Tom Beaulieu

Mr. Speaker, I’m not sure we are going to do public consultation on the changes to the public act concerning sun tanning, but we can provide other methods of communications to the public on these changes. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, the department is aware of the dangers of sun tanning on a tanning bed, and the department is currently developing regulations under the Public Health Act. Thank you.

Yes, we can do that. I will discuss with the two other departments that are involved in this evaluation, those being ITI for BIP and then the appeal process through Public Works and Services. The three departments will get together and develop a presentation specific to this review and provide that to P and P. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The original evaluation of BIP and how an individual from the authority advised a northern contractor that looked like they had the best bid was based on the fact that the evaluation was done without evaluating the northern content of the southern bidder, the original. Thank you.

The first thing we’re doing is we’re reviewing the integrated service delivery model and working with the health and social services authorities across the territory so that they have an opportunity to re-evaluate the nursing needs in each community, including communities that have under 250 people, for a possible placement of nurses in those communities. Thank you.

I know for a fact that the treaty does not enter into any charges for long-term care. Long-term care is provided to individuals within the Northwest Territories whether they are Dene, Metis or non-Aboriginal. All charges are the same. It’s not really a treaty issue. The costs, like I indicated, were only charges to cover meals and accommodations which were uninsured. All other items in there are insured. If there is money in the overall federal transfer to the government and it gets incorporated into covering the other costs, then that may be the case, but for this particular item I don’t...

The fees are in accordance with the legislation for long-term care. These meals and accommodations are not insured services. All other services that are provided in long-term care, such as nursing and daycare, are an insured service. The two items that are not an insured service are accommodations and meals. Those are charged according to that and that’s what those fees are. I’m not sure if there’s consideration for what expenses they have outside of that, but this is to cover the areas that are not insured.

The charge for meals and accommodations is under 10 percent of what they charge the cost of maintaining individual long-term care. There’s nursing care, medical care, medical supplies, nutrition, rehabilitation, housekeeping, laundry, janitorial services, which are all covered by the department and the organization providing long-term care. Those two expenses, as I said, are not covered and it’s outside of insured policy. There is no money coming from the federal government to cover those two specific items.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The long-term care fees for the tenants are for meals and accommodations.

Mr. Speaker, as part of the action plan and as part of the Ministers’ forum, we want to look at all aspects of treatment and if family treatment is something that’s proposed by many of the communities, then it’s something that we will try to work into our action plan. Thank you.