Thank you. Are there any other questions on this area of health and social programs? Seeing none, I'm going to call the page, then. Health and social programs, operations expenditure summary, 2020-2021 Main Estimates, $318,333,000. Does committee agree?
Agreed.
Thank you, committee. We're now moving into the section called long term and continuing care of services, beginning on page 175, with information items on page 178. Questions? Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you very much, Madam Chair. My first question is in regard to the respite fund under contributions. We have a lot of people in the Northwest Territories right now who are spending an unprecedented amount of time at home with people who require a lot of care, whether that's children with disabilities or adults with disabilities. Especially with people who are used to sharing the care of loved ones, now that everybody is at home, the need for respite care, I think, is probably greater than it was before, to be able to have that support in the home. Does the Department of Health and Social Services foresee an increase to the need of amount of money in the respite fund, and does Health and Social Services, given COVID, anticipate actually doing a lot more outreach in the community to see if people do need that care that they normally wouldn't have tapped into because maybe kids are at school or maybe they do have additional help or support in the home? Thank you.
Thank you, Member for Kam Lake. Minister.
Madam Chair. The respite fund in the budget of $225,000, it's to provide community-based respite services to caregivers of residents with disabilities in the Northwest Territories. The Member is asking if we do see an increase. One of the things that the department is doing and looking at is the long-term care review and some of the recommendations as a result of that. That is something that we are looking at. The respite fund is very important. A lot of people in the Territories rely on that because they do need that respite care. That is something that, once we start looking at the review and looking into recommendations, it is quite possible that that would increase. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. Further questions, Member for Kam Lake?
Thank you very much, Madam Chair. Would the Department of Health and Social Services be willing to work with community organizations to make sure that community members are aware that this fund exists and how to access it so that we can kind of be a bit more proactive to make sure that people who need support in the home, who need that relief and that respite, know that it's available and have access to it? Thank you.
Thank you, Member for Kam Lake. Minister.
Yes, right now the fund goes to the Disabilities Council of the Northwest Territories. That is where our funds of the $225,000 goes directly to them. The Member is asking if there are ways that we can advertise new budget line item? I'm not sure. Right now, this is a contribution agreement with the NWT Disabilities Council. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you very much, Madam Chair. No, I don't think it needs to be a new line item. I think that Health and Social Services has a really strong communication team who does a lot of great work. I think that this is something that we can just simply ask them to highlight in communities right now, given that people probably do need additional support in the home; not a new line item. My next question is in regard to with long-term facilities, I see that there is not a line item for languages here. Would language requirements or language needs within long-term care facilities be involved here, or where would we see that line item? Thank you.
Thank you, Member for Kam Lake. Minister.
Madam Chair. I'm going to look to Deputy Minister Cooper to answer that, thank you.
Thank you, Minister. Deputy Minister?
Thank you, Madam Chair. We don't have a line item in relation to languages and translation services available in long-term care. This is money that would flow to the authorities as part of their regular line budget, but there are those services that are available. I don't have the actual expenditure of that detail with me.
Deputy Minister. Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you very much, Madam Chair. My final question in regard to this section is: the Minister mentioned a couple of questions ago the homecare review report. I'm just wondering when we can expect to see that report online? Thank you.
Thank you, Member for Kam Lake. Minister.
Madam Chair. The review right now, I went through a briefing with the staff earlier last week. Now we're bringing the review to Cabinet to review, and the next step after that is to bring it to the AOC, accountability and oversight. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you very much, Madam Chair. Maybe the Minister can just help me with the process here a little bit. Does it have to come to AOC before it goes online, and then, as soon as AOC sees it, does it immediately become online and available to the public? Thank you.
Thank you, Member for Kam Lake. Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Right now, we are just looking at bringing it to Cabinet, getting some feedback, and then we'll bring it to AOC. We haven't decided now what the next step is, whether it be how we engage the public or how we put it forward. We haven't made a decision on that. I would like to bring it first to Cabinet, and then AOC, and then get some feedback on it. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Member for Kam Lake.
Thanks very much, Madam Chair. Under operations expenditures summary for long-term and continuing care services, for contract services, the number kind of has quite a bit of movement from year to year. If we are looking at the 2018-2019 actuals, we see $850,000. If we move along to the main estimates for this year, we see $365,000 with quite a fluctuation between the two. I am wondering if the Minister can speak to that change in the budget item and where that comes from. Thank you.
Thank you, Member for Kam Lake. Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. The difference in the line item for contracting services is because we used a tool, the interRAI project software, which, in previous budgets, was a lot higher. Now that we have gone ahead using the new software, now the budget line item has gone down. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you very much, Madam Chair. For the following year, would we expect to see the same type of a budget line item for here, then? It would be consistent within that, kind of, $365,000 mark? Thank you.
Thank you, Member for Kam Lake. Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I will ask Ms. Mathison to answer that.
Thank you, Minister. Director of finance.
Thank you, Madam Chair. In the 2019-2020 revised main estimates, we had additional money that was showing up there to reflect new money from the federal government related to the bilateral funding agreement. We had a proposal and a project timeline, and a part of that funding was to support the implementation of the interRAI project. Like the Minister said, there's kind of a phased plan for that implementation. In 2019-2020, we had some contract work that was required. That is no longer needed for 2020-2021, so that's why that number has been reduced. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, director of finance. Member for Kam Lake.
I'm good. Thank you very much.
Thank you, Member. Member for Hay River South.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I know this isn't the capital projects, but I would like to ask the Minister: what is the status of the 48-bed care facility for Hay River? Where does it stand right now?
Thank you, Member for Hay River South. Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I just had to grab my speaking notes. The design is under way for the 48-bed long-term care services, both in Inuvik and in Hay River. However, as a result of continuing rising construction costs and the permafrost challenge that we are having in Inuvik, we are re-looking at some of the costs involved for both of the long-term care centres in Hay River and Inuvik. That is where we are at right now with those. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Member for Hay River South.
Thank you, Madam Chair. We are probably looking at a delay. How long do you expect that delay to be? Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Member for Hay River South. Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. The 2021-2022 capital plan is currently under development. Any changes to previous approved amounts will require approval from FMB and Cabinet. The decisions surrounding the scope of the project, which is the number of beds and the location of the space, will have a direct impact on the project budget. It would have to be approved in the fall 2020 session. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Member for Hay River South.
Thank you, Madam Chair. What will happen to the current Woodland Manor building? Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Member for Hay River South. Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Right now, the plan is to build the 48-bed care facility or have a look at the project in both Inuvik and Hay River, assess the costs, bring it back to Cabinet. In terms of the Woodland facility, the plan was to keep it. I'm just going to ask Deputy Minister Cooper to talk about the plan.
Thank you, Minister. Deputy Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. With Woodland Manor, the beds will remain required. The plan would be that this new construction would be new beds.
