Welcome to the Assembly. Recognition of visitors in the

gallery. Mr. Arlooktoo.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize Mr. Charlie Manning. Mr. Manning is a two term mayor of Cape Dorset who negotiated one of the better known community transfer deals, and now runs my constituency office in Cape Dorset.

--Applause

Welcome to the Assembly. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Mr. Picco.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize Aaron Blair who is also a member of the NWTTA Executive and a member of their bargaining team, and is a resident of Iqaluit.

-- Applause

Welcome to the Assembly. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Mr. Krutko.

Welcome to the Assembly. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Item 6. Oral questions. Mr. Picco.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as I said in my Member's statement, my first question is for the Minister of Health. What is the status of the hospitals for the Inuvik and the Baffin regions? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Ng.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the status is that negotiations between the Government of the Northwest Territories and the federal government continue to finalize a financial arrangement in respect to financing both hospitals in Inuvik and Iqaluit. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Oral questions. Supplementary. Mr. Picco.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Baffin Hospital has the highest occupancy rate in the Northwest Territories and has not been improved since 1962. Does the Minister have any indication when these negotiations, which have been going on since 1987/88, will be finally concluded? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Ng.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the negotiations for the financing of these two hospital projects have not been going on since 1987/88. It has been as of the last year that they have been going on. I am expecting that we can wrap up, hopefully, an interim agreement within the next few months and proceed from there Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

Oral questions. Supplementary. Mr. Picco.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I stand corrected. Can the Minister inform this House how much money has been transferred to the territorial government since 1987/88, and the original MOU by the federal government since the original transfer agreement was signed for the Baffin and Inuvik hospitals, including the PL escalator?

Thank you. Mr. Ng.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there has been approximately $8 million transferred, and it works out to approximately $11 million with the PL escalator to date, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

Oral questions. Final supplementary. Mr. Picco.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, is this $8 million that was transferred from the federal government to the Territorial government available and ready to be used for the construction of said hospitals? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Ng.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, no. As I have indicated to this House before, the money has gone into the General Consolidated Revenue Fund of the Government of the Northwest Territories and remains in there.

Thank you.

Oral questions. Mr. Ningark.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as I indicated earlier in my Member's statement regarding the capacity of the Kitikmeot Boarding Home to fulfil the demand from the region, I also indicated the occupancy is about 85% throughout the year. Over and above that, some patients are referred to the Kitikmeot Rainbow Valley Boarding Home. Over and above that also, we get non-Kitikmeot patients staying at the Kitikmeot Boarding Home. Mr. Chairman, I think that in itself justified the demand from the Kitikmeot leadership. My question is to the Honourable Minister of Health and Social Services. Does the Minister have any plan in the near future to expand the capacity of the Kitikmeot Boarding Home? Thank you.