Thank you, Madam Chairperson. With respect to the alcohol and drug reforms, the department has had a series of discussions and has spent considerable effort working with treatment centre executive directors and boards. There is some element of support directed at the community programs. To back track a bit, there was a set of standards that was developed concurrently or in a consensus environment with the treatment centre executive directors and their boards. The standards were adopted by the department and put forward. The treatment centres are complying with those standards. There is a uniform assessment process now that has been put in place. It is our view based on the evaluations we have done that the assessment tool is being complied with, that it is a practical tool. Obviously, over time, it will evolve, but we think it is relevant tool. It is our view, people who are assessed to both need and be ready for treatment for addictions are getting the access they need. It was our view and we made a recommendation to the Minister which he accepted that we go no further in terms of adjusting the way we pay treatment centres for the coming year. As Members of the committee will recall, we are at a ratio now of 50 percent revenue by contribution and 50 percent by per diem. It was felt by the treatment centres and the department that we could not go any further into a totally per diem environment.
We have made considerable progress in terms of both resourcing and having training for treatment centre workers conducted. In terms of an evaluation of funding for the community drug and alcohol programs, we made a further recommendation to the Minister which he accepted that we not adjust the way in which those community projects were funded for the coming year. We had put forward some amount of change in 1997-1998, and it was felt community projects would not be able, quite frankly, to cope with any adjustments downward. Obviously, communities could benefit from more money but there was no ability to cope with a further reduction, so we stood down that change.
With respect to care reform, the focus of the department, various facilities and boards had been on a couple of different elements. One of them was either the closure or the changing of services provided in smaller facilities. We went through a series of decisions that focused on three and four-bed care facilities. In each case, to the best of my knowledge these facilities are still able to operate as independent housing units but there was no way we could sustain 24-hour care in those facilities. The team went through a very extensive needs assessment with a variety of groups in the Deh Cho about how care could be provided in the Deh Cho and how the facilities needed to be adjusted. In fact, the report was adopted and the design work around the changes is underway with the board. There have been some preliminary steps taken in terms of care reform in Fort Smith. The area that the department is primarily focused on at this time is in the area of care and treatment facilities for children. There have been two meetings. There is an extensive series of discussions going on that are assessing both the needs and the gaps around services for children. This is certainly where that project has taken us now. It is very much into assessing and altering the range and mix of services that over time we will be able to develop for children. Thank you, Madam Chairperson.