David Krutko

Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I’d like to ask the Minister about the Behchoko long-term care facility, which is going to be added onto the existing health facility. Right now there’s a long-term lease commitment for that facility in Behchoko. I’d like to know, once we make the investment of some $14 million, who is going to own that facility. Will we continue being committed to the long-term lease arrangement for the existing facility in Behchoko?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Our public infrastructure includes our airports, highways and ferry operations in the movement of people and goods. The economic driver of our northern Territory is ensuring that these systems all work in conjunction with each other.

Time is money, from the time it takes a person to leave a community to go to a doctor’s appointment or travel to southern Canada. What we are finding with the ferry operations in the Inuvik region is that it’s having an impact and effect on the travelling public and their ability to make their connections at the Inuvik Airport to southern...

Ms. Meade.

Deputy Minister Meade.

I think one of the biggest cost drivers we have as governments, and other governments throughout Canada or around the world for that matter, is the aging demographics that we’re starting to see in regard to the baby boomer population. It is now coming that that age and that’s going to be one of the higher population service areas in all governments and I think that we can’t rely on statistics from 2006. I think that we need to get more actual statistics on what those real numbers are. I think that we’re projecting 2026 in regard to that population.

So I think that just for statistical...

Ms. Lee.

Agreed. Moving on. Health services programs, activity summary, infrastructure investment summary, total infrastructure investment summary, $15.491. Mr. Abernethy.

Mr. Chairman, for the sake of progress, I will agree to ask my question on the next page.

Ms. Meade.