Julie Green

Yeah, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, one of the things that we will be doing is to minimize the amount of administration that goes with this money, since it is such a small amount, that we don't want to turn ourselves inside out for it, we already report a number of important statistics to CIHI, which are readily available to the public, on things like wait times, life expectancy, emergency room visits, and so on and so forth. So the amount of money we're receiving is going to not address any of the big problems that our health system faces but rather addresses some incremental problems...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Member for the question. The total increase in health spending for this year from the Government of Canada was $12 million. $12 million. Our budget in the Department of Health and Social Services is $610 million for this year. You can appreciate we were a little underwhelmed. So after being offered $7 million a year for ten years for tailored bilaterals, $2 million for the Canada health transfer one time top up for emergency room and pediatric hospitals, and $2.9 million of incremental funding for the territorial health investment fund, the Premier...

 Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wondered if we can go back to number 5 on the order paper, recognition of visitors. I would like to recognize my page. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I apologize for the embarrassment this is going to cause my page, Amelia Bishop, who is here with us today from St. Pat's School where she is in grade 8. And I would like to thank her and all the pages for the work that they're doing for us in this session. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It's true that some small lodges are exempt from the water system regulations; however, Frontier is not a small lodge; it's more the size of Blachford Lodge, and so the water system requirements are different for Frontier than they would be for a smaller lodge. Thank you.

Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, water regulations are under the Department of Health and Social Services. It's my information that the environmental health officer has been working with the Frontier Lodge to resolve the issues around permitting that have arisen, that this work has been ongoing for a year, and that what we're trying to achieve here is public safety. We're not trying to put anyone out of business or to inconvenience. We actually regulate collaboratively, if you will, with the operator to ensure that it's a resolution that is feasible and practical. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned, the regulations themselves haven't changed, and the department is working with the operator to resolve the situation around the permits. And so I encourage the MLA to transmit that message to the operator. I certainly don't want to see them lose a season of business. I went there last year I don't think the Member was there, but I went there last year on a retreat and it certainly is a very nice place to be, and I think that this is a problem that can be resolved so that others can enjoy it as well. Thank you.

Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the regulations haven't changed in more than a decade but the information available about the water system has changed, and that's why we're at a different footing now than we were a year ago. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. At a recent Council of Leaders meeting on mental health and addictions, I heard from Indigenous governments about what is working well in their communities as well as some of the challenges. There are many successes, and it is truly inspiring to hear about the programs and initiatives going forward in communities across the NWT.

One of the challenges leaders identified was the administrative burden of applying for multiple funding pots for mental wellness and addictions recovery funding. In response to this feedback, I am pleased to advise that the department will be...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As is the case with the Member for Boot Lake and for all of us here, the first probably one of the first people we met was Tim, and one of the first things we did was look inside the sausage maker that is politics and try and understand how we fit into this very processoriented and pretty rigid institution. As a person who has a brand-new job, a very responsible job, having just been elected by the voters, it is truly daunting to come through the door and to try and understand which way is up. And so, you know, some of us were here in the 18th Assembly, and Mr. Mercer...