Julie Green

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'd like to refer this question to the director of finance. Thank you.

Thank you. That is another question for the director of finance, please.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. With us today is Deputy Minister Bruce Cooper and Director of Finance Jeannie Mathison.

Sorry, Mr. Chair. I was not ready. Could the Member please repeat that?

Thank you. I can see how that is going to be difficult to provide because there are a few dynamics. One is that youth have moved into adult care. Another is that some people are extremely high-needs; they need one-on-one support, 24 hours a day. Some of them are less intensive. I just feel that averaging that wouldn't give you the full idea. Could we instead provide you with a range, so the cost could be as low as this amount and as high as that amount, so that you could see that some clients are very expensive to maintain in the southern facilities? Thank you.

Thank you. I think for me, I'm really waiting to get to the point where most people have had their second shot, and we have a better understanding of not only of our immunity, but whether the vaccine is effective in stopping the transmission of COVID so that we can return to life as normal, in so many ways, and especially in this way. What I can say is that, while nothing is planned now, this time last year, nothing was planned either. We can change our minds and come back and meet the needs that we see through a supplementary appropriation. Thank you.

Thank you. I would like to refer this question to the director of finance.

This training is not provided within the Department of Health and Social Services or the health authorities, so I don't have the information the Member is asking for. He may be able to get that from MACA.

Yes. The program exists in five different communities at this point. There is a limited intake of spots, but I think that most of them have been taken up and that there is evaluation planned for the next fiscal year in order to determine the future of the pilot program. That's a very high-level answer. The deputy minister would be able to offer quite a bit more. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. We will attempt to gather that information.