Tom Beaulieu

We’re moving into the better technology to assist us in health care. We’re going to have electronic medical records right across the entire system. We’re moving all of the authorities into TSC so we’ll have one system that will all be compatible with each other and it will be linked together and working together as a unit, so that’s takes some upfront cost.

For the capital, the simple answer is that we are involved in a lot of construction. There is construction of a fairly modern health care centre that’s 1,000 square metres larger than the current H.H. Williams Hospital. We have a fairly...

Once we have the data and recognizing that, we’re bringing some long-term care facilities on-line. At this point there are an additional 10 units in Behchoko, 18 units in Norman Wells, an additional 10 units in Hay River that are currently in the plan. We’re looking at, like I said, other ways of preventing individuals from needing those facilities. Once we have the numbers, not waiting for the units to be completed, but once we have the number I can bring it forward. I don’t think it would take a long time to do that. I hate to commit people when I don’t have the information, but I would say...

In my role as the senior administrator responsible for seniors, we do a lot of work at the national level, called Aging in Place. The NWT Health and Social Services has a continuum of care for seniors. That, essentially, is our strategy. We look at the long-term care based on age, and then we determine the percentage of individuals that would require long-term care. Then we develop a plan that tries to prevent seniors from going into long-term care as a first priority, so that we are holding back trying to provide seniors, whether they be in homeownership units, public housing, or in senior...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. We can provide the Member with a schedule on the planning study and then as we get into the schedule, indicate in the schedule at which point we will do the consultation with the community.

For the details of the process, I’d like to have Mr. Heath provide response to the Member.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. To my left I have Derek Elkin, ADM, corporate services; and to my right, Perry Heath, director of infrastructure planning, Department of Health and Social Services.

Perhaps we have new detail. I’ll have one of the staff, Mr. Elkin, respond to the change.

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. Today I would like to recognize Aurora College students in the Social Work Program in the gallery. First their instructor, Vanessa Rankin. The names of the students: Cheryl Cleary, Alice Mawdsley, Jolene Donovan, Lidya McLeod, Stephanie Rabesca, Vanessa Temple, Fiona Wray, Denise Mackay, Jessica Landry, Tanya Snowshoe and Lucy Kay.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. On the long-term care, we aren’t planning on discounting the work that Avens had done. Avens had presented the work to us. We’ve looked at it. I think we’re going to do some more studying on the information and do some of our own grafting on aging population. Like I indicated in my response to a previous Member, the numbers that we’re getting… The number at a national level and the numbers provided by Avens are fairly consistent. It’s just a matter of us checking the numbers to make sure we file our own information on that. I would say that wouldn’t be a huge job...

Yes, Mr. Chairman, I have witnesses.