Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask some questions on emergency services with the Minister of MACA. I know, recently in this House, several Members spoke up about ambulatory and ambulance services on our highway system, given the unfortunate accident on Highway No. 1. When I was in Fort Liard doing my tour, I asked about ambulance services. They actually don’t have any there. I would like to ask the Minister of MACA, how are we addressing the emergency services on our highway systems, especially with communities without ambulances.
Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs, Mr. McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We continue to work with the communities. We had the ground ambulance and highway rescue money that some communities had taken us up on. As I stated the other day, once they realized that there was a liability because they weren’t qualified as first responders, then many of them quit taking us up on the money. We’ve kind of re-profiled and are hoping to use that money for more training for people in the communities. That way they would be qualified as first responders and then the community would be able to probably get some emergency vehicles and do these types of rescues.
The first thing to do is we need to get them training so they will be qualified first responders. I think the rest of it will work in place pretty well.
I know that in past Assemblies we were working on, I think it was the ambulance committee. Maybe the Minister can clarify exactly what committee that was. I thought we had some discussions about actually reactivating that committee. I think it was Health and Social Services, MACA and one other department. Anyway, can the Minister identify that committee again, and see if it will be activated for this Assembly, because we really have to address those gaps in our highway systems and saving people’s lives.
We have an internal deputy ministers committee. Ourselves along with I believe it’s Transportation, Justice and Health and Social Services are looking at this particular issue. They’re looking at cost and many other things that might come into play on this. The last we heard, I think, to implement a territorial-wide highway and ground ambulance rescue would be in the neighbourhood of $6 million. They’re continuing to do their work and we’re looking forward to some of the recommendations that they might bring forward to the Ministers and we will share that with committee.
For example, I spoke of the community of Fort Liard that has no ambulance service. In fact, they don’t even have an ambulance. They’re willing to invest into that capital of buying an ambulance; however, they don’t have the financial support, they can’t cover the O and M costs and training is very expensive. Are those the issues that this committee is looking at?
It would be some of the issues. I mean, they’d cover all the bases as far as trying to help the communities implement this. We do know some communities have expressed an interest in purchasing some highway and ground ambulance type vehicles. We had one community that had purchased it, realized that they didn’t have trained people for it, and I believe they sold the equipment. We’re looking at, through the School of Community Government and MACA, offering some type of training to all residents or all communities across the Northwest Territories so we’d have qualified first responders in the communities. That would be the first step.
Then the second step, once they’re qualified then the communities have the option of looking at purchasing ambulance-type equipment. Once they do that, we’re always looking at the overall O and M budget of our department and how we fund the communities, and this may be another factor that comes into play.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Menicoche.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Just one final, short question. Given the tragedy and the accident on Highway No. 1 last week, the Member for Deh Cho actually said it was a Health and Social Services van that went out there and took the injured person back to Fort Providence.
Does this kind of incident highlight the importance of a ground ambulance support system throughout the Northwest Territories with the Minister and this government? Thank you.
Absolutely, Mr. Speaker. It was even before this incident that we were looking at how we can improve our ambulance, especially between the communities, and with more and more of the communities being linked by ice roads or highways, it was an important issue. Unfortunately, some of these incidents that happen highlight more and more the importance of the issue. I can assure the Member, and all Members, that through our internal working committee we are trying to find ways that we can find something that works for all communities in the Northwest Territories, especially those that are on the highway system. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.
