Glen Abernethy

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Our staff do provide advice, guidance on how to maneuver the system to approach the appeals process. The issue that the Member has raised, I do not know for sure whether that is true. I hear the Member. We need to look into that if that is the issue the Member is talking about. I am happy to look into that to find out if that is happening. We mirror NIHB, and, if Blue Cross is not doing that, then we need to deal with that, obviously. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. A bunch of the moves obviously are going to happen in subsequent fiscal years, given when the hospital intended to open and the transition supposed to happen, but, ultimately, what we are looking to do is there are going to be a number of positions in the new hospital that are in-patient OT/PT and other therapeutic services. Outpatient therapeutic or other outpatient therapeutic services such as OT/PT are intended to be in the old Stanton building. We will have to go through a transition phase as that building is renovated to meet the needs. I have had the opportunity to...

[Microphone turned off] eligible for supplemental health benefits, the answer is yes, it does not change whether you are in jail or not. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, our priority is obviously stabilizing the Office of the Public Guardian, which includes rewriting the policies and procedures manual and ensuring that the office is adequately resourced, staffed. We are looking at different possible models based on the recommendations, which could be a decentralized model. That is our first priority, but the Member has a point, and I agree with the Member that audits are necessary and required. I have given the department direction that, moving forward, an audit plan will be developed and implemented once the foundational...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. The second one the Member described. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, these changes are as a result of having to keep Woodland Manor open while constructing the new long-term care or extended care facility, so we had to double up some of our resources for that period of time. They will be moving in in this fiscal year, so we don't need to continue to double up those positions, but there are some new positions that are required for that. So it's the two new positions that are required for the new Woodland Manor, but we do not need the ones that were hanging around in HH Williams as a result of the transition period. So it's a move...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, these are coordinator-type positions that are actually trying to coordinate the services. They are not necessarily a frontline provider, but they are helping individuals get to where they need the assessments, do get the services that they require. They are also helping coordinate individuals coming in to where different assessments could be done and helping, when appropriate, having some of our professionals go out to do assessments, as well. They are providing territorial services. It does not exist today to this degree. It's certainly an enhancement to...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Just a couple of things: our territorial corrections facilities have nurses on staff who provide some level of services, but, if they need services that are not available by the corrections system, we do work with those patients. The guards will often bring them out so that they can attend their appointments and whatnot. All the services that we provide to residents are the same for our inmates, unless they are federal inmates, at which point they are covered by Correctional Service of Canada. We do have federal inmates in the Northwest Territories, but, if they are NWT...

It is more focused on the ability of the child to understand exactly what they are signing. Sometimes, a young child will understand. Other times, they will not. The same is true for an older child. Sometimes an older child, depending on a number of issues, may understand, and others may not. It is a difficult area. You want to be careful. You want to make sure you are being fair to everybody. That is where the children's lawyer can really help out.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. The department has certainly been making the authority aware of the fiscal challenges that we're having and the demands that the authority is putting on us financially. Right now, we know that we're running about a $60 million deficit. We know that's going to increase. One of the major, well, I wouldn't call it the major driver, but certainly one of the drivers is overtime. The territorial authorities, CEO, board chair, board, and senior management have had a number of discussions about what they need to do to help control these costs. To make sure that they, frankly...