Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to go back to item 6, oral questions.

The honourable Member is seeking unanimous consent to return to item 6, oral questions. Are there any nays? There are no nays. We shall return to item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Yellowknife South, Mr. Bell.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question today is for the Minister of Health. I have a number of questions about the sustainability of our healthcare system. Mr. Speaker, a recent scan of job boards indicates at the beginning of June something like 39 vacancies for positions such as RNs, doctors and other healthcare professionals. Many of my constituents are concerned about whether or not we are making any progress in recruitment and retention. We know we have to be competitive in order to attract and keep these folks. Are we doing better today than we were a year ago? Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I believe we are doing better for a number of reasons. There are still problems to be sure. We have added $8.3 million to the system for new doctors, three specialists, 10 GPs and a great number of nurses, midwives and nurse practitioners. We are also starting to see graduating classes come out of the Aurora College nursing program. We are still competing down south for the doctors and specialists, which is a very competitive market, but we are putting the pieces in place as a system and we are starting to see the fruits of that, especially with the nursing side. We also have work done with social workers and we are also in a very competitive market with other allied health professionals. So, Mr. Speaker, we've been working to try to address those issues.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Supplementary, Mr. Bell.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Another concern about the sustainability of our healthcare system from my meeting last night is there was a specialist in attendance who indicated that a number of GPs who do turns at obstetrics had expressed their dissatisfaction with the contingency plans that they had seen to date and, specifically, I know one of the concerns was the lack of a pediatrician on locum. I heard the Minister indicate he has made arrangements in that regard. I wonder if he has had feedback from the GPs as to whether or not they feel that satisfactory arrangements are now being moved forward. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there have been meetings with the CEO at Stanton on this issue, with the GPs and medical directors to go over the issue of obstetric services. The issue of pediatrics being signed is very, very recent. It happened sometime around lunchtime. So that information will be communicated to the GPs. It was an issue of concern to them, so we think we have addressed with that coverage that particular key gap. We now have obstetrics coverage, as well as pediatrics and anesthesiology. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Supplementary, Mr. Bell.

Thank you. Of course, I don't know all the areas that would require coverage and would make or break areas at the hospital, but I know a number of my constituents are concerned about - and have been hearing rumours - the possibility of ward closures if we aren't able to resign these positions quickly. Can the Minister indicate or give us a status report on whether or not there are any anticipated ward closures? Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in the event that there is a mass resignation of specialists on July 1st we have the locum coverage on a contingency basis, but it does mean, in some cases, emergency services will have the first consideration and the elective matters will be deferred. I am not aware of any plans that are not already on the books for ward closures. For example, there is a traditional closure for a couple of weeks in August of the surgery ward. That is there, but it is planned for. So not at this time, Mr. Speaker. We have the resources to keep open the intensive care unit and the other services. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister Miltenberger. Your final supplementary, Mr. Bell.

Another of my constituents was very concerned in the event that she or anyone in her family need to be shipped to Edmonton. She had heard -- and I don't know whether it was through an official source or not -- that there were concerns in Edmonton about patient load and that things were already very taxed in Edmonton, and was concerned that Edmonton might not be able to take patients from the Northwest Territories because of their workload. Is that the case, Mr. Speaker? Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, arrangements have been made with Capital Health Authority to take whatever patients we may be required to send their way. We are also still in the process, for the convenience of residents of the South Slave and the Deh Cho and Nahendeh constituencies, of possible arrangements as well with High Level and Grande Prairie, should that be required. So to reassure my colleague, the Capital Health Authority has indicated to us, especially on the obstetrics side, that they would be able to assist us in our time of need should it be required. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister Miltenberger. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Nitah.

Thank you, Mr. Nitah. The honourable Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs, Minister Steen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the department is aware of the situation and they were not expecting as much consumption. In particular there has been a lot of aircraft traffic into the community that has been using that type of fuel. It has put a strain on the capacity that was in the community for the year. The department did not fill the tanks to full capacity because in the past it never had to do that. They never had that much consumption. So the department is aware of the situation and right now we are evaluating the best way to bring the fuel in, whether we have to fly it in. We are also working with NTCL to see if we can get them to come in a little bit earlier. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister Steen. Supplementary, Mr. Nitah.

Thank you, Mr. Nitah. The honourable Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs, Minister Steen.