Debates of May 31, 2005 (day 5)

Thank you, Madam Speaker. The more I learn about this situation about the proposal to move the TTC out of Yellowknife, the more concerned and alarmed I am that due diligence was not done and consultation was not done. Just as recently as today, I found out that on the educational side, for the needs of the clients at the TTC, there was no consultation with Education. ECE had really no knowledge that this was going to happen when the Cabinet Minister was sitting in a meeting making a decision on this back in March. His department had no idea of it. I would like to know how that happens. It shouldn’t happen.

The Minister has some explaining to do. The first question I have is why has it taken him almost a week to put together this mysterious and elusive business plan or consultation or review or anything that was done by his department? Why do we have to sit over here for almost a week waiting for some answers? I would like the Minister to answer that question. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Miltenberger.

Return To Question 54-15(4): Consultation Process For Moving The Territorial Treatment Centre

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, earlier my colleague from Kam Lake made some unfortunate comments where he spoke in an absolute way about the fact that Health and Social Services obviously didn’t care about children. I just want to point out for the record that there are over 1,200 employees who work for Health and Social Services plus many contractual employees through NGOs and other service agencies, the majority of whom deal with children on a daily basis. They have devoted their lives to working with children and are very caring and committed people. It’s an unfortunate characterization that I want to point out is not the case.

With regard to the information, it’s coming as promised. I have given the information that you will see will hopefully be corroborated to your satisfaction in the documents that lay out the process. There is no four-inch stack of paper. You have asked for a chronology and some background information. That will be provided today as promised.

Thank you, Minister Miltenberger. Supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.

Supplementary To Question 54-15(4): Consultation Process For Moving The Territorial Treatment Centre

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Obviously, I think the Minister just stated that he hasn’t done any consultation. ECE wasn’t consulted. Regular Members weren’t consulted. Who exactly was consulted or have the folks in his department been busy the last week just putting together a chronology of events? If that’s all we are going to get, Madam Speaker, that’s not good enough. I would like to say to the Minister, prove that moving the TTC to Hay River is the right move. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Minister Miltenberger.

Further Return To Question 54-15(4): Consultation Process For Moving The Territorial Treatment Centre

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, clearly in this case, as the saying goes, the proof will be in the pudding. So we will move the program and it will be demonstrated that it was a good move. To speak ahead of time is hypothetical. I can also speak with some assurance that I could never, at this point, in my mind, be able to adequately convince the Members from Yellowknife that moving this program met their rigorous standing or their desire to make sure they protect their constituents. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister Miltenberger. Supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.

Supplementary To Question 54-15(4): Consultation Process For Moving The Territorial Treatment Centre

Thank you, Madam Speaker. How could the Minister make the assertion that moving this program will have no impact on the clients when we haven’t seen anything in terms of what the impact is going to be and the needs of the clients are going to be in terms of speech therapy, paediatric support, ideology, psychology and other educational needs? These children need responsiveness. They need action right now. If they are in a setting where they can’t get that and they have to take a flight to Yellowknife and try to get squeezed into an appointment three months from now, that’s not good enough, Madam Speaker. I would like the Minister to answer that question. Thank you.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Minister Miltenberger.

Further Return To Question 54-15(4): Consultation Process For Moving The Territorial Treatment Centre

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, the majority of these children are going to come from communities outside of Yellowknife and many smaller communities, communities that may struggle just to have a nurse, let alone the range of services that we are discussing in this House that may be available in Yellowknife or Hay River. The services the children need will be available in Hay River or there will be arrangements made to access them in Yellowknife. If you look at the work plan and the plan for Health and Social Services for the next two years, the plan is to re-establishment rehabilitation teams that are going to service the territory. There will be one based in the South Slave, one based in Yellowknife, in addition to the people who are already here and there will be one based in Inuvik. It’s going to have ideologists, speech pathologists, therapists, occupational therapists and such so that we can start providing those services better outside of Yellowknife. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister Miltenberger. Supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.

Supplementary To Question 54-15(4): Consultation Process For Moving The Territorial Treatment Centre

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I would like to ask the Minister if he would be able to produce a report that was done last year by FSC on the structural integrity of the current TTC facility. Was his decision solely a political decision, or a decision based on a physical piece of infrastructure that is not worth fixing up? Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Mr. Miltenberger.

Further Return To Question 54-15(4): Consultation Process For Moving The Territorial Treatment Centre

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, there are a number of factors that were discussed over the last few days. Very clearly, the government, as I stated in this House, has a position and a policy on decentralization and looking at trying to move things out of Yellowknife that is equitable, fair and spreads some of the government resources around. This program can be provided outside of Yellowknife. There is a community, Hay River, that has that capacity. The program is just going to be moved. It’s not being dismantled. It’s not being structurally changed. The contractor has indicated that they are very willing to work with us to provide that service. We’ve taken the steps to ensure that this will be done in a careful, measured way and we are going to follow through on that. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister Miltenberger. Final supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.

Supplementary To Question 54-15(4): Consultation Process For Moving The Territorial Treatment Centre

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I agree with the Minister that the government could look at moving some jobs and some things outside of the capital city. I agree with decentralization as a principle of this government, but why would you do something with a program that affects children and families and most of the referrals are out of this region and north of the city of Yellowknife? I don’t understand the rationale behind that. If you want to move government jobs, that’s one thing, but when you start messing around with a program that is supposed to help children and families, then I have to take issue with that. I would like to follow up on what one of my colleagues was mentioning earlier. The information we were supposed to get, we are going to get that today. I thought I heard the Minister say that. Can he confirm that we will get the information he has today? Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Minister Miltenberger.

Further Return To Question 54-15(4): Consultation Process For Moving The Territorial Treatment Centre

Thank you, Madam Speaker. For the record, we should be absolutely, categorically, unequivocally and starkly clear that we are not messing around with the program. We are moving the program as it exists to another community with the same contractor, with the same skills and with access to the same resources to do that. I want to point out the majority of children who access TTC are from outside of Yellowknife. We will provide the information as was promised, and if it’s insufficient I am sure that I will be getting direct feedback from the Members and if it is insufficient we’ll try to fill in what gaps the Members may think still exist. Thank you.