Okay, thank you, Mr. Chair. So this is all great information to have, and I hope will be good news for the public.
I secondly wanted to ask, the improvements to be made to the Yellowknife primary care centre, I assume that that is -- we're talking about the Liwego'ati building, but the Minister can correct me if that is not correct. So I thought that it was just last year that primary care moved into that building. Can the Minister explain what improvements are needed already and what -- I mean, I understand we're leasing that building so what is the responsibility of the landlord and what exactly, you know -- well, I'll just leave it there for now and come back to follow-up questions. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
That was a question, or comment. I'll go back to the Member from Yellowknife North just to clarify that. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. So to clarify, the first questions are, are we talking about Liwego'ati building? Why are improvements needed so soon after they just sort of moved in and set up shop there and what exactly are the improvements? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Okay, thank you. I'll go to the Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. We are talking about the primary care centre, so we're talking about downtown. Liwego'ati building opened up, and we moved the primary care clinic downtown. With primary care, outpatient rehab services now in Liwego'ati, other programs and services will be moved into YPCC building. We have leases scattered out throughout Yellowknife, and I believe that we're trying to utilize more spaces that we -- minimize the amount of leases that we have, and so we need to do some renovations in order for those current spaces at the Yellowknife primary care centre to accommodate the different type of care that's going to be provided there. So that's what these renovations are, so.
Okay, thank you. I'm going to go back to the Member from Yellowknife North.
Okay, thank you, Mr. Chair. Thanks for that clarification. I'm curious to know -- and this might also apply to the child and family services program space improvements that we're making where it looks like we're also leasing that space. So as the lessee, we're going to be paying for these improvements, but if we decide to no longer use that space in the future, you know, the lease ends or something, I assume that the landlord just sort of gets to keep the improvements? Like, how does it work when we're just the lessee but it looks like we're paying for these improvements? Or does the landlord share some responsibility for paying for some of the improvements? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. I'll go to the Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. When we lease space and we make accommodations, those accommodations are at our cost with approval from the leaser or the leasee. We're the leaser, sorry. And if the lease expires and we leave the facility because we have something -- or somewhere else to go or programs change, then those renovations just remain where they're at. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Okay. Thank you. I'll go to the Member from Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. So what are the improvements that we're making to the child and family services program space? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. I'll go to the Minister.
Just let me find that. It's a different -- okay, right here. So the department is going to issue -- so this is that child and family service needs to increase its team, but the space they are housed in doesn't allow for any expansion at the Jan Sterling Building, so what we are doing is we are going to have to -- new location will require improvements to meet the needs of the program. The improvements will ensure accessibility and safety of all users. The new location will offer culturally safe environment for all users. So the department has issued a request for proposal for a leased space in Yellowknife to relocate child and family services, this child and family service program. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. I'll go to the Member from Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. So I'm a bit confused whether the money here is to improve the current space that we're in or to relocate and find a whole different space to lease for the child and family services program. Can the Minister clarify.
Thank you. I'll go to the Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'm going to -- who wants to give more detail? Can I pass it over to Mr. Clarke. Thank you.
Yes, thank you. I'll go to the director.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Yes, so we are looking at amalgamating leases so that we can maximize our lease space after we moved out of -- to Liwego'ati, we had some less utilized leases. So for us to be able to relinquish some leases and amalgamate into less lease space, we just need to make some slight alterations to those bases, for instance removing the sinks from the clinical rooms at the old YPCC so that they can become counselling rooms, things to that effect, just to make the program operable and maximize its efficiency.
Okay, thank you. I'll go to the Member from Yellowknife North.
Okay, that answer makes sense to me. I am all for efficiency and amalgamating spaces if it makes sense.
The last question is on the first page, there are three planning studies listed for different health and social services centres, one in Jean Marie, Kakisa, Tsiigehtchic. Can the Minister explain what those studies are planning for? Is it to plan a new health and social services centre or to plan a better use of the existing space, or is it program planning, or what is the planning study? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. I'll go to the Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. So the planning studies -- so within Kakisa, they lost their health cabin to fire so we are doing the planning study to build them a health cabin.
The Jean Marie health cabin was flooded in the very first flood I remember of the 19th Assembly, and that we had to deal with, and that minor repairs were done to it but that facility needs to be replaced.
And Tsiigehtchic's planning study because that health centre also needs to be replaced. So thank you.
Okay, thank you. Next on my list I have is the Member from Mackenzie Delta.
Sorry, the Member from Yellowknife North asked my question, so it's been answered. Thank you.
Okay, thank you. Monfwi, Sahtu, Deh Cho. Did the Member from YK North -- I'm just kidding.
Next I have on my list is the Member from Monfwi.
Okay, thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Can I go to page 42? Or is it from 42 to -- okay, good. Okay, then thank you, Mr. Chair. For 2026-2027, large capital projects, you know, 2024-2025 was 21, and then it went up, and then 2025-2026 was 44. If the Minister can explain why there's a reduction for 2026-2027 for large capital projects, on page 42.
Okay, thank you. I'm going to go to the Minister.
So within prior years, I think we had other allocations. I think there was larger builds for, I think Tulita, and the wellness and recovery, the full -- the first big chunk -- the first chunk of money that we got from the federal money that was allocated was in the 2025-2026 budget. And I believe the long-term care in Hay River had some money allocated in the previous year as well. That's why the budget prior was larger. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Okay, thank you. I'm going to go back to the Member from Monfwi.
