Floyd Roland

Thank you, Madam Chair. The total number of units is 45. I should add a little more detail. It’s not only about the independent seniors’ caretaker units. There are only seven of those units. When you look at assisted living for seniors and the way the services are provided, it’s level two senior level care provided at the Jimmy Erasmus Centre in Rae-Edzo and support services for the cognitively impaired adults at the Stanley Isaiah Centre in Fort Simpson. So because there is a health attachment to that area, it was felt that it was best not suited to be in public housing but back in the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Let me try to be a little clearer here. The fact is, we have, as a department, agreed with the needs of the communities. We have put our requests in through the system to try to get additional monies to cover off this area. Hopefully, that need will be met this upcoming season. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair. It breaks down into a number of categories. For example, assisted living in seniors’ units. The rental subsidy there is about $478,908; independent seniors’ caretaker units, $75,948; and O and M for independent seniors’ units makes up the remainder of $242,760.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we are aware of issues in our health centres across the Territories. There are a number of facilities that do not have air conditioning in them for the summer months. Normally, this area would be looked at through our small capital program. We are hoping to have that improved throughout this year. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, this all comes out of the work that was done back in 2004 when the government released its response to the Coalition Against Family Violence, NWT Action Plan on Family Violence. Our response to that is what we are starting to look at. So it is the government’s review of that work and coming forward with some recommendations as a result of that initial work. That is where it is stemming from. The Premier, as well, has more information on that, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I don’t have the vacancies that we have across all the health authorities on me at this moment; I can get that information. What we have done, for example, in trying to address this, is we’ve worked with authorities on how we’re going to use agency nurses. There is a shortage yet; we still will use them from time to time, but what we’ve worked with authorities on is the fact that if agency nurses are going to be used, it is to ensure that our facilities stay open, not to do a top-up, as was happening in a number of stations. We continue to work around...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. First and foremost, we have to make it clear that within the Department of Finance we have no control over what the industry does in this area. The only place our government has an impact is in POL, or petroleum products division within Public Works and Services where we supply to communities where there is no private sector. Here in the North, the rest of the communities, the only impact we have is on the fuel tax side. That hasn’t changed, but I will request the department go back and look at the changes and then we’ll have to send an inquiry into some of the bulk...

Thank you, Madam Chair. As we’ve heard numerous times in this House the concern about position growth. Within FMB one of things that we send back to departments as we begin any budget preparation is growth and positions would be looked in a serious manner. We then deal with the request being brought before us.

Health care facilities and boards are a challenge. We have provided information to committee members. The deficits aren’t always climbing; there are fluctuations. We have some health boards in a surplus situation. Some are right on the line. From time to time, there are some that are...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I guess I want to be clear that in responding to this question I’m not defending big oil and the way they set their prices. However, from the work from the Department of Finance, nothing has changed in the way we deal with the fuel price in the Northwest Territories or from the fuel tax that we have on fuel in the Northwest Territories. So the prices that are changed are as a result of what we were told when we raised this issue with industry, is rack price adjustments that happen throughout Canada. For example, when this issue was raised in my...

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, the process we have in place does allow for the review of the capital projects. For example, as we have recently gone through our budget process and approving the capital program that was established or the capital acquisition program that was established as part of our budget process there, when a project goes out and is tendered and prices have come in higher than anticipated, the department would have to come back to get more money or, for example, change the scope of work. So that would reduce the project itself. We would have to weigh that as to a...