Thank you, Mr. Braden. Mr. Krutko.

Mr. Speaker, we do have a vibrant economy. We have different segments of the economy. We have to realize the segments in the mining economy. We have employee representatives who represent people in the different segments. Again, those appointments are based on applications that I receive. I review the application to make sure they fit the criteria that is mentioned and make the appointment. That is the process that is out there. Again, I would just like to make it clear; the legislation is clear, the Minister makes the appointment.

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Final supplementary, Mr. Braden.

The Minister makes the appointment and there has to be accountability at that level, but I have to come back to the expectation of the prime stakeholders. They have been ignored. What is the Minister going to say to a worker who goes to file an appeal and that worker does not see someone who he has the faith and the trust in there that will represent his interests? What is the Minister going to say to that worker?

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, that is exactly the reason that we have a board appointed; to have a balance so that we have people representing the different interest groups, but also ensuring that those people bring with their experience a fair appeals decision that you know, at the end of the day, those people will make good decisions and that we won't have decisions disputed. Again, those people who have been appointed, I have faith in them to allow their name to stand for appointment to this board. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are for the Minister of Health and Social Services. I am just curious, Mr. Speaker, about our arrangement with Alberta; I believe it is the Capital Health Authority. What type of reciprocal arrangement do we have? Thank you very much.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we have a long-term contract with Capital Health Authority that is negotiated. It is for services that we don't provide in the Northwest Territories. It covers a range of services. Referrals are done from the regions and the authorities through Stanton and then to the South, if it's determined that the services provided there are necessary and can be provided in the Northwest Territories. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Supplementary, Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I'm bringing this up because of some of my constituents in Fort Liard. The arrangement we have is they actually travel by taxi to Fort Simpson then fly over to Yellowknife for treatment. Then if there are special needs, they are flown down to Edmonton. It makes sense to them if they could get their treatment or initial visits done in Fort

Nelson, which is in B.C. Mr. Speaker, my question is do we have such an arrangement with the Province of British Columbia?

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, our main arrangement is with the Capital Health Authority in Edmonton. There may be occasion where there is use of B.C. services, but the key for us is that we have Stanton, which is staffed with a number of doctors and specialists and it's the primary facility for tertiary care in the Northwest Territories. Clearly it makes only good sense to us that we use our own northern services that we're paying for first, before we send people south. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Supplementary, Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I understand the Minister's comment about it making sense, but it also makes sense to go get your treatment or initial visit at a community that is a two-hour drive away, rather than going the round about way of taking a taxi, driving to Fort Simpson, then flying to Yellowknife. Actually what you're doing is just getting an initial visit to set up the real visit two months later. So can we not get this type of checkup or service done in, say, Fort Nelson, which is the closest community to Fort Liard that offers these services, Mr. Speaker? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the Member's concern and what I'll commit to do is I'll talk to the department and we'll get in touch with the Deh Cho Health Authority and I'll just make sure I'm very conversant on the detailed arrangements they do have. But I can tell you, we've had this concern raised in other jurisdictions that are close to northern Alberta. The key for us is if we're not going to invest in our northern resources, then it makes it even more expensive to run them. We've had circumstances in the past where there was considerable flying over to Stanton, to the point where we were paying for over 1,000 bed-nights in the Capital Health Authority when the service could have been provided at Stanton. So keeping those considerations in mind, I'll follow up on that issue. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Final supplementary, Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the Minister's commitment. I think that's all the residents of Fort Liard are looking for, is that if it's just going to be a quick visit, why am I going to Yellowknife when I can just go to Fort Nelson and be back home the same day? If I can get the Minister's commitment to at least get his officials to look at that and see the sense of it all. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. He has my commitment.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today my questions are for the Minister of Justice and I would like to talk about the alleged $400,000 net savings by the closure of the six-bed remand unit in the Hay River South Mackenzie Correctional Centre. Mr. Speaker, the Minister has indicated in communications that this savings will be realized in this budget year, in this fiscal year coming up, and yet the representations to MLAs and to others is that these savings will be realized by attrition; and also that the employees will be integrated into the general workforce. I'd like to ask him what exactly that means. Thank you.