Thank you. With that in mind, you know, for the project listing on page 44, you know, living in the small communities we have a lot of infrastructures that are aging. In Behchoko alone, there's our health centre, you know, needs -- it's old, and it -- we know that it needs a lot of upgrading. Whati health centre as well. And Wekweeti doesn't have a health centre. They don't even have a morgue for holding body -- I think that's what it's called. They don't even -- they don't have that. This summer I know that when I went to Wekweeti, it was greatly needed for, you know -- in the community. But, yeah, so I'm -- it is okay in the project listing all this in Yellowknife, it's good, you know, it's -- I know that, you know, everybody uses it but I just wanted to know why some of these -- like, Behchoko health centre, it's an old -- well, I mean, it needs a lot of upgrade. Whati as well. And Wekweeti doesn't have a health centre. The health centre that they have, it's a little small office space that's situated right in the community government building, and there's no holding morgue or holding body -- I think that's what they call it. I know Gameti got one last year. So I know they were asking about that too as well. So why it's not -- or is there a plan in place that the Minister is going to look into this in the future for Behchoko, Whati, and Wekweeti? Thank you.
Thank you. I'm going to go to the Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, through -- you know, I think through our -- like, our infrastructure within health and social services, working alongside with infrastructure, we look at all of our facilities that we currently have, and we have many. Like, there's a lot of large capital. There's a lot of small capital. And we have to decide -- you know, we have to make decisions every year on what's going to be brought forward, and there are -- you know, each health authority brings forward their needs, and then they go into a bigger pot, a decision on -- so we can only bring forward so many things every year. Sometimes we can't always build new. We have to try to extend the life of many of our buildings. So you'll see in this budget that we're trying to extend -- you know, we're doing small capital and large capital on doing repairs to buildings, and that's kind of taking the place of some of these planning studies as well. Where there is a facility, can we keep it going longer by doing these studies. So I hear what the Member is saying. And if she has specific things that she wants us to look into for her, I can commit to getting back to having that conversation with her and then we can discuss that within our system to see where those are. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. I'm going to go to the Member from Monfwi.
Thank you. Thank you for the answer, and I will follow up with an email. So I will do -- yeah. Well, we talked already on other stuff, so.
And, you know, I know -- I did a Member's statement on hospital before. You know, we used to have a hospital in Behchoko. We had a hospital in Edzo, the cottage hospital. So I know that right now we have quite a few patients that goes from my community, and from other community as well, to go to Yellowknife. Like, for example, the dialysis and other treatment as well. And sometimes it's hard on people to travel back and forth. You know, go in one day and go out the same day, you know, go home the same day. So that's kind of -- it's stress on some of the people that I talk to. So they did mention many hospital with dialysis to treat dialysis patients, to treat cancer patients, and I'm -- you know, is the -- I just wanted to ask the Minister if -- and I did put it in my Member's statement before too but if the -- if she was in contact or talked to the Tlicho leaders regarding a possible mini hospital in the near future in Tlicho region to accommodate the people. Not just -- it won't just be for our people. It's going to be for the surrounding area as well too. Thank you.
Thank you. I'm going to go to the Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, no, we haven't -- I have not had those conversations with the leadership. However, I do communicate regularly with the TCSA, Tlicho community service agency. And this discussion has not come up. We support the service that we -- that they have as they are the lead in their jurisdiction on how these services are provided. We support them. NTHSSA supports them. And so, yeah, thank you, Mr. Chair.
Okay, thank you. I'll go to the Member from Monfwi.
I just wanted her to say if she can commit to building a mini hospital in Tlicho region. But I do understand, though, yeah. Thank you.
Thank you. Next on my list I have a Member from the Sahtu.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'm confident that proper planning was taking place here when we look at the wellness centre allowance there, capital allowance for Deline, Fort Good Hope, and the health and social services centre in Tulita, construction of level B. It tells me these seasonal access communities, in particular the under construction building in Tulita, has allowed for some capital to purchase and spend some costs and the transportation of those purchases over the winter road. So I just point that out to the Minister, and I have every confidence that this capital will be best utilized over the upcoming winter road season for these projects. So thank you.
So I take that as a comment from the Member, or is it a question to the Minister? I'll go to the Minister on that. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. As for the Tulita, it's going well. It's on track. And completion date is the spring of 2026, and then operational preparedness training set up equipment, open the -- so the fall of 2026. At this moment, I'm not sure -- I'd have to get back to the Member on, you know, if there is anything else that's going to need to go up to Tulita before that opening date. And thank you, Mr. Chair.
Yes, thank you. I'll go back to the Member from the Sahtu.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I got nothing further. Thanks for the opening of the facility targets there, Minister. Mahsi.
I'm going to go to the Member from the Deh Cho.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. My question about the Kakisa health cabin, you said the one that was there burned, and so now they're going to build another one. When do you anticipate -- it looks like it's -- the study's going on next year and the year after. So when do you anticipate this building to be working or built? Thank you.
Thank you for your question. I'm going to go to the Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. So during -- how our capital process works is we look for the approval for the planning dollars. So those planning dollars will help us to create the -- the planing will begin in 2026, producing a schematic design and a class C cost estimate, and then once that is done then we can anticipate, you know, to put forward a request for after that fiscal year. And then when it does, depending on, you know, the build -- and, like, health facilities can take, you know, a couple years to three years. I know that this is a health cabin, so it could be faster. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. I'll go back to the Member from the Deh Cho.
