Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there has been a significant amount of work done on the alcohol and drug strategy. The strategy was done. There were 25 recommendations made and put forward. Through last year's business planning process we, for the current fiscal year, obtained funding to implement the first four. The upcoming business plan will have additional requests in there to move on the other remaining recommendations.
Mr. Speaker, the immediate focus put forward that was identified in the strategies and the reports done on the alcohol and drug service currently available was the need to address the issue of the current staff in the communities, the alcohol and drug services, that have been underpaid and basically neglected or overlooked in that part of the overall system for many years, working at very, very low wages. We are working to reclassify their jobs. We are going to bring them under the board so they can get paid benefits. We are going to increase their pay based on their experience and qualifications. We are going to develop a training program that will be on-going so that all alcohol and drug workers will soon be called community prevention workers. We will have those training requirements met.
So, Mr. Speaker, we are doing that as well as looking at hiring some more mental health workers and some clinical supervisors. The upcoming year's business plan will in fact reflect the rest of the recommendations. Thank you.