Thank you, Deputy Minister. Member for Hay River South.
Thank you, Madam Chair. With respect to Woodland Manor, is there any consideration to possibly use it as a dementia facility or ward with the rest of the facility? Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Member for Hay River South. Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Right now, that is something we could go back and have a look at. If we were to do that, that would cost additional costs, and that's something we could definitely go back to the department and have a look at. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Further questions, Member for Hay River South.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I would appreciate that you go back and look at it, and also staff training. Right now, we probably have three or four people in extended care who are either have dementia or are close to that stage. I'm not sure, but I don't think we have people who are properly trained to look after them, because there are concerns there. I think, for the South Slave area, a dementia ward would be great. It would allow people to stay closer to their homes in the communities. I would strongly encourage your department to look at that. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Member for Hay River South. Minister.
Yes, absolutely. Thank you.
Thank you. Further questions, Member for Hay River South?
Thank you, Madam Chair. On that similar property, there is an old medical clinic as well. I am just wondering if that belongs to the department or someone else. I'm just wondering, if it is the department's, what is going to happen to that building? Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Member for Hay River South. Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I am going to ask Deputy Minister Cooper to answer that. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. Deputy Minister.
Thank you. This clinic is a GNWT asset and, as such, would be returned to Infrastructure, and they would assess what the plan would be for that facility.
Thank you, Deputy Minister. May I remind the Member for Hay River South that we are looking at the operations budget for health? If you could specify those questions to that area, that would be great. Thank you, Member for Hay River South. Member for Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I look forward to seeing the continued work on the long-term care review. I think we already know what it's going to say, is that, despite the beds in the capital plan, which I fully support, there are simply not enough for the rate that our population is aging. I wanted to get a sense of going forward, this budget line item, long-term care and supported living. As we bring each of these new long-term care facilities on board, do we have any projected financials of what this line item would increase or the increased costs as we bring those units online? If I could get a sense of what this budget looks like over the next few years, given the increased beds we are building? Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Member for Yellowknife North. Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Yes, absolutely. You look at the numbers in the Northwest Territories and our projected elders, our seniors' numbers are increasing, and the department is trying to go and match where we're at in terms of in five years, in 10 years, and do we have enough supports to be able to support our seniors who are aging at a high pace? How would that look as a department, and do we have enough facilities? Do we have enough resources? Are we building a 48-bed? Do we need a 58-bed? We're trying to match some of the services that we have and looking at the financial impacts, as well. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Member for Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I appreciate all that work that is occurring, and I know that is essentially the work in the long-term care review. I guess I am trying to get a number so I can look at the capital budget and get a sense of every one of these units and beds we build, how much this number would increase. If you don't have that right now, it could be provided to the Standing Committee on Social Development or just a projection of even a sense of what the operating costs are for each additional unit we build, and then I could probably do the math to figure out what this is going to increase like over the next few years. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Member for Yellowknife North. Minister, can you make that commitment?
Yes. Sorry. Yes, Madam Chair. This is something that we will look at. We look at our capital costs, and some of the items that were approved under capital costs, and now we're increasing as inflation goes up and the cost of the ever-growing situation on the beds. Not only that, we have to also look at the operational costs and the many other costs associated. If we have 48 long-term care beds, do we have enough in our budget and our resources to be able to operate that? Do we have enough staff who are support workers in the long-term care beds? Absolutely. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. Do you have further questions? No. Are there any further questions on this segment of the budget? Member for Thebacha.
Thank you, Madam Chair. First of all, I want to make a brief statement. Our seniors and our elders are the knowledge base of what we have today. They have given us what we are experiencing today, and we have to remember that. Seniors and our elders and those who need care now have to be in a situation where we all feel that everyone is on an equal basis across the territory.
My question is: the Health and Social Services authority funding of the $45 million on page 177, how many facilities are we talking about?
Thank you, Member for Thebacha. Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. The funding for the 45 includes -- sorry, I'll just find it here -- the Norman Wells health centre and also the long-term care facility and the long-term care nursing for the new Stanton Territorial Hospital.
Thank you, Minister. Member for Thebacha.
On page 176, we're talking about long-term care and supported living. That $36,363,000, what does that include, for clarification? They're just figures to me. I just want clarification on the figure, please, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Member for Thebacha. Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Can I ask the Member to ask her question again? Sorry, I didn't hear.
Thank you, Minister.
On page 176, the long-term care and supported living, it has a breakdown there of $36,363,000. I just want to know, for clarification, the breakdown.
Thank you, Member for Thebacha. Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I am going to ask Deputy Minister Cooper to provide the breakdown.
Thank you, Minister. Deputy Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. This funding flows to support our long-term care beds. We have 183 long-term care beds throughout the territory and 16 respite beds. This money goes to our nine facilities, including our territorial dementia facility. We have facilities in Hay River. We have the territorial dementia facility in Aven Manor that this funds. Also, the Inuvik hospital long-term care unit, Northern Lights in Fort Smith, the Stanton extended care unit, Jimmy Erasmus Seniors' Home, Fort Simpson's elder home, and the Sahtu Dene Necha Ko long-term care in Norman Wells. That's the system that we have for our formal beds, including the partnership with Avens in Yellowknife. That's where this funding is flowing. That's our long-term care system.
Thank you, Deputy Minister. Member for Thebacha.
I would like to clarification on the seniors fund of $205,000. That goes to support the NWT Seniors' Society. There are different societies in a lot of the regional centres in other places. Do they get funding from this fund? How does that work? I just want clarification.
Thank you, Member for Thebacha. Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Right now, that allocation is given directly to the Northwest Territories Seniors' Society. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Member for Thebacha.
Thank you, Madam Chair. The NWT Seniors' Society, the main society is here in Yellowknife, and I know they do support the other senior societies throughout, but I'm just wondering about the senior societies, say, in Fort Smith or Inuvik. If they have a seniors' society, do they get funding? Do they get direct funding also?
Thank you, Member for Thebacha. Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Right now, under the budget, it's only going for the allocation to the NWT Seniors' Society. There are no other line items for any other societies in the Northwest Territories. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. Member for Thebacha.
I guess I just want to point out, Madam Chair, that there seems to be a disparity in allocations again. We always say that we want equal programs, equal rights, equal everything, for each and every member of the Northwest Territories. When I look at some of these services that are provided, it really makes me wonder if that is really the case. I would like the Minister to tell me how she is going to ensure that, in future estimates, because this is our first one, really, some of these concerns are brought forward in the future.
Thank you, Member for Thebacha. Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Right now, the budget allocation is for that specifically. There are other pots of funding that we can look at within the budget, should we have anybody coming back to the department looking for some support. That is something our department can look at, is to look at some of the other funding allocations that we have to support other programs in the Northwest Territories. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. Member for Thebacha.
Madam Chair, I just have a concern, because I had a member of the Native Women's Association come to me at the airport when I was catching a plane one time, and she had asked to go to an NWT Disabilities meeting and was told that it was only for Yellowknife residents. When you have "NWT" in front of it, to me, that's supposed to be for all of the NWT, and they should be serving all of the NWT. That's what she was told. This was a person from the small community of Fort Resolution. We have to make sure that everybody has equal access. Disparity is not good. It has happened for too long. I just want to make sure that in future budgets we look at all these different disparities so that the small communities and regions are treated equally. That's all I'm asking. Thank you, Madam Chair.
