Julie Green

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thought you might have forgotten me. My questions are for the Minister of Health and Social Services. As I said yesterday, and again today, there have been a number of issues related to the new hospital building. Also, last we heard, there was a shortage of nursing staff.

Today, let's start with the nurses. In June, there was a 13-percent vacancy rate, equal to 37 nurses. What is the vacancy rate now, and particularly, what is the net gain of nurses in the last six months when you account for those who have been hired and those who quit? Thank you.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. In my statement yesterday, I spoke about the ongoing problems with the new Stanton Territorial Hospital building. I got a first-hand look at some of the issues while I was a patient in the emergency ward for a day in mid-December; frozen doors, alarms ringing, and a multitude of locked doors. At the same time, a constituent of mine was a patient upstairs for almost two weeks. He said that it seemed to him that a new problem would emerge every day. Problems included frozen doors, plugged toilets, alarms ringing, and freezing cold patient rooms. He was covered in blankets and...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Finally, I want to talk about the heat regulation in the building. It seems to be a significant problem, and it affects both patients and staff. What actions have been taken to figure out why some of the rooms and hallways are so cold and how to make them warmer?

I appreciate that answer from the Minister. It is a surprising answer to me because it was my understanding that the Stanton nursing workforce was 280 individuals. The Minister is saying 185 full-time equivalents is, in fact, the total number. There is some mismatch there, which we need to get at, which is: what is the total workforce, and what is the vacancy rate within that? I realize the Minister may not have that information to hand. Let me move on with whether the number of new hires has allowed nurses to reduce their overtime and to plan for holidays and vacations. Has overtime cost gone...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the Minister's answer on that. I am looking, really, more at specific communication that would take place with the staff and students at Aurora College. Apparently, they didn't see this change in leadership coming. They feel uncertain about their own places there and about the future of the college, so is the Minister going to make an effort to talk directly with students and not only get their buy-in to this change, but to reassure them that he is, in fact, in charge? Thank you.

I appreciate the Minister clarifying that. One of the things that the former president has said is that he felt a strong resistance to change from the college administration and that this factored into his decision. Is the Minister aware of this issue, and what does he plan to do about it?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you to the Minister for that. Mr. Speaker, in Saskatchewan, the government is paying for a third-party audit of construction following similar problems at the North Battleford hospital. Is the Minister willing to contract a construction audit of the new Stanton hospital so that we get an overall picture of the ongoing problems with the building? Thank you.

Thank you to the Minister for that response. As I understand it, then, the repairs are being done and paid for by the contractor. Do I have that correct?

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Our brand new hospital has been plagued with problems from the day it opened in May. First, it was the food provided by the kitchen. Now, eight months after opening, there are chronic plumbing and heating issues. It is my understanding that the new Stanton hospital has more mechanical problems than the one it replaced. These ongoing problems are distressing for staff, patients, and residents of the NWT, who expected so much more from the most expensive building the GNWT has ever built.

I spent a day inside the emergency department before Christmas with a bad knee. An alarm...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Premier. About 18 months ago, the Government of the Northwest Territories hired an executive search firm to assist in finding qualified applicants for the dual role of president of Aurora College and associate deputy minister of Post-Secondary Education Renewal. Can the Premier tell us how much the executive search firm was paid, and:

the salary range advertised for the president/associate deputy minister role;

the average cost of relocating a successful candidate to Yellowknife;

the severance provisions included in a standard deputy minister...