That's all. Thank you.
Any further questions under supplementary health benefits? Seeing none, please turn to page 192. Health and Social Services, supplementary health benefits, operations expenditure summary, 2021-2022 Main Estimates, $35,262,000. Does committee agree?
Agreed.
Thank you. Committee, we will now refer to the information items on page 194, 195, 196, and 197. Does committee have any questions under those information items?
Excuse me, Madam Chair. Could we switch witnesses again, please?
Sergeant-at-Arms, could you please switch out the witnesses? Thank you. Sergeant-at-Arms, we will not bring in the other witness if there are no questions from -- never mind. We will wait for the witness. Minister, would you please reintroduce your witness for the record?
Thank you. I would like to welcome back Ms. Jeannie Mathison, the director of finance. Thank you.
Thank you, and welcome back. Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you very much, Madam Chair. I think it will be a really quick question, perhaps. I know that we asked a lot of questions last week about the Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority and the deficit that's in it. One of the things that I struggle with, and I think it was evident in the fact that I kept asking all last week, where different items from NTHSSA fell within that budget. I know that it's fairly new that we have a conglomerate of health authorities. I am wondering if there is any plan moving forward for the health authority to actually break out some of this $314 million so that we can see what actually goes into that going forward. Thank you.
Thank you, Member. Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. It is my understanding that the health authorities do do their own budgets, and they present them to us. We get a level of detail there about what their planned spending is. For more information, I will ask Ms. Mathison if she wants to add anything. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. Ms. Mathison.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Yes, we do table, annually, the authorities' budgets with a little bit more detail than we have here. That level of detail, of course, can be adjusted if it makes sense to provide a little bit more information. This template here is a template for the main estimates, as you know, and there could be conversations with the Department of Finance to discuss whether or not we could add more information to this page to further break out the authority budgets. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you very much, Madam Chair. That makes me happy to hear. I think that it's important for us to have fulsome conversations about things that are important to us. We talk a lot about addiction. We talk a lot about after-care. We talk a lot about FASD and front-line service providers. A lot of that is found within that budget. I think it would be nice if it was not something we had to switch to go find and that it was all together in the main estimates process. Thank you.
Thank you, Member. Minister.
I will take that as a comment. Thank you.
Member for Kam Lake. Anything further? Member for Great Slave.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I am looking at page 196 at the Centre Square Tower office space. Can the Minister speak to what does that lease cover? Thank you.
Thank you. Minister.
Thank you. I will ask Ms. Mathison to answer this question, please.
Thank you. Ms. Mathison.
Thank you, Madam Chair. This lease covers the COVID secretariat space that is being used in the Centre Square Tower on the sixth and seventh floors. We have a lease there in place for this coming fiscal year which expires March 31, 2022. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Member for Great Slave.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I am curious about this. Why does this lease commitment show up here in Health and Social Services rather than under the COVID secretariat section? Thank you.
Thank you. I think it's just because it's an information item.
Thank you for that. Is the reason, then, that this lease is not being done through Infrastructure as our leases do normally because it would be expiring and is not a long-term lease? Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Member. Minister.
Thank you. I will ask Ms. Mathison to answer this question, please.
Ms. Mathison.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Yes, that is the reason. Thank you.
Thank you. Member for Great Slave.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I think I am just getting mixed up from our conversation when we had it the first time around in the briefings. My question is then: if this lease is set to go to March 31, 2022, yet a lot of the COVID secretariat spending we have been told will be wrapping up towards the fall and end of the next calendar yea, can the Minister speak to what happens for the additional three months of payments? Are we liable for them? Thank you.
Thank you, Member. Minister.
Thank you. I don't have an end date for the COVID secretariat, so I am not sure that it will be wrapped up this fall. In terms of whether this lease has to be paid through until the end of March, I will ask Ms. Mathison to answer that.
Thank you, Minister. Ms. Mathison.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I don't, off the top, have an answer for that. I would have to refer to the lease agreement to see if there is an option, with 30 days' notice, you can opt out. I would think that the staff that are there in the COVID secretariat will need to still be there for some time, even when things get better for COVID, in terms of windup and transition, et cetera. That's as much as I can say right now. Thank you.
Thank you. Member for Great Slave.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I know it's not exactly in this area, but what are the terms or the end dates of the positions of the COVID secretariat employees, which would be in part of their contracts? Wouldn't we not, then, have an estimated end date, or do they all go to the end of March, as well? Thank you.
Thank you, Member. Just because COVID secretariat was done with a different Minister and it's a different staffing any questions shouldn't be too in-depth into the COVID secretariat, just in regards to the lease information item. Thank you.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I will follow up with the appropriate Minister at the time. Thanks.
Thank you. Any further questions? Member for Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I am looking at page 197, and I see that the Territorial Health Investment Fund about the medical travel and oral health and cultural competencies are expiring. My understanding is that this started in 2015 and went to 2018, and then the federal government once again announced, kind of, a new program to bring us to 2021. Are there any discussions or any talk of another Territorial Health Investment Fund, or is this fund simply sunsetted with no plans by the federal government to replace it? Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Member. Minister.
Thank you. This is an area of great interest and effort on the part of the department. I will ask the deputy minister to speak to those negotiations that are ongoing. Thank you.
Thank you. Deputy Minister Cooper.
Thank you, Madam Chair. We have been working very closely with the other two territories in putting forward the position that the Territorial Health Investment Fund has been adding value and should continue. Our position has been clearly stated, backed up by strong evidence, and fingers crossed. I know the federal government is currently deliberating. We look forward to the outcomes of those discussions. Thank you.
Thank you. Member for Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I think we all look forward to the outcomes of those discussions, so perhaps just a commitment from the Minister that, when we have an answer or a response from the federal government on the Territorial Health Investment Fund going forward, that it will be shared with the appropriate committee. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Member for Yellowknife North. Minister.
