Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am pleased to introduce Bill 12, Public Health Act. This bill will replace the out-of-date 1950's act and represents the culmination of several years of work by the Department of Health and Social Services.

In developing this bill, the department identified the following goals:

• • to ensure the chief public health officer has the independence to make decisions and act to protect the public's health, while having an adequate organizational support structure;
• • to provide updated and appropriate remedies and powers so that the chief public health officer can protect the public's health;
• • to ensure that public health emergency functions are appropriately linked to territorial emergency
• •
• • authorities and provincial and national public health authorities;
• • to support health promotion; and
• • to repeal the Disease Registries Act and incorporate its reporting and surveillance functions for communicable diseases and health conditions into the new Public Health Act.

The bill is based on standard modern public health legislation, taking into consideration other jurisdictions' most recent experiences with public health risks and adapted to suit the uniqueness of the NWT.

Under the bill, the chief public health officer directs a team of public health officials in the Department of Health and Social Services, as well as public health officials in each of the regional health and social service authorities. This ensures the public health office will have the administrative support it needs and that public health officials have sufficient latitude to act to protect public health.

The chief public health officer will have the appropriate and necessary powers to respond to common health hazards, dangerous communicable diseases and other health conditions and public health emergencies. The chief public health officer will also be able to monitor general public health, by tracking incident rates of such conditions as cancer.

The bill includes a section on drinking water sources and water supply systems, covering approvals, standards and requirements, protocols in case of health hazards and broad regulation-making powers.

That concludes my opening remarks and I'd be pleased to answer questions the Members may have. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.