Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions today are for the Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Miltenberger. I’d like to pick up where my colleague Mr. Braden had left off in questions regarding the relocation of the Territorial Treatment Centre from Yellowknife to Hay River. We had discussed this issue at length here in the House last year and, according to the Minister’s own words in this House, a key element to the program relocating to Hay River had to do with there being a facility in Hay River that was going to be renovated and the fact that it was going to be cost neutral. I’d like to ask the Minister, given the new circumstances, the Members of this House having to find out via newspaper that Dene K’onia was going to be demolished and, Mr. Speaker, I’ll get to the question, when was the Minister and his department going to let the Members in this House know that the scope of this project had changed yet again, Mr. Speaker? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The honourable Minister responsible for Health and Social Services, Mr. Miltenberger.
Return To Question 3-15(5): Relocation Of The Territorial Treatment Centre
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the intent is still to relocate the program. The initial intent was to renovate work done by some experts in this field that came back with a report that indicated that for the same price they could build new. As Minister, I thought I was obligated under good sense and good management to at least take a look at the options since they indicated it would add 20 to 30 years to the life expectancy of the building. So those are the steps we are taking at this point to see in fact to ask for the estimates for either demolition and construction new, or just construction on a new site to see in fact how accurate their estimates were or are before we…and then with that information we can examine where we are. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.
Supplementary To Question 3-15(5): Relocation Of The Territorial Treatment Centre
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, good sense and good judgment would have lead the Minister back to the FAM directive that instructs Cabinet to inform and consult with the Members on this side of the House on substantial changes to projects. This didn’t happen and, like I mentioned in my Member’s statement, it’s the second time in less than a year on the same project that the Minister has not come back and consulted with Members of this House. Not having a facility to renovate in Hay River entirely changes the scope and, in fact, if you go back to the debates that took place last year in discussion regarding the relocation of this program, it fundamentally changes that entire discussion. I think, Mr. Speaker, we have to have that discussion again based on some real details. Mr. Speaker, what happens when you start making political decisions on a whim, you run into problems like this. I’d like to ask the Minister when we will get some concrete detailed information about what it’s going to cost to build a new facility in Hay River. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Mr. Miltenberger.
Further Return To Question 3-15(5): Relocation Of The Territorial Treatment Centre
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, none of this was done on a whim and as elected politicians and officials, the Ministers and MLAs, we deal with politics and political decisions all the time. In this case, we made, in my opinion, a careful good decision. The option to renovate is still there, but it behoves me as Minister to get the information to see in fact whether there is the ability to construct new for the same price to extend the life and have a facility that would be there for 20 or 30 years longer than the renovated facility. Dene K’onia still is there and the potential renovation is there. Once the numbers are in I will be sharing those numbers and we’ll be able to see how accurate those estimates and recommendations were in terms of new construction within the existing budget. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.
Supplementary To Question 3-15(5): Relocation Of The Territorial Treatment Centre
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I’d like to ask the Minister who in his department is responsible for getting that type of information back to Members of this House, because obviously there seems to be a disconnect somewhere between Public Works and Services and the Department of Health and Social Services in what was going to happen with the Dene K’onia facility in Hay River. I would like to ask the Minister who in his department is ultimately responsible for letting Members of this House know that the scope of this project was about to change. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Mr. Miltenberger.
Further Return To Question 3-15(5): Relocation Of The Territorial Treatment Centre
I am, Mr. Speaker, and on May 26th I wrote to the chair of the Social Programs committee to give her the latest information that we had available. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Your final supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.
Supplementary To Question 3-15(5): Relocation Of The Territorial Treatment Centre
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, that was five weeks after Public Works and Services’ ad appeared in the News of the North asking for the demolition of the facility in Hay River. Mr. Speaker, again, I would like to ask the Minister if that ad didn’t appear in the newspaper, when was he going to let Members of this House know? How come we had to find out via newspaper and via parents of children that attend the TTC here in Yellowknife? Why was that the case, Mr. Speaker? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Mr. Miltenberger.
Further Return To Question 3-15(5): Relocation Of The Territorial Treatment Centre
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I’ve had a number of discussions with the Minister for Public Works and Services, and we’ve made sure that the lines of communication are operating as they should be and we’ve rectified whatever missteps there may have been and we are carrying on. Thank you.
