Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are for the Minister of Health and Social Services. I’m happy to report that the new Hay River health facility is well underway. There’s a nice tall structure standing there, and the contractors continue to work, and the weather has been on our side, so it’s been a good fall for construction.
The few outstanding items – well, there are many outstanding items, but there are a couple I want to ask about today as a result of the new health care facility – I’d just like an update on, if we could here in the House, because it’s something of a popular topic of discussion in Hay River, and that is the 10 extended care beds currently located in our existing hospital and how the loss of those beds, when the hospital is relocated, how those beds are going to be replaced. I just wonder if Minister Beaulieu would have any kind of an update on what path we’re taking on that challenge.
Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Beaulieu.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. At this point that plan is being contemplated by the department at the deputy minister level with other deputy ministers responsible for infrastructure in the GNWT. Thank you.
Of course, we know that the new hospital won’t be commissioned for a little while yet, so we do have some lead time, but I would like to ask the Minister when he contemplates we might have a more clear plan with respect to the replacement of those beds as a result of these discussions amongst the deputy ministers, some kind of a timeline we can share with our constituents. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, those, although they’re called extended beds in H.H. Williams, are actually long-term beds. Those long-term beds will be outside the current new health centre that is being constructed in Hay River. In fact, the direction that we are going now is with the expansion of the Woodland Manor, to add the 10 beds to the Woodland Manor. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, people of Hay River will be very glad to hear that. That does seem like that is a fairly prudent direction to take, a good choice.
Another issue that has been raised in this House before, which I would also like an update on, was a request for a functional review of the existing H.H. Williams Memorial Hospital, to determine whether or not that building would be suitable to be re-profiled for some other use and to be kept as a piece of infrastructure in our community as something other than a health facility. I would like to ask the Minister if he has an update on where that request is in the system. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, I will ask that the Minister of Public Works and Services provide that response to the Member. We are having discussions with that department. I think there is going to be a bit more time before we are able to do that type of evaluation on the building, as the building is still being used as a hospital at this time. Soon, I think, prior to us moving into the new hospital, that evaluation on future use of that building will be completed. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Final, short supplementary, Mrs. Groenewegen.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I don’t know if I can change Ministers mid-questions here. I guess not. Okay. Well then, I will just have to suffice it to say thank you for the update, Mr. Beaulieu.
I am not one who likes to see brick and mortar, institutions, buildings that have some functional use torn down, so I will be continuing to pursue this. If there is any reasonable life left in the existing hospital, I will be pursuing a further set of questions with the Minister of Public Works and Services on that at some point. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.
