Mr. Chairman, I will have Mr. Voytilla explain the reason for the transfer.
Debates of Oct. 8th, 2003
This is page numbers 1299 - 1354 of the Hansard for the 14th Assembly, 6th Session. The original version can be accessed on the Legislative Assembly's website or by contacting the Legislative Assembly Library. The word of the day was chairman.
Topics
Bill 32, Supplementary Appropriation Act, No. 2, 2002-2003
Revert To Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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Bill 32, Supplementary Appropriation Act, No. 2, 2002-2003
Revert To Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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Bill 32, Supplementary Appropriation Act, No. 2, 2002-2003
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Voytilla
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Initially, all these projects were all included in the business plans and were reviewed through the normal process. For example, in the vital statistics information system, the total budget for the project was $150,000. As they worked through the project over the course of the year, they determined that there was an element that required the purchase of equipment. Because that equipment was $150,000 per unit, it was designated to be O and M, so we had to shift the money from capital to O and M. There was $35,000, for example, on the vital stats information system. There is still $150,000 in that system in capital where it belongs. So it's as we worked through the project, the project becomes more defined and if there is capital equipment required, it really depends on the price of that equipment, whether it's O and M or capital. So it's really hard to determine this right at the beginning of the year when we are doing business plans up.
Bill 32, Supplementary Appropriation Act, No. 2, 2002-2003
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Bill 32, Supplementary Appropriation Act, No. 2, 2002-2003
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Bill Braden Great Slave
Okay. With the time I have left, Mr. Chairman, I would like to go back to this vital statistics training project. How many people are we anticipating will be trained with this new equipment and this new process? Thank you.
Bill 32, Supplementary Appropriation Act, No. 2, 2002-2003
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Bill 32, Supplementary Appropriation Act, No. 2, 2002-2003
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Michael Miltenberger Thebacha
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, these training units will be used for all the upgrades that are going to be done by vital statistics, as well as we will be working with the health centres and hospitals, so there are health information systems, there's vital statistics, hospital schedules and we would be able to use these systems or these training needs to go to the various authorities to work with them on the training on the systems that have been upgraded and the changes that have been made. So immediately would be the Inuvik office with vital stats, but the intent is to be able to use this equipment for all the training required for the system upgrades.
Bill 32, Supplementary Appropriation Act, No. 2, 2002-2003
Revert To Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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Bill 32, Supplementary Appropriation Act, No. 2, 2002-2003
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Floyd Roland Inuvik Boot Lake
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, on the same line of questioning, can the Minister inform us as to where this training will take place and where will this equipment be put? Thank you.
Bill 32, Supplementary Appropriation Act, No. 2, 2002-2003
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Bill 32, Supplementary Appropriation Act, No. 2, 2002-2003
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Michael Miltenberger Thebacha
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, a lot of the initial training will take place up in the Inuvik office but the system will, as well, be used out in the other hospitals. Part of the money is to replace all the computers in the Inuvik office to upgrade from Windows 95 to 98, which is about 25 computers worth; about $150,000. The $25,000 is for the portable training unit and that will be based out of Inuvik and then moved to where it is needed for training.
Bill 32, Supplementary Appropriation Act, No. 2, 2002-2003
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Bill 32, Supplementary Appropriation Act, No. 2, 2002-2003
Revert To Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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Floyd Roland Inuvik Boot Lake
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The Minister stated they were going to upgrade computers from the Windows 95 platform to the 98. Why wouldn't we be going to XP or something like that that would be matching today's date? Are we not already going from an ancient to a prehistoric or something like that?
Bill 32, Supplementary Appropriation Act, No. 2, 2002-2003
Revert To Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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Bill 32, Supplementary Appropriation Act, No. 2, 2002-2003
Revert To Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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Michael Miltenberger Thebacha
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The intent is to upgrade from Windows 95 and 98 to territorial service centre standards, which I assume would be the latest and greatest.
Bill 32, Supplementary Appropriation Act, No. 2, 2002-2003
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The Chair David Krutko
Program delivery support, not previously authorized, $1.076. Health services programs, not previously authorized, $5.555 million. Mr. Delorey.
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Paul Delorey Hay River North
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I have some questions on the $2.567 million to provide funding for the additional costs associated with the settlement of the agreement with the specialists' positions. It seems like a huge amount of money and I know that this issue has been before in the House, especially in our last session, quite controversial. I guess I have some concerns in this area a lot because shortly after the positions got this huge increase, people in Hay River were being put on a waiting list because there were no surgeons available here in Yellowknife. I don't know if everybody went on holidays or what happened, but there was one surgeon available to service the whole of the Northwest Territories. There were people being put on a list that were sitting at home in pain because there were no surgeons available. Could I ask the Minister how many specialists received an increase out of this amount? Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Bill 32, Supplementary Appropriation Act, No. 2, 2002-2003
Revert To Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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Bill 32, Supplementary Appropriation Act, No. 2, 2002-2003
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Joe Handley Weledeh
Mr. Chairman, I believe it is 13 but if I am wrong I will ask the Minister of Health and Social Services, but I believe it is 13 specialists.
Bill 32, Supplementary Appropriation Act, No. 2, 2002-2003
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Bill 32, Supplementary Appropriation Act, No. 2, 2002-2003
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Bill 32, Supplementary Appropriation Act, No. 2, 2002-2003
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Bill 32, Supplementary Appropriation Act, No. 2, 2002-2003
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Paul Delorey Hay River North
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, so if there are only 13 specialists that received increases out of this amount, did everyone receive the same amount or what was the lowest amount that was received by a physician and what was the most?
Bill 32, Supplementary Appropriation Act, No. 2, 2002-2003
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Bill 32, Supplementary Appropriation Act, No. 2, 2002-2003
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Joe Handley Weledeh
Mr. Chairman, on average the increase was 38 percent, but with compensation the base pay increased by 8.16 percent to 21 percent over a two-year period depending on which pay band the physicians fell into. So there was a difference depending on pay bands. Thank you.