Thank you. Mr. Minister.

Yes, Mr. Chairman. The Member does ask a good question. The operational transfer has taken place to the Ministry of Justice, the Minister of Justice is running the correctional services, but the Member is correct the budget is still within the Department of Social Services. It will be transferred out at the next opportunity through a supp. Thank you.

Thank you. Correction services, total O and M, $19,497 million. Agreed?

Agreed.

Thank you. Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. That is noted and recorded. Correction services, total O and M $19,497 million. Agreed?

Agreed.

Thank you. Alcohol, drugs and community mental health, total O and M $10,862 million. Agreed?

Agreed.

Thank you. Community and family support services, total O and M $36.902 million. Agreed?

Agreed.

Thank you. Mr. Gargan.

Mr. Chairman, just one concern, and that is with regard to our senior citizens. In Providence we do not have a class one, or whatever it is called for elders that require care. We have two people now in Hay River that are under that category, or fit that category. I would think that not too far in the distant future, we may get more elders in that same position. They are being taken away from the communities, I want to tell the Minister that it is a concern, and I am sure it is a concern in a lot of the communities where they do have senior care facilities, and Fort Simpson has a facility right in the community to care for them. Hay River is the same way, Yellowknife is the same way, possibly Inuvik, but in those other communities, you run into a situation of elders being put out of the community. I really do not appreciate that, and I am just wondering if maybe the Minister might be able to look into it and see if we might be able to address that issue so that we do not have to have our seniors move out of the community.

Thank you kindly. Mr. Minister.

Mr. Chairman, I am pleased that the Fort Providence Dene Band does deliver a Homemaker Program for us which, I think, is providing useful service to elders in Fort Providence. I am aware of the Member's concern. I will review the situation in Providence to see whether there are people who cannot be adequately looked after through the Homemaker Program, and then we will have to see if the numbers would justify a personal care facility of the kind that the Member is describing.

Community and family support services, Mr. Gargan.

Now, Mr. Chairman, I am not criticizing the home makers program. I am expressing that we have senior people in my community that are removed from the community and put in institutions like Hay River because they do not have those kind of services in Fort Providence. It is that category of people that I am concerned about, and I wish the Minister would somehow be able to address it so that the few remaining years of those senior citizens are with their family and their community where they were brought up. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Gargan. Mr. Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Yes, I understand the Member's point. We have been establishing regional facilities as a first priority and we will now have to look at where the numbers justify it, where we can establish community facilities, and I will certainly look at the number of elders who would or could be housed in such a facility in Fort Providence, and then we can look at it in the context of our capital plan. I will review those numbers, Mr. Chairman. Thank you.

Thank you. Community and family support services. Total O and M $36.902 million.

Agreed.

Mr. Gargan.

Mr. Chairman, the Minister announced that the senior citizen supplement benefits are going up, and it is going to be retroactive effective April 1. Has that been done yet?