Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to give the community of Aklavik some assurances that this government is moving on this stuff. Does the Minister have any idea of deadlines? When can we actually physically see someone standing on the ground in Aklavik providing a public service as an alcohol and drug program, or basically a public nurse position? I'd like to ask the Minister how soon can these people be physically in Aklavik carrying out their responsibilities?

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. The honourable Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we're going to work with the Inuvik Health and Social Services Authority to look at using the funds that are currently in the Inuvik budget for the alcohol and drug program in Aklavik, to get some support staff from Inuvik into Aklavik on a more regular basis. Then within a couple or three months, we're going to have it reclassified and staffed so that there will be a person on the ground, hopefully by the end of summer.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Range Lake, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have a question for the Minister of Health and Social Services. Mr. Speaker, we've been getting lots of information from constituents in terms of the impact the services that we provide will have on the people should there be no negotiation and the specialists' resignations come to reality. Mr. Speaker, one of the concerns is the availability of medevac planes. I hope the Minister has this information because, from my information, he's been cc'd with this communication. My understanding is that there are two, possibly three planes available for medevacs in the Northwest Territories. We know, unless there are locums in place, we're not going to be able to facilitate all of our medevac requirements. What is the Minister doing to prepare for that? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The honourable Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Member refers to correspondence that I have not seen, from my memory. But I can tell the Member, as I've told the House, that we do have locum coverage planned. We do have arrangements with the Health Authority. Should there be a requirement for extra flights, then we will make arrangements to have Alberta or other plane outfits provide that service. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Supplementary, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. If anything, the Minister is known for doing his homework. But it seems that the only correspondence he doesn't read are the ones that I'm asking questions about. Mr. Speaker, we are hearing now that not only are we going to use Alberta and BC hospitals, but we're going to use Alberta and BC, or wherever, planes. Mr. Speaker, he would also have on his desk an e-mail from somebody who says that her uncle would not have died had he been medevaced to Yellowknife instead of Edmonton, and her family is from Fort Smith. Would he look at that e-mail and give me the answer as to what I should tell her? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. The honourable Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Member is making a number of assumptions; assumptions that there are going to be no locums, assumptions that there's going to be some terrible visitation that's going to require a fleet of medevac planes to deal with a situation that may or may not occur at some point in the future if all these other assumptions in fact bear out. I'm dealing with the reality that we do have locums, we do have a contract with a viable plane company, a flight company. In regard to the e-mail that she makes reference to, Mr. Speaker, I check my e-mail every day, but if the Member would share a copy of that with me to refresh my memory, I'll look at it. I've been reading e-mails in a fairly steady stream over the last few days, just paying attention to what's happening. But the Member makes a very specific reference to an e-mail and I don't want to discuss it in the House, but I'd be happy to look at it.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Supplementary, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Minister said I'm making assumptions, but I'd like to call that research and I'm not going to apologize for inquiring and finding out and reading all the e-mails that I get. Mr. Speaker, I'd be happy to give him a copy of these two e-mails that I'm talking about, and I'd like the Minister to provide the information as to what measures he's taking. What is the availability of medevac planes? What is the cost of it? What will be the alternative if those medevac planes are not available and what will the cost be? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. The honourable Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I will look at the e-mails and I will respond to the Member. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Your final supplementary, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Another question on the same e-mail, if he goes to read it, is that each medevac would cost $10,000 to $12,000. Would the Minister give me information as to what the going rate of a medevac is each time it is flown from each community in the Northwest Territories, whether it's flown from Yellowknife or Inuvik or Tuk?

Thank you for the question. The honourable Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would be happy to provide the Member with a range of costs for a medevac from different communities in the North. Thank you.

Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The honourable Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we've committed, during the last session and prior to that, to do a comprehensive review of the supplementary health programs. Part of what we agreed to was the review of the co-payment issue. We've agreed to, temporarily on an interim basis, separate out and try to address it on an interim basis. I indicated to Mr. Delorey in the House, I believe it was last Wednesday, that we would have something on the table for the Members in the next day or so. It's an issue that's just being reviewed right now by Cabinet. So we will have what we think is a good interim step to the Members in the next day or so. Thank you.

Thank you. Supplementary, Mrs. Groenewegen.