Tom Beaulieu

The decision was made to build a new health centre and the decision was made not to have the new health centre be a home for people to live in. The long-term care beds were not incorporated into the new health care centre. Unfortunately, the long-term care beds were not incorporated into any other location. I’ve committed to the Member that we’re going to look at it. We’re not going to leave individuals that require long-term care that are in H.H. Williams Hospital now out in the cold. We will find a place for them within Hay River if at all possible.

We are looking at the long-term care. Actually, there’s not a removal of long-term care beds from the Hay River hospital but, rather, the removal of extended care beds. I think what’s happening is there is some mix-up between long-term care and extended care beds. One of the solutions that we discussed was to actually provide more long-term care beds in the existing facility.

As a department, we’re looking at what we are referring to as a continuum of care for seniors. Within that, we’re looking at all of the beds that are available now, including the 10 long-term care beds and making sure that...

I think the Department of Health and Social Services would be prepared to look at that.

We don’t have the history of when the planning originally started. We have the amount of money that was spent prior to this upcoming capital year that we are discussing. That is the detail we have. The building is scheduled to be completed in ’15-16.

I can have the department check into the status of the program specifically in Fort Liard and report that back to the Member.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I’ll have the assistant deputy minister provide a detailed response on that.

As the House knows, the Department of Education and the Department of Health and Social Services is working on early childhood development. Our role there is working on expanding the Healthy Family Program across the Northwest Territories, including expansion in the Deh Cho.

We don’t know the overall size of the capital project but part of the planning was a process development of the plan. We’re anticipating that the capital planning will be done over a fairly extended period of time.

As I indicated in the last couple of days, we’re not anticipating that all of the work will happen over a very short period, because the Stanton Hospital will have to remain operational throughout the construction stage. We are expecting this to be a longer period and as the areas get completed, we will move to another area and utilize the hospital as it renews. With that, I would...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I don’t have that information on when the vacancy… I suppose there is a vacancy in Fort Liard, but I am prepared to look at filling that vacancy as quickly as possible.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I will just have the deputy minister provide detail on next year’s planning.