Wendy Bisaro

Thanks. I did say it was my last question. It is my last question, but I guess I have to spar with the Minister. We’re talking budget here and I asked about the budget. So there is no increase in the budget for Healthy Family Programs? Thank you.

Thanks to the Minister. That’s what I was trying to get at. I mean, a budget is an estimate document, and I was hoping that the Minister could give me an idea whether in ’16-17 the department is anticipating any savings.

There are two acts which will be coming into force in the next little while, certainly within this next budget year. Maybe I should ask the question first. Should I be asking about costs associated with legislation that’s going to be implemented here, or does it come elsewhere?

Thanks. A last question here. So we’re adding one community in ’15-16. Where does the increase, I’m presuming there’s an increase in expenditures because of that. So where does it show in the budget and how much is it? Thank you.

Thanks, Madam Chair. I guess I’m just a little confused, because we discussed this, I think it was September of 2014, and it was a recommendation of committee at that time, and you guys are talking about 2008. I’m just not quite too sure. I appreciate that that work was done but that was, what, seven years ago now, and I thought there was going to be some work done in the last six months or so. But I will leave that at that.

There is, I believe it’s in the section that it would be covered, the contract for the air ambulance medical travel contract. There was a huge increase in the annual cost...

Thanks to the Minister. That’s an awful lot of money in my view. I really question the value of spending $200,000 on what sounds like it’s going to be… If it’s a social marketing campaign, it sounds like it’s going to be pamphlets and I’m presuming Facebook and tweets, I guess. I’m not sure, but that’s what it sounds like to me. It does seem like a lot of money. I would far rather that that money went into a program in various communities. Certainly we have to alert parents to stuff that’s available, but I question the value of these types of campaigns. I don’t question the need to educate...

Thank you, Madam Chair. We will continue with TD 188-17(5), Northwest Territories Main Estimates 2015-2016. We will continue with the Department of Health and Social Services and, time permitting, the Department of Transportation.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I just have one more question in this section and then I want to follow up where Mr. Moses left off on the early childhood development and discuss that a little bit. As Mr. Moses indicated, it was the view of committee, and as a member of the committee I agree with the view, that Health and Social Services should be the lead on the early childhood development initiatives. I would urge the Minister to reconsider with his partner Minister whether or not, after some time in putting these programs in place, maybe Health and Social Services is better placed to be the lead on...

To the Minister, in the meantime, while this construction is going on, is there an opportunity for people to get referred? There’s the suggestion that this will happen in the future, but right now how do people get referred to a program if they’re willing to go and if they need the help for their illness?

Thanks, Mr. Chair. Thanks to the deputy minister. I didn’t hear a time frame in there. I can understand why one wasn’t given. There’s a lot of work going on and I imagine they’re probably not quite too sure exactly what day it’s going to be finished. I will ask for a time frame if it’s possible and accept the answer if it’s not possible. I understand that.

I’d like to ask a question about chronic care, particularly about diabetes. It is one of the biggest chronic illnesses that we have to contend with, I guess, as a territory. I always get confused on this, but my understanding is that there...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to revisit some of my questions with the Minister of Health and Social Services. The Minister mentioned, in the response to my last question, that basically in communities people can simply go to somebody and get treatment. I’d like to say to the Minister that homeless people are generally not proactive and they’re not generally recorded. They tend to operate on their own. So, without an advocate, I’d like to ask the Minister, how does he expect that a homeless person will take advantage of opportunities that do exist in a community?