Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Just one quick follow-up. The Minister indicated that if required in small communities that they'll find outside resources. Let's

assume that something happens. I'll take Sachs Harbour as an example. When you don't have the social worker in place there and then something happens there and you have to go out, how soon can outside resources be able to go to the community, if it's an emergency, to apprehend these children? How soon can that happen? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Pokiak. Mr. Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, depending on the level of severity that a call is made or the seriousness of an incident, we can be mobilized out of -- using the Sachs Harbour scenario -- out of the Beaufort-Delta Health and Social Services Authority can be mobilized as soon as a plane and staff are ready to be sent up to intervene. So it can happen on fairly quick notice, but ultimately there is one where there is a delay because having to mobilize in one community and travel into Sachs Harbour, and weather permitting, of course, can play another role, as we know, in our isolated communities. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Mr. Pokiak.

Can the Minister indicate what's the term of severity in terms of...I guess severity means it has to be a pretty bad situation. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Pokiak. Mr. Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. If child protection is called into question, we would do our normal thing. We'd work with the available authorities in the community to help do some assessment. If it's felt that we needed to step in immediately, we would work with either agencies or other family members that we may be dealing with to provide immediate safety, and then have a worker be involved through, as I stated earlier, travelling into the community. So again it's, not being a social worker myself, it will be on a case-by-case scenario as to what's happening in a community or in that family environment. If arrangements can be made with other family members, for example, in that community, that would allow for a day or two extra to be taken, or if it was a very serious incident that we would have to mobilize on a sooner basis. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Thank you, committee. We are on page 6-37, activity summary, community health programs, grants and contributions, contributions which is continued on to page 6-38, community health programs, grants and contributions, continued, for a total of $52.562 million.

Mr. Pokiak.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I just have a quick question in regard to the Respite Program. It's identified under this section here. I understand that respite goes to the health and social services authorities. There's a case in Ulukhaktok where there's an elderly person that doesn't want to leave the community and right now is being watched by family members, and that client is having a very hard time to go in there and watch the elderly person. So they've asked, on occasion, to help find money for respite. I'm just wondering how does that work, Mr. Chairman, in terms of how can this individual get money once the money is run out in terms of assistance for the elderly? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Pokiak. Mr. Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, for detail on the program, I'll have Mr. Parker provide that. I'm aware that there has been work in that area of respite care, trying to enhance that level of service for smaller communities. But for the specific detail, I'll have Mr. Parker provide detail.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Mr. Parker.

Thank you, Mr. Parker. Mr. Pokiak.

Thank you. I'd just like to ask the Minister, especially in terms of Ulukhaktok, the elderly, the person there. Like I said earlier, this guy is really played out now. He was looking for assistance before. I'd like to say that the local hospital does a lot to help this family. During the day they can pretty well take care of the elderly person, but during the night the home care workers can't go there and watch all the time. So I'm just wondering, if the Minister is requested for funding availability for the family, can they find that through the region, or can they do it as emergency service? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Pokiak. Mr. Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, the authority would be the contact level and the funding would flow through the authority, and however they try to structure that, that respite would be worked through the authority. If the authority found itself being swamped and not having enough revenues to cover all the bases, would then deal with us as a department. As I had stated earlier to Mr. Braden, we're working with a number of authorities in the area of trying to come up with a solution to difficulties around funding for authorities. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Mr. Pokiak. Thank you, Mr. Pokiak. Next I've got Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I want to ask the Minister again in terms of housing the elderly people in our region. As you know, we have some elderly people in the Aven Manor that needs 24-hour/seven-days-a-week care, however, some of these elders could be repatriated back to the Sahtu region under maybe a less 24/7 care. But they're pretty well independent. I want to ask the Minister in terms of the Sahtu looking at a regional long-term care facility. I know it's different levels and I know at one level it's pretty

expensive versus another level that's minimum. So could we ask the Minister if he would work with our Health department in the Sahtu, the Sahtu Health Board, to look at some plans in terms of putting in a long-term care facility in our region? Thank you.

Mahsi, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, we, as the Department of Health and Social Services, are working with health authorities across the territory in some of the planning targets and evaluation of the services that we can provide. In fact, we are working with the Sahtu on a plan not specific just for seniors, but just for the level of service that is provided. Ultimately it will come down to the fact that can we get the additional revenue to increase or enhance the level of services that we're able to provide today. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Mr. Yakeleya.