That is correct.
Thank you. I'll go to the Member from Frame Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Just also some questions on page 212. The Member for Great Slave doesn't need to point out that I was being given an unlimited clock there.
Mr. Chair, so just on page 212 there, there's an almost $9 million -- or there is a $9 million reduction of health and social services authorities funding. There's a cut to the respite fund. There's a cut to the seniors' fund. Are all those explained by the same answer that the Minister gave me just a minute ago there?
Thank you. I'll go to the Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, for that detail, I will go to the ADM.
Thank you. I'll go to the ADM.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Yes, same answer. Thank you.
Okay, thank you. I'll go to the Member from Frame Lake.
Okay, thank you, Mr. Chair. So just to confirm and make 100 percent sure, we're not looking at service cuts for respite, seniors, or anything related to the long-term care? Thank you.
Thank you. I'll go to the Minister.
That is correct.
Thank you. I'll go to the Member from Frame Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. That's all the questions I have for this section.
Is there any further questions? Member from Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Okay, so my question is about the substance use addictions program - health outreach and harm reduction program. It looks like there was funding from Health Canada two years ago? The last funding I see here is from 2023-2024, and to support street involved individuals in the NWT, improve access to supports for vulnerable -- we're not -- oh, I'm on page 208. Oh, we skipped right over grants, contributions and transfers? Okay, I guess I'm not allowed to go back?
Members, we need unanimous consent for the Member to go back to the last key activity. Any nays? Okay. Please proceed.
Sorry, thank you, Mr. Chair. I'm not used to seeing so many pages together in a package.
Okay. I see that that was funded by Health Canada in 2023-2024, so -- the description's on page 208 there, and then -- but there was no funding for last year, and there's no funding indicated for this year. Is that a program that we have tried to renew from Health Canada? Are we seeking more federal funding for this kind of initiative? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. I'll go to the Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I will have to get back to the Member. We don't have that detail from that year in our budget stuff. So we will have to be -- we'll have to get back to committee on where that funding came from and why it's changed in the future budgets. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. I'm going to go to the Member from Yellowknife North.
That's fine. I can follow up with the Minister later. Thank you.
Thank you. Is there any further questions? Okay, no further questions. Please turn to page 211.
Health and Social Services, long-term and continuing care services, operations expenditure summary, 2025-2026 Main Estimates, $66,878,000. Does the committee agree?
Agreed.
Okay, thank you. I'm going to go to the Member from Range Lake.
Thank you. Just I have some questions on long-term care. In -- sorry, I'm just wondering if every long-term care bed that we have at the Liwego'ati Building is filled? Thank you.
Thank you. I'll go to the Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, in the Liwego'ati Building, they are -- the extended care beds are filled, I believe, and we are currently in the process of filling, I believe, 17 -- 17 of the beds as the funding that we have allocated -- has been allocated within that to open up those 17 beds. So the plan with Liwego'ati is to open up those beds in -- as we need to, like in sections so that we can onboard staff. And so right now the department is on -- is staffed, and they are admitting new patients into -- or new clients into -- new residents into the 17 beds that are currently there now. Thank you.
Thank you. I'm going to go to the Member from Range Lake.
Thank you. So the process has started to admit people to those 17 beds; is that what I heard? I guess I'm looking for like out of 17, how many are filled? Thank you.
Okay, thank you. I'll go to the Minister.
Thank you. The process right now is that they are using the waitlist to go through and reach out to each of those individuals that are on the waitlist. For further detail, I know that they are -- I don't know have the level of detail of how many beds currently. I know that the last update I had where they were in the process of filling those beds. But I can -- if the deputy minister has any more information, I can, if I may, pass it to the deputy minister.
Okay, thank you. I'm going to go to the deputy minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Yes, just to build on what the Minister has noted, each of the clients that are coming in to -- from the waitlist into long-term care require quite an extensive assessment. We want to make sure that they are well supported. And so that process to fill those 17 beds is not something that happens on day one as an example. So as the Minister said, those numbers change on a daily basis and it will take likely, I would imagine, a number of weeks to ensure that each of those clients have the proper assessment and then therefore set up with the supports that they need.
Okay, thank you. I'm going to go to the Member from Range Lake.
Thank you. So when was the facility opened I guess? Like, when -- for these -- because did it just happen and we're bringing these parents on board? My understanding is those -- the long-term care beds have been empty for quite some time so when do we start admitting -- sorry, when were we able to admit long-term care patients? Thank you.
Thank you. I'm going to go to the Minister.
Thank you. I think within this last week is when they started to -- the process of it of admitting patients -- or residents into the long-term care beds. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. I'll go to the Member from Range Lake.
Thank you. So is this -- is this reducing the gridlock at Stanton I guess? Is that going to be a benefit to seeing these patients go? Because I understand many of those patients are in extended care at the Stanton Hospital. Thank you.
Okay, thank you. I'm going to go to the Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, it may. It may take some of those ALC patients if they are currently been assessed and gone through the territorial application process for the long-term care. As all of the clients that go into long-term care have to have their assessment and go through the process to be added to the waitlist and so therefore they work with those families and those residents that are in beds that have altered level of care. So in parts, it could be. I don't have the detail of if that means all of the ALC patients that are taking beds in Stanton or any of our hospitals. And, again, it's based on their need and so -- I'll leave it at that, Mr. Chair.
Okay, thank you. I'm going to go to the Member from Range Lake.
Thank you. Yeah, I would like to see -- I understand this is one of the issues contributing to the gridlock at Stanton. So I would like to see any progress on getting these -- those folks moved out.
What is the average assessment time for someone to be processed -- or to be assessed for a long-term care bed? Thank you.
Thank you. I'll go to the Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, one of the things that we -- just so that people are aware, like, even the patients that are in the hospital that are at an altered level of care, they may not have as high needs as some people that are living in their homes and so they may not be priority. They also -- long-term care is -- it is the person's choice to go into long-term care and therefore this is one of the things that we are taking back and we are looking at because it's not only gridlock in -- I mean, they're not all altered level care. It's just in Stanton. They're in Hay River. I recently was there. They're in Inuvik. And so they're in all of our acute care facilities. And so this is something that we are looking at on how to work with those families. And I know that's gone back to each authority to work with those families on going through the process. And the process can be -- you know, it has to be assessment by the nurse and then a physician and whatever their needs are, and then their application gets -- and then I think the territorial application committee meets monthly. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. I'll go to the Member from Range Lake.
Okay, thank you. I mean, it does sound more involved. And I wonder if there's a way we can work to expedite things or at least find a place to move, maybe an interstitial thing so it's not quite long-term care. I know we have that, but it's taking place in hospitals right now and that's leading to some of these issues.
Is the -- given that there's still a need for long-term care at these -- the Inuvik, Hay River, Yellowknife, does the department plan to reduce any of the long-term care spaces either through -- that's offered through the authority or that's provided privately or through NGOs? Is there a plan to reduce any of those spaces? Thank you.
Thank you. I'll go to the Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. As of right now, there is no -- the plan right now is the bed projections. And I know that we should have those bed projections soon. And so we'll base -- you know, we move forward as to what our bed projections are and how -- and the changes that we are providing, more home support work in certain communities, which is decreasing the need for those individuals and those people that don't need to go into long-term care as soon -- you know, so it actually helps them stay in their communities longer. So based on the next bed projection, you know, we'll look at what our numbers are, and I'm more than happy to share that information and work with committee on providing more information around how that process works after we get the bed projections. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Okay. Thank you. I'm going to go to the Member from Range Lake.
