Glen Abernethy

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Just to be clear, this isn’t a simple project. There are different projects, different tools, different resources out there, but every resource is going to have to be tailored to meet the particular programs and services that we have in place. Every program is going to have to be tailored, so we’re going to have to go out there and do some analysis of the different programs to see if any of them meet our needs and which one is going to be the simplest to actually modify to suit our needs. But for actually what’s happening in this fiscal year, I will go to Deputy Minister...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I agree with the Member; it is about safety; it is about quality; and that’s the type of things we are addressing or attempting to address in our Aging in Place Strategy. It isn’t just about beds but it’s about providing services and programs that meet the needs of our residents through their transition from being an individual who is living in their home, to needing supports, to having to go into independent living, to having to go into a long-term care facility where they need additional support and making sure their journey through that aging process is safe and that...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I appreciate the Member’s comments. With respect to the comment about a disproportionate budget, I do have to just remind Members, yet again, that Stanton is part of this budget, the Stanton renovation and renewal is part of this budget. It’s a $350 million budget and it’s the largest individual capital project that the Government of the Northwest Territories has ever undertaken. Granted, there is $40 million in this year, but it is part of a larger project, so we will be investing significant money in social infrastructure in the Northwest Territories.

The Member started...

It is a 30-year agreement, and as I indicated previously, we will know where we are as far as contracting is concerned in June 2015 is the targeted date at this time. Implementation, if maintenance services are included in this, will occur sometime after that if indeed it happens.

Yes, Mr. Chair.

Mr. Chair, we’re looking to build a state-of-the-art facility to meet the health needs of the residents of the Northwest Territories that will be maintained and operated for a significant number of years moving forward.

As I indicated, I agree with the Member that it’s important for us to get in there and have those conversations, and obviously, input from the community and the region is critical and important. I could give an example of where that really benefited was actually in Fort Providence in the discussions with the community and the professionals in that community. It actually resulted in a holding room, a body – I hate the term – but, a body holding room, a morgue, of sorts, being included in that facility, which was something the community really wanted to see.

So, I agree that conversations are...

Mr. Chair, understood, agreed. The CEO will be going into Tulita to meet with the staff and attempt to address the problem and give us a better idea of how long it will take to address. I will absolutely keep the Member informed as we move forward. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As mentioned yesterday during Committee of the Whole, we’re in the process of doing a planning study on that facility. We expect that to take another couple months, and from there that will help dictate how we move forward as far as inserting this particular project in the capital planning process.

But I do agree with the Member; this is a facility that needs to be replaced, but we just need to figure out how it fits based on the planning study.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I’ll say it again, there’s no intention and we will not be privatizing the delivery of medical and health services in the Northwest Territories, just so we’re incredibly clear.

This is a multi-year project. The RFP went out earlier this fiscal year. We have narrowed it down to three proponents. Discussions are happening with those proponents and we hope to have a proponent and move forward with a contract with that proponent. That, I believe, is expected to be June, if everything moves forward according to plan. Then there will be more of a design phase. That will be the...