Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, yesterday the department confirmed that the transfer for social services personnel was included in the $24 million for this year. How could that be if they were already getting less than they were last year?
Debates of Feb. 20th, 1997
Topics
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 757
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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The Chair John Ningark
Thank you. The Honourable Minister for Health and Social Services, Mr. Ng.
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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Kelvin Ng Kitikmeot
I will ask Mr. Ramsden to speak on that.
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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The Chair John Ningark
The Deputy Minister, Mr. Ramsden.
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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Ramsden
Mr. Chairman, the numbers that the Minister referred to for '96/97 were the total of what was in the Inuvik region for both the social service office plus the board. We pull them together so there can be a comparison to what will be in the board's hands for '97/98. The salary portion for board employees and social workers is $16,487,528 in the current year. It is $16,555,260 in the coming year. The value of the workers is constant between the two years.
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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The Chair John Ningark
The honourable Member for Nunakput, Mr. Steen.
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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Vince Steen Nunakput
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, could I ask the Minister where he would see the health board reducing their operation by $2 million? Is that going to be a reduction in the number of nurses, number of doctors, or number of doctor visits? Or is that going to be personnel laid off?
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 757
The Chair John Ningark
Thank you. The honourable deputy minister, Mr. Ramsden.
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 757
Ramsden
There are two issues here. The areas of reduction fall into the family support, child protection, and community health programs areas. I might remind the Members as well, Mr. Chair, that there are unallocated funds when we get to the details set aside for each board for the coming year. We have not finished all of the allocations. The significant areas of reduction are, for example, in the withdrawal of the program funding for the elders' care facility in Deline. Which is taken out of the community health program area. There is also a representation here because of the withdrawal of program funding for Delta House. There is not an expectation, at all, that there will be front line worker reductions in this area.
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 757
The Chair John Ningark
Thank you. For the record, we are on page 6-13. The 1997/98 main estimates of the Department of Health and Social Services. We have Mr. Steen.
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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Vince Steen Nunakput
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. If we are not going to have reductions in the personnel departments, then we are seeing reductions in the programs. Is that correct?
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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The Chair John Ningark
Thank you. Mr. Ng.
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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Kelvin Ng Kitikmeot
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, as Mr. Ramsden has indicated, between Delta House and the Deline seniors' facility, there is a million dollars worth of reductions that account for the difference between the two years. In addition, there are some unallocated funds, in particular in the area of medical travel, that have not been added on. For all intents and purposes, the Inuvik board revenues will be the same between this current year and next year. Mr. Chairman, thank you.
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 757
The Chair John Ningark
Thank you. Operations and maintenance. I will give you one extra, Mr. Steen.
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
February 19th, 1997
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Vince Steen Nunakput
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Can the Inuvik health board personnel feel comfortable that they will not be on the cut list this year? They are not going to be laid off?
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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The Chair John Ningark
That was final supplementary, for the time being. Mr. Ng.
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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Kelvin Ng Kitikmeot
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, the funding will almost be the same. I cannot say whether or not there would be any changes internally. Again, as the board of management, the Inuvik board would have that decision making authority. If they thought they wanted to beef up some of their program areas by laying off some of the admin functions, that would be their call. Mr. Chairman, thank you.
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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The Chair John Ningark
Thank you. On the list I have the honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Ootes.
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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Jake Ootes Yellowknife Centre
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I would like to go back to my questions regarding the awarding of sole sourced contract to Med-Emerg International and the question of the time frame. Did the department and the Minister check with northern firms? Did they phone northern firms or visit northern firms or consult with northern firms about the possibility of doing this contract?
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 757
The Chair John Ningark
Thank you. Mr. Minister.
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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Kelvin Ng Kitikmeot
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. No, we did not. Thank you.
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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The Chair John Ningark
Thank you. Mr. Ootes.
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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Jake Ootes Yellowknife Centre
Mr. Chairman, I am just flabbergasted. We have a time frame problem. We go to a southern firm with a sole sourced contract for $700,000, but we do not have time to go and check with northern firms to see if they can do part or parcel of this whole contract? My question to the Minister is; why did they not go to northern firms to check to see if they could do portions or all of this contract?
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 757
The Chair John Ningark
Thank you. Mr. Minister.
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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Kelvin Ng Kitikmeot
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, because we knew there would not be multi-disciplinary expertise available to northern firms, as I indicated earlier. Thank you.