Glen Abernethy

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, we're still tracking towards that date; that's our hope and our expectation. I accept that weirder things have happened. If we have any difficulties or any challenges that we are not going to hit our targets, I will certainly let committee know.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Technical conversation, but it is considered forgone rent for the period of time from April 1st to the end of May in anticipation of the report coming back from Infrastructure, and then working on a way forward. Thank you.

Obviously, I'd love to take credit for that work, but it was really work that was led by the communities. It was incredibly valuable. I think the people of the Sahtu really need a pat on the back for the incredible work they've done to create this glossary and get it out to residents of the region. The department did play a role; we did provide some support in the form of some human resources and some other supports. It was a great tool. The department is absolutely open to working with other regions, other language groups, to create similar documents, recognizing that, really, it needs to be...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I appreciate the Member's opinion, but he is actually incorrect. The resources we have and the systems that we have can do many of the things that the Privacy Commissioner has done. We just have to basically get it incorporated into the system. Some of these will take a bit of time, and we are committed to getting that done. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. The funding for these positions is base, so it's part of a core funding. The positions have been created, but yes, authorities, as all employers in the GNWT do, have some freedom to choose whether they want to attempt to fill the positions on term or indeterminate. They will do an assessment of the region community, try to get a sense of who might be available, and go out that mechanism. These are full-time indeterminate positions. They are not going anywhere. How to staff them, the authority does have some freedom of choice based on what they know about the region and...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I am not sitting at that table, so I can't tell you the nitty-gritty of every conversation that has been had. There is a network group that has been established. Staff from the department have been reaching out to that network group and all the individuals who are associated with that network. It is more than just asking for little pieces of information. We have been trying to get a sense from them about what level of staffing they require to provide the core services that they are mandated to provide. We are having discussion about those numbers.

Some of the...

Mr. Chair, I apologize. When the Member referenced the page, I started turning the page and I did not hear the question. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair; and I hate to do this, but I'm not sure I understand. What specific area or what specific section are you making reference to, again? Just for clarity.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, although Hay River is still technically out of the authority, they're a separate body. We've been trying really hard to cooperate and work as a single system, and they've been very cooperative with us. I do know that they go out and they do their own recruitment. I'll ask the deputy to have a conversation with the CEO on how we might be able to join forces on some of these recruitment fairs that will help Hay River, obviously, control their costs, while allowing us to get some economies of scale. I think they'll need to be there as well because they're better...

Ultimately we see them being a part of the single system here. We do recognize that there are some unique realities in our healthcare system with two separate boards. We hope to bring Hay River into the public service at some point. Until that happens, there is a midwife representative from the Hay River Health and Social Services Authority on the territorial midwifery expansion working group. They are participating in a design and participating in the work that is needed to be done before we could actually roll out a midwifery program.

We've also been engaging with the TCSA on the midwifery...