort Simpson. I’d just like to ask him currently how the planning study is going as we move forward in the future year’s budget. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Minister Beaulieu.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I do have some information here; I’ll just pull the information out. I have some of the timelines and I do believe that we’re now prepared to go into a planning study. The planning study for the replacement of the Fort Simpson Health and Social Services Centre is in progress. In the planning study for the health centre in Simpson, we’ll make recommendations for the facility and program renewal. The department is working with Public Works and the Deh Cho Health and Social Services on the study plan now. The study plan is complex and will take several months to complete. The planning study is scheduled for submission to the planning study peer review committee in 2014.
Thank you very much. Just as we move forward with this project, I’d just like to know at what point will the community be involved, engage the chiefs, maybe presidents, the municipality in looking at the potential plans for the health centre replacement in Fort Simpson.
For the details of the process, I’d like to have Mr. Heath provide response to the Member.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Mr. Heath.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. The Department of Health and Social Services will be engaging in those priorities as we get close to finalizing the planning study. We work very closely with the health authority and the engaged parties through that. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Heath. Mr. Menicoche.
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. It’s important to engage the community, because I don’t want to be in a situation in Fort Simpson, you know, a lesson learned from Hay River. Everything was all approved, everything was going forward and then somebody realized okay, we’re short a whole bunch of beds here and that kind of stuff. So it’s important to get the community involved and to ensure that we’re getting what the community needs.
As well, I’d just like to point out that with increased development, I think Simpson got it back in the ‘80s when that facility was built, they got an oversized, it was actually a hospital at that time, because it was identified for the future building of the pipeline, it centred in preparation for building of a gas pipeline at that time, not the oil pipeline, but gas pipeline. So we had an operation room and everything. So I’d just like to know, will the planning study encompass such future growth like that. I just want to be sure that we don’t end up with a smaller facility than we currently have. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Minister Beaulieu.
