Mr. Speaker, my questions are for the Minister of Health and Social Services. As I had mentioned in my statement, residents of the NWT expected that a brand new hospital would be better than the old one, but, so far, the new hospital has been plagued with problems, especially with plumbing and heating. My first question to the Minister is whether the new hospital has a warranty and whether that warranty is still in effect. Thank you.
Thank you, Member for Yellowknife Centre. Minister of Health and Social Services.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to let the Member know that, yes, there is a warranty, and it is between the designer-builder and the service provider, which is Dexterra. It was for a base period of one year, to November 30, 2019. There is a 10-year latent defects warranty.
Under the project agreement, the GNWT is provided with protection by transfer of responsibility and risk to the P3 partner, which is BHP, and Dexterra, who is responsible for dealing with the building performance issues, also the associated costs, and it is over the life of a 30-year agreement. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you to the Minister for that response. As I understand it, then, the repairs are being done and paid for by the contractor. Do I have that correct?
Yes, that is correct.
Thank you to the Minister for that. Who inspected the new hospital before it opened, and what were the findings of deficiencies, if any?
Under the project agreement, the P3 partner, which is Boreal Health Partnership, was responsible for ensuring that the building was reviewed before the building was made available to the GNWT on November 30, 2018 -- that is the service commencement -- to begin preparation for moving the services to the new hospital.
All construction work undertaken was also subject to a sign-off by an independent certifier. BHP engaged the architect and engineers of record, who were liable for final reviews and approval that the facility is fit for use. The reviews ensured compliance with a range of technical requirements in accordance with the project agreement, the technical requirements, as well as codes, standards, and laws.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife Centre.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you to the Minister for that. Mr. Speaker, in Saskatchewan, the government is paying for a third-party audit of construction following similar problems at the North Battleford hospital. Is the Minister willing to contract a construction audit of the new Stanton hospital so that we get an overall picture of the ongoing problems with the building? Thank you.
Yes, we are aware of the issues in Saskatchewan, which were much more severe than the challenges we have faced within the Stanton Hospital. Our focus is working with the P3 partners to ensure challenges that have been experienced are dealt with. We are seeing the number of issues decline over time. The project agreement provides provisions to enable the GNWT to undertake reviews and audits of the services provided by Dexterra during the life of this agreement. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes.
