Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. The chair appreciates that. Next item, activity summary, detail of capital. Thank you. Community programs and services, operation and maintenance, total operation and maintenance is $142,171,000. Agreed.

Agreed.

Thank you. Mr. Erasmus.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The Minister had indicated if a particular region ran out of money and someone still wanted to go to residential treatment, we have a notation that they would be obligated to find it. Would this money then come from another region, therefore, one region would be perhaps financing another region, or would they find it from within their own budget? Thank you.

Thank you. Mr. Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, it would be expected to come from within that region's own resources, other programs within the regional board. Thank you.

Thank you. Total operations and maintenance. Mr. Erasmus.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. There have been a lot of complaints about people going to rehabilitation down south and the extra costs that incurs. Have we implemented some type of policy to ensure there is a minimum of people going to treatment down south?

Thank you. Mr. Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, up until currently, all out-of-territory treatment has to be approved through Yellowknife, through headquarters. Under the new process that has been outlined for implementation April 1st, all referrals will be to northern facilities first. Out-of-territory referrals will only be allowed if the service is not available in the north, Mr. Chairman. Thank you.

Thank you. Mr. Erasmus.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Would the mobile treatment have the same stipulations, meaning if a community wants mobile treatment, are they going to have to get it from within the Northwest Territories first before looking down south to contract with someone for mobile treatment?

Thank you. Mr. Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, obviously, no, we would try to support having it done in the north. The onus would be on the boards to try to provide the treatment that they feel is most appropriate and most effective for them to deliver. I am not saying that we can guarantee that process, but with the current guidelines that we have we would think there would be enough local and regional pressure, if they were not adhered to supporting groups within their own region that were capable of taking on delivery of those programs. I think the onus would be on them to support them first, Mr. Chairman. Thank you.

Thank you. Total operations and maintenance, Mr. Erasmus.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. From what the Minister is saying, there is nothing stopping these regions from getting all their mobile treatment from down south, if that is what they wish, if they have the nerve to stand up to the complaints from people within their region. Is this correct?

Thank you. Mr. Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The boards would have to abide by northern preference policies, the Business Incentive Policy that we have. If the service were available in the region in the north, they would have the first preference. If they were not to follow those guidelines and there were circumstances that came to light that service was available and they had contravened our policies, then we would take the corrective action that would be deemed necessary, Mr. Chairman. Thank you.

Thank you. Total operations and maintenance. Final supplementary, Mr. Erasmus.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I would like to thank the Minister for that clarification. That is not what he said in his answer before. In long-term care, there is no place in the Northwest Territories that offers long-term rehabilitation. I know people have been refused when they asked to go down south because of the policy to use northern facilities first. The treatment centres in the north only offer 28-day or 35-day programs, and there is no long-term care that some of the

other ones down south provide. What are we doing for long-term care?

Thank you. The honourable Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, the treatment centres are aware of the different types of services that are not available in the north. When some of the reductions first impacted on them last year, they started to look at working together and working out different avenues of treatment programs they could provide to not directly compete with each other. I cannot say how much progress has been made in respect to that area, but I know it is an area everybody is aware of, Mr. Chairman. Thank you.

Thank you. Community programs and services. I have Mr. Picco.

Point of Order

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I have a point of order. I refer to page 12-71 of the unedited Hansard from yesterday. Where, in the process of asking questions with Mrs. Groenewegen, the chair, I read from the unedited Hansard. The chairperson said:

"Thank you, Mr. Picco. I would like to caution the Member with respect to challenging the Chair. I am deeply offended that the Member questions whether or not I have the ability to count to five. Having said that, I do not know where I was, that was four or five, so I will give you one more question."

My point of order, Mr. Chairman, was that if you count the questions, you will see I was only at question number three when that was said. I would ask the Madam Groenewegen, in the chair's direction, that an apology be forthcoming. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.