Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, when this government is looking to delay projects, it has to prioritize those that impact the most vulnerable. For Hay River, that is the extended care facility that supports seniors and persons who require 24/7 care. This facility is needed and cannot be delayed until 20272028.
Mr. Speaker, will the Minister of Health confirm when the demolition of the HH Williams Memorial Hospital will be completed? Thank you.
Thank you, Member for Hay River South. Minister responsible for Health and Social Services.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you to the Member for that question. The demolition of HH Williams Memorial Hospital is well underway and will be completed in this calendar year. Thank you
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, will the Minister confirm the reasoning behind delaying construction of the proposed extended care facility for Hay River? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the reason for the delay has to do with the flood. The flood, while it didn't flood Woodland Manor, made services, water and sewer services, unavailable to the site, and as a result all of the residents had to be removed and relocated to other locations. And so we need to choose a site for the longterm care which is not subject to those risks. It is very difficult to move elders in an emergency. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate that answer; however, I think moving to another site is one option but my understanding as well is that, you know, we're looking this government's looking at mitigation measures to ensure flooding doesn't happen. We're raising roads in the community and things like that. So there are other options.
So, Mr. Speaker, will the Minister confirm if consideration has been given to reposition the building on the site and tying it into the existing Woodland Manor facility? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the repositioning on the site doesn't deal with the problems I mentioned around maintaining essential services to the building. Certainly repositioning could happen, but the maintenance of service is the first thing that needs to happen. What we're waiting for, and I know other departments are waiting for as well, is the new flood maps that will be created as a result of this flood. And the bottom line here is that if the building is not insurable, it can't be built in that location. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary. Member for Hay River South.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, to put the project back on schedule, is the Minister committed to revisiting the decision to delay and consider other options, such as another useable site, which she appears to be doing? Thank you.
Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm pleased to report to the Member that the department has a jump on this. Our infrastructure staff have met with the Town of Hay River to talk about an alternate site, and the leading contender is a site called Sun Dog which is adjacent to the new health centre which did not flood in the spring. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes.
