Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In the other communities which do have resident physicians, the negotiations for the transfer from a fee for service payment plan to a contract salary have been completed. However, we are experiencing difficulties with shortfalls. I know Hay River, for example, is also very actively attempting to recruit physicians for that community. What we want to do is equalize as much as we can the method by which physicians are paid, and this will avoid a competition between the various communities who have resident physicians to try and recruit from within the pool we have. We need to bring physicians in from outside.
It would be correct to say that we are experiencing a shortage in other communities as well, but hopefully this contract that is being negotiated now will serve as the tool that will cause southern physicians to look at northern communities including Yellowknife. Thank you.