Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today, I would like to provide Members with an update on the Public Private Partnership or P3 projects that are underway to develop and construct health and social services facilities. For some time, a number of health and social services boards have been actively involved in the assessment and documentation of the health care needs of the people in their respective service areas in anticipation of major capital projects being initiated.

As Members know, on March 31, 1998, the Chairman of the Financial Management Board announced that 12 projects had been selected to pilot a new way of undertaking capital projects, the Public Private Partnership or P3 model. Five of those 12 projects are aimed at providing health and social services facilities. As Members are well aware, governments the world over are searching for new ways to live within their means while maintaining services for the public. Public Private Partnerships are a new way for governments to obtain and utilize infrastructure to meet the demands of their growing populations.

By partnering with the private sector, governments can better focus on the quality of their programs and services and put the responsibility for the infrastructure, whether it be a hospital or a student residence on the private partner.

The Government of the Northwest Territories has developed and is nurturing a strong commitment to the P3 process. Multi-sectoral committees and P3 implementation teams have been established to monitor all GNWT P3 projects. Workshops have been held in various communities to educate the potential stakeholders.

Mr. Speaker, the Department of Health and Social Services' five P3 projects include the following;

•two hospitals, one each in Iqaluit and Inuvik;

• two regional health complexes, one in the Keewatin and one in the Kitikmeot; and finally

•one health centre in Arviat.

Functional programs that outline the health care needs of people in the service area and describe a facility that meets these needs, have been completed for all five of the health and social service pilot projects.

Each of the functional programs envisions a better future by including telehealth and telemedicine as part of the infrastructure requirement. Two of the projects, the Inuvik hospital and the Arviat health centre, have finalized their functional programs with the department and are ready for ministerial approval. The functional program for the Kitikmeot regional health complex has received conditional approval. The remaining two projects, the Baffin hospital and the Keewatin regional health complex have functional programs still under review.

In four of the projects, some technical aspects of project development work are in progress. These include topographical survey, geo-technical report, legal and environmental assessment and furniture, fixture and equipment planning. In Arviat, this work is complete. Once the functional programs are approved, the responsible P3 implementation team will invite bidders to submit proposals for the next stage of work.

For the Inuvik hospital project, the P3 project team are preparing to issue a request for qualifications (RFQ) to parties interested in forming a P3 partnership to design, construct, own, operate and finance the facility. Once I approve the functional program for the Arviat health centre, the P3 implementation team will issue a request for proposal (RRP) for the design, build, operate and finance of the project. For the remaining three Nunavut projects, a request for proposal for the preliminary design work will be issued upon approval of their functional programs.

In May 1997, a proposal was forwarded by the three Nunavut birthright development corporations and the three eastern health and social services boards for the development of the health and social services facilities in Nunavut. The initiative was pursued with the GNWT throughout the summer and fall of 1997 and a memorandum of agreement was signed between the boards, development corporations, myself as Minister of Health and Social Services and the Minister of Finance.

Mr. Speaker, we believe that with the infrastructure provided by these five projects, both new territories will be better positioned to deliver much needed health and social services to their citizens. Leasing arrangements for all projects will have to be approved by the Government of the Northwest Territories' Financial Management Board. For the four Nunavut facilities, the critically important final approval for entering into long-term operating leases prior to March 31, 1999 is totally dependent on acceptance by the Nunavut Interim Commissioner. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

--Applause