Debates of June 1, 2005 (day 6)

Thank you, Madam Speaker. The Minister of Health and Social Services and, I believe, the Premier yesterday did indeed offer to provide Members with further substantiation of the move of the Territorial Treatment Centre to Hay River. Without getting into it in detail, Madam Speaker, it was quite an extensive document, but did not provide me with the substantiation that I was looking for, Madam Speaker, and that is the consultation, the collaboration, the cooperation of the many stakeholders that this community has in providing services to the children with severe behavioural problems who are the residents of the Territorial Treatment Centre.

The core of this issue is the confidence of the community to know that a relocation will not disrupt or disturb what is already a very significant part of the lives of these children, of their families, and indeed of a number of other organizations in the city of Yellowknife that have over the past decade, collaborated, cooperated, and worked with each other to build this very vital service.

I just wanted to comment, Madam Speaker, that despite receiving, I don’t know, almost 200 pages yesterday, it is void of any evidence that they have really thought this plan through and that is why I am one Member, and I know there are others on this side, who will continue to seek the deferral of this program at least until there is a consultative plan that can restore the confidence of the communities and the families and the kids involved in continuing this plan. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

---Applause