Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The consultation took place with the standing committees last year and in the spring. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister Ootes. Final supplementary, Mr. Dent.

Mr. Speaker, there was certainly no evidence there and I can say that the standing committee of which I am a Member did not support the change that the Minister has instituted. Will this Minister produce numbers that demonstrate how many students have been affected by this change and what the cost would be to grandfather them?

Thank you, Mr. Dent. The honourable Minister responsible for Education, Mr. Ootes, one of the two questions.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We will provide that information to the standing committee. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister Ootes. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Hay River North, Mr. Delorey.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, a few times last week I brought up the subject of safety on our highways and I asked a couple of questions on ambulance service and who was responsible for providing that service. My questions were taken as notice twice, and the Premier promised that he would get back to me on Monday as to who the lead department is in this area. I was wondering if I could...I would like to address this question further and formulate some questions to a department, but I am still unsure as to whom I should be directing my question to. Could the Premier inform me of that? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Delorey. The honourable Premier, Mr. Kakfwi.

Mr. Speaker, I believe the Minister responsible for Health and Social Services deals with ambulance services to residents of the Northwest Territories.

Thank you, Mr. Premier. Supplementary, Mr. Delorey.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Does the department have a plan, or do we know what the exact boundaries are out on our highways, as to which communities are going to be responding to an ambulance? Do we have an exact boundary as to what area Hay River will respond to, what area Yellowknife will respond to, or is there a grey area out there? If somebody is in an accident, who do we get a hold of? Is there a plan in place, Mr. Speaker?

Thank you, Mr. Delorey. The question will be directed to the Premier. Mr. Premier.

Mr. Speaker, the question will be answered by the Minister responsible for Health and Social Services, Jane Groenewegen. Thank you.

Thank you. The Premier is redirecting the question to the honourable Minister responsible for Health and Social Services, Madam Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, ambulance services across the Northwest Territories are delivered in a number of different ways. I can say that there is a considerable amount of consistency on how they are delivered and how they are paid for, because there is no legislation that governs ambulance services. The Cities, Towns and Villages Act allows municipalities to pass bylaws concerning ambulance services but there is no specific legislation governing them. I can say that the department will be working with the Departments of Municipal and Community Affairs and Transportation to clarify the mandate and responsibility and to establish parameters for the development of ambulance services. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Minister. Supplementary, Mr. Delorey.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am a little nervous if I am hearing that we do not have a plan, if we do not know who is going to be responding to emergencies on the highway. That gives me some reasons for concern. I am wondering if the department is working with communities to make sure that we get a plan and we get a plan in place quickly. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Delorey. The honourable Minister responsible for Health and Social Services, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as I indicated, our department will be working with MACA and Transportation to clarify mandates and responsibilities for ambulance services. Right now, some of the contracts and some of the services are provided by municipalities. In some instances, it is a contract that is awarded by a health board in a certain region and we are attempting to work with those other departments to clarify this mandate. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Minister. Final supplementary, Mr. Delorey.

Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. One of the complaints that I am getting, Mr. Speaker, from some of the people who are providing ambulance service is the fact that the number that is being provided in some areas is the RCMP, to contact the RCMP. When the RCMP receive a call, they ask for very little information as to where the accident is, how many people are involved, how bad the injuries are, and this is vital information to the ambulance services. I am wondering if there is anything being done to improve the communication to make sure that ambulance services are getting the proper information. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Delorey. The honourable Minister responsible for Health, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in addition to addressing the issue of standardization of ambulance services in the Northwest Territories, I will ask my department to also discuss with the regions how we could standardize a protocol for how calls are received and how these services are delivered. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Minister. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.