Total department, special warrants, $577,000. Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have a couple of questions regarding the Frame Lake Family Physicians clinic that originally was scheduled to cost $300,000 and now it has doubled and it's looking like it's going to cost three-quarters of $1 million, and that's just for leasehold improvements or tenant improvements in the location that they are in at Stanton Plaza, or not Stanton Plaza, I forget the name of the building, it's the Rick's Holdings building by the SAAN store here in Yellowknife. Why does it cost three-quarters of $1 million for tenant improvements in a building when they don't even own the building and what are they getting for three-quarters of $1 million in terms of tenant improvements? Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Mr. Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, the project had increased and it expanded for that facility, which was to increase the client space from 1,500 square feet to 4,300 square feet. As well, there's a construction of a mezzanine that will increase useable floor space by approximately another 2,300 square feet for total space of 6,500 square feet and that's primarily the reason why the cost has increased. The Minister of Health and Social Services may have further detail on that. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Minister Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, there is a plan that sees Frame Lake clinic getting upgraded to provide better service to have more exam rooms, to be able to do things clinics can do as well. We're working on a consolidation in the downtown area to integrate the clinic capacity in the downtown core that is going to see, once again, more effective use of the staff and more exam rooms and capacity to provide services that are currently provided at Stanton that should be provided in clinics. So those combined are part of the plan to shorten wait times, improve access to doctors, to allow the staff to have

enough exam rooms to in fact do the job without waiting, and to basically be able to provide a better service and shorten the wait lists. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Just one other question. I have some more questions regarding the medical clinics in Yellowknife, and perhaps I can ask the Minister that at another time as it is not appropriate right now. But one of the questions that does pertain to this is the fund that is coming over from I think it says it's going to be offset by $400,000 from the Yellowknife health authority. Where are they getting that money for the renovations because, if I'm not mistaken, the renovations at Great Slave Medical House came from some federal funding that they got? Is this some money that they just have sitting around, or is it money we've given them and they are just giving it back to us? How does that work? Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Mr. Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, the $400,000 will be contributed by the health authority. It comes out of a surplus that they have in their budget, and our retention policy with surplus is that the health board gets to keep 50 percent of it and the rest gets returned to us. So out of their surplus they are going to pay for the extra portion. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Mr. Ramsay. Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. The additional funding required to complete the project is something perhaps the Minister could help me understand. Was that anticipated or was it because -- I noted he had additional extra costs to the Frame Lake Family Physicians clinic in Yellowknife -- they wanted additional space, or what justifies an increase of $400,000 to the family clinic, Mr. Chair? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, the project that initially got started on was identified for the $350,000. As the project was proceeding, the Yellowknife Health and Social Services Authority wanted to further increase the space that they were working on and made the arrangements with the department to put more money into it. So this is the way we are recording it, is under their initiative it was to further increase the size of the project, the floor space, the offices, at their request, and they're in agreement that they would put the $400,000 into it. But we do have to account for the total increased costs of that project and this is the way we've done it. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I guess that's where you get into the smaller regions versus Yellowknife. Lots of money is going into essentially what our regions are asking for: clinics or additional housing for physicians or staff professionals to get into a region and you put this kind of money into here and that's what the perceptions out in the community is being viewed as. So I guess they look at the government's priorities in terms of its spending and hope it will change in the future. This is something that I'm not quite comfortable with in terms of the explanation. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Mahsi, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, the department has been working on redoing how it uses its space within this city. There were a number of clinics that were private that were taken into the Department of Health and Social Services so that they could better coordinate and use the services of the doctors in a more efficient manner. That started the work that is going on and since then, as well, trying to increase the amount of space available so more patients can be seen.

Working with the department and Yellowknife Health and Social Services they came up with this arrangement and the department agreed with that process, brought it forward, we accepted what they brought forward and work is proceeding. Minister Miltenberger has more detail on the work that has been done to date. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister Roland. Minister Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I just want to provide a bit more information for the Member for Sahtu. We recognize that this is a system that covers the whole territory and we have to pay attention to the whole territory as best we can.

In the Sahtu we have invested, over the last few years, several millions of dollars trying to set up a Sahtu authority with the administration and office space and office capacity for the services. We have budgeted two doctors, we are putting in a public health unit, we are going to be for the next few years subsequently following, hopefully, setting up rehabilitation teams that are going to be able to travel into the region. We have also been looking down the road for midwifery and those types of things to move out. We are under active discussion with the Member on the use of the Deline facility, so we are trying to be very aware of the need to look at all parts of the Northwest Territories.

Yellowknife has some very pressing issues. A lot of them are based on inefficiency and lack of proper space to be able to provide a service that is important to the people. This particular renovation is going to help do that, along with the other work that we are doing with the downtown clinics and subsequent as well the renovations to Stanton, which are all going to provide a better service for everybody in the end result. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister Miltenberger. Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you. Just a brief comment here. I appreciate the Minister's efforts to improve the Sahtu health authority and the plans to upgrade the health system in our region. I know that Yellowknife does need some support and I guess you are looking at the amount of dollars, the millions of dollars spent in the Sahtu and the other regions, such as Yellowknife here, and there is

no comparison. The amount of money spent here are millions, compared to the Sahtu. I hope that there is some effort to look at that in the Sahtu.

I understand that there is a budget for two doctors in the Sahtu, but they have not been able to get them because of the housing issue. It's fine to have a budget, but then there is no place for them live. So what are we doing to ensure that some of these things get some attention in laying the foundation for some of these health services in the region?

Mr. Chairman, that is more of a comment. If the Minister wants to respond, it's up to him. Thank you.

Mahsi, Mr. Yakeleya. Minister Roland.