Thank you, Madam Chair. I feel obligated to ask a couple questions about the $25 million in health spending, and I know the Department of Health and Social Services is just kind of a black hole we have to fund. I'm looking at the $8.4 million increase to standard physician contracts. Can the Minister just elaborate a little bit more of what we're increasing, how much more the doctors are getting paid to increase competitiveness. Thank you.
Thank you. Minister of Finance.
Thank you, Madam Chair. So this was concluded as part of negotiation with the territorial medical association and resulted in some small retroactive amount, but also there's recruitment bonuses and there's an amount that is resulting from changes to the locum contract rates, and I'm certainly happy to provide some further breakdown of each of those. Well, $1.2 million to the contracts for physicians, standard physician contract rate, as well as $3.4 million just over in recruitment initiatives, and $3.1 million for locums, and then just over $700,000 is for retroactive amounts, again related to that contract. Thank you.
Thank you. Member for Yellowknife North.
Yeah, thank you, Madam Chair. I actually don't know. Is there somewhere I can look publicly and see the pay scale for all doctors? Thank you.
Thank you. Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I believe there is. I don't have a link offhand but we can provide that together with some of the other commitments we've made today. Thank you.
Thank you. Member for Yellowknife North.
Thank you. I also see that we're $633,000 more for chemotherapy drugs. Can someone just elaborate why we're incurring this cost? Thank you.
Thank you. Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, this is a projected shortfall in the chemotherapy program that we have here at Stanton Hospital, and it's based on the actuals that we ran as of October and then extrapolated that to the end of this fiscal year. So based on where the program was at as of October 21st, it was expected that there would be this shortfall. The drug cost, I mean, it's twofold. It's partly the cost of the drugs and also the amount of usage by clients, by patients. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Member for Yellowknife North.
Thank you. So, yeah, more people have cancer, and more people the drugs are more expensive. Can someone tell me what the total is for funding for chemotherapy drugs; how much the total is? Thank you.
Thank you. Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Looking as a net, $1.553 million.
Member for Yellowknife North.
Thank you. Looking next at radiology services, I see that is costing us another $1.5 million. Can I just get another bit of an explanation on why we need another $1.5 million for radiology services. Thank you.
Thank you. Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Radiology services are an item that is actually contracted out and provided by Beam Radiology which is based in Calgary. This is done through a competitive procurement process through the NTHSSA and that contract, as I understand it, has been renewed, and there are increases in over and above what was in the previous contract, Madam Chair. Thank you.
Thank you. Member for Yellowknife North.
Thank you. Last one, $6.79 million for frontline nurses, including agency nurses. Can I just get a bit of a breakdown what this is, whether it's related to yeah, a breakdown of what this is getting us. Thank you.
Thank you. Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, so that yes, that also is for anticipated shortfall at the NTHSSA. As noted, it was for frontline nurses. It is for agency nurse expenditures. So this is in situations where there's an ongoing shortage. Notwithstanding efforts for health care recruitment, there do continue to be a reliance and a necessity to bring up nurses to cover urgent positions. And with the nationwide shortage that's ongoing, again, as I said, notwithstanding some of the other efforts, some of which are reflected here in terms of other areas of supplementary appropriations, agency nurses are one way to ensure that there is a person in a position, and that has with with the situation of labour market shortages, there's been a reliance on agency nurses and not at a not enough money to fund that. So in order to keep those services available, that's what is driving the increase in these costs and expenses. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Member for Yellowknife North.
Yeah, thank you, Madam Chair. Can I just confirm then that the entirety of this $6.79 million is agency nurse contracts that it I guess, it doesn't include overtime or other you know, the labour markets bonus we gave I forget what it's called. You know, there's a lot of increased nursing costs but is this the totality of this just that we're bringing up more and more agency nurses? Thank you.
Thank you. Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. The total amount requested of 6.792 includes funding for agency nurse contracts of 5.7 as well as providing accommodation for those nurses and also for their union dues, and it's divided up between the different departments within which they would be employed. But that is the total, 6.7.
Supplementary Estimates (Operation Expenditures), No. 3, 20222023, Department of Health and Social Services, operations expenditures, health and social programs, not previously authorized $25,263,000. Does committee agree?
Agreed.
Supplementary Estimates (Operation Expenditures), No. 3, 20222023, Department of Health and Social Services, operation expenditures, longterm and continuing care services, not previously authorized, $3,428,000. Does committee agree?
Agreed.
Supplementary Estimates (Operation Expenditures), No. 3, 20222023, Department of Health and Social Services, operation expenditures, out of territory services, not previously authorized, $3,590,000. Does committee agree?
Agreed.
Supplementary Estimates (Operation Expenditures), No. 3, 20222023, Department of Health and Social Services, operation expenditures, supplementary health programs, not previously authorized, $3,388,000. Does committee agree?
Agreed.
Supplementary Estimates (Operation Expenditures), No. 3, 20222023, Department of Health and Social Services, operation expenditures, total department, not previously authorized, $38,776,000. Does committee agree?
Agreed.
Please turn to page 10. Supplementary Estimates (Operation Expenditures), No. 3, 20222023, Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment, operation expenditures, economic diversification and business support, not previously authorized, negative $231,000. Does committee agree? Member for Frame Lake.
Thanks, Madam Chair. So if I'm looking at the descriptions right, we're cutting funding in the economic diversification and business support part of ITI and giving it over to minerals and petroleum resources. So I can I get an explanation here as to why that is happening? Thanks, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. So there's two reallocations taken out from the secondment program and the knowledge economy. The knowledge economy is sunsetting. That work's been complete, and that money is no longer needed there. It's at a different stage now. The secondment program, there was a position that was no longer required and so the secondment agreement was cancelled. So there's surplus money sitting in those two, and it's been reallocated to three things. One, the NWT producer incentive pilot program, which is within the film industry for $100,000; the MRA implementation process for 125, and the SEA redesign for 86. Thank you.
Member for Frame Lake.
Thanks, Madam Chair. So how much of the $311,000 is going to the MRA implementation and royalty regime review, and then how much is going to the socioeconomic agreement program? Thanks, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Minister.
$125,000 plus $86,000, Madam Chair. And I just didn't do the math in time.
Thank you. Member for Frame Lake.
Thanks, Madam Chair. So, again, I guess I'm just kind of interested in how much additional funding the department has secured for the MRA implementation royalty work over the last few years. Thanks, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, I don't know if we have a total here but perhaps I'll suggest we turn to Ms. Melanson. She might have some further information that she could provide. Thank you.
Thank you. Ms. Melanson.
