Michael Miltenberger

Mr. Speaker, in fact we did look at Somba K’e probably over a year ago now, a year-and-a-half ago, in terms of its potential. There was a technical review done, there was a program assessment done, and it was determined that because of the distance and the required changes that would be necessary in the state of the building that it wasn’t found to be appropriate for a child welfare facility. So there was work done, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this is an interesting challenge that the Member presents. If we are going to take that as a basis for allocation of programs in all other areas or if this is going to be a precedent, it’s one that we would have to look at very carefully because of the potential implications. At present, it’s a territorial facility. Territorial facilities, by definition, serve the whole territory and are located in one community. In this case, it would be located in Hay River. It’s a service that will be easily accessible. It’s a 35-minute flight across the lake for those...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this decision is one that has some history, as the Member has indicated and I have talked about in this House. There were decisions made and there was some revisiting of some decisions. There was initial work done to TTC, as well. We looked at Hay River. There was some work started in Yellowknife to look at what was possible there, as well. The decision was ultimately made before we were too far along any given track to move the program to Hay River and steps were made to do that. Any work that was initiated to look at TTC and be renovated in Yellowknife...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the intention that I have indicated is to move TTC. At present, the numbers indicate that half of the residents are from Yellowknife. Those numbers change based on demand and need from wherever the need may arise. It’s the same circumstance just in Stanton, for example, where at least half the population has to travel into Yellowknife to get service, or if you want to go to the Territorial young offenders’ facility in Inuvik, you have to go there. So I appreciate the concern that there may be residents in Yellowknife who have to travel to access the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, Hay River has a history of being able to provide services to children. In fact, before there was a young offenders' facility there, there was a receiving home and Dene K’onia had other uses other than a young offender facility. So they’re one of the largest communities outside of Yellowknife. They have a very high level of service in all the areas that are required to provide service to these children in need. So, yes, Mr. Speaker, we’ve looked at the capacity and it’s my opinion and the opinion of the department that this program can be delivered very...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as I indicated, we’re going to be building a lot of the detail of this move into the business plan, but I would be happy to put together a package for the Social Programs committee and meet with them, along with the many other issues we have on the agenda to meet with them about in the next number of weeks.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Clearly, the authority has significant flexibility in some areas when it comes to funding and the $33 million that they administer. They have made some determinations already. They’ve met with the NGOs but, as I just indicated to the Member, I will talk to our department and we will get in touch with Yellowknife Health and Social Services on this issue.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There were cuts proposed that were laid out in our business plan and in the draft main estimates; the details which were shared fully with the committees. It was also initially reviewed by the COs and the authorities and we reviewed the areas where we anticipated we could meet the targets that we set as a department.

Mr. Speaker, with regard to the specific cuts to Yellowknife; there were some cuts to the wellness funding, but Yellowknife Health and Social Services has about a $33 million budget. They already inject additional funds over and above what wellness...

Mr. Speaker, this particular area of reduction, about $900,000 and some, was spread across all the boards and authorities across the Northwest Territories. So I will raise the issue with the Yellowknife Health and Social Services Authority, but clearly if there is any move on this, it will have to be territory-wide because it would be unfair to assume there would be any less problem or suffering or difficulty in Inuvik or any other authority. However, I will raise the issue with the Yellowknife Health and Social Services keeping in mind that they have a $33 million budget. Stanton has about...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would be happy to review and take the concerns of the Member to the Yellowknife Health and Social Services Authority. As I have indicated, they have already had meetings with the various NGOs and their own officials to look at the targets and the budget figures that we have for the coming year. At the Member’s request, I would be happy to visit that with the Health and Social Services Authority for Yellowknife. Thank you.