Employee Services, Operations Expenditure Summary: $11.663 million. Mr. Menicoche.
Debates of May 29th, 2008
This is page numbers 679 to 724 of the Hansard for the 16th Assembly, 2nd Session. The original version can be accessed on the Legislative Assembly's website or by contacting the Legislative Assembly Library. The word of the day was communities.
Topics
Main Estimates 2008–2009 Department Of Human Resources
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Committee Motion 9-16(2) To Examine Alternative And Cost-Effective Means To Provide Medical Travel Assistance And A Dental Program As A Benefit To GNWT Employees (Committee Motion Carried)
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Kevin A. Menicoche Nahendeh
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. Just with respect to this page and this line item, I’d like to move a motion.
I move that this committee recommend that the government look at alternative and more cost-efficient means to provide medical travel assistance and a dental program as a benefit to GNWT employees.
Committee Motion 9-16(2) To Examine Alternative And Cost-Effective Means To Provide Medical Travel Assistance And A Dental Program As A Benefit To GNWT Employees (Committee Motion Carried)
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
The Chair David Krutko
The motion is in order. The motion is being circulated. To the motion.Question has been called.
Motion carried.
Committee Motion 9-16(2) To Examine Alternative And Cost-Effective Means To Provide Medical Travel Assistance And A Dental Program As A Benefit To GNWT Employees (Committee Motion Carried)
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
The Chair David Krutko
Just for the public record, we don’t allow abstentions in the vote in Committee of the Whole unless it’s a recorded vote. Mr. Abernethy.
Committee Motion 9-16(2) To Examine Alternative And Cost-Effective Means To Provide Medical Travel Assistance And A Dental Program As A Benefit To GNWT Employees (Committee Motion Carried)
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Glen Abernethy Great Slave
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Given that we’re talking about medical travel, I do have a question. I understand when it comes to medical travel the GNWT basically covers the majority of the cost for approved staff. When it comes to medevac I understand that Green Shield will reimburse a percentage of those costs. But the problem is, because the GNWT pays for the costs up front because they’re far too high for the staff to pay, we tend to actually recoup some of those dollars back from Green Shield because Green Shield will only reimburse employees. This means there’s potentially a large amount of money we’re paying out per medevac, which theoretically we should be able to get back from Green Shield, but we can’t.
Is the department doing anything to find a way to collect these dollars back from Green Shield or to change our process so we don’t spend out these huge amounts of money and not get them back?
Committee Motion 9-16(2) To Examine Alternative And Cost-Effective Means To Provide Medical Travel Assistance And A Dental Program As A Benefit To GNWT Employees (Committee Motion Carried)
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Committee Motion 9-16(2) To Examine Alternative And Cost-Effective Means To Provide Medical Travel Assistance And A Dental Program As A Benefit To GNWT Employees (Committee Motion Carried)
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Bob McLeod Yellowknife South
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I’d like to have the acting deputy minister respond to this question.
Committee Motion 9-16(2) To Examine Alternative And Cost-Effective Means To Provide Medical Travel Assistance And A Dental Program As A Benefit To GNWT Employees (Committee Motion Carried)
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Committee Motion 9-16(2) To Examine Alternative And Cost-Effective Means To Provide Medical Travel Assistance And A Dental Program As A Benefit To GNWT Employees (Committee Motion Carried)
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Alexander
Thank you, Mr. Chair. How it works is employees who choose to participate in the Public Service Health Care Plan do have extended health benefits as well as a medical travel benefit. It’s referred to in the plan as air ambulance.
Employees who are covered can get back the cost of air ambulance if they incur it.
We did run into a problem recently where the Public Service Health Care Plan changed their rules so that, rather than allowing us to be in a situation where we could have employees assign the benefit directly back to us, we were in a situation where employees would have to incur their medevac costs initially up front and then have to claim back.
We had fairly extensive discussions with Sun Life of Canada. We reached an agreement in January so in situations where employees who are covered and are medevaced can assign that benefit directly to the Department of Human Resources. So we are recouping those costs now. They’ve agreed as well for the last year that anywhere we have the employees sign off the assignment of benefits, we can recoup those ones as well. So going forward, as long as the employees are covered, we can get that back.
Committee Motion 9-16(2) To Examine Alternative And Cost-Effective Means To Provide Medical Travel Assistance And A Dental Program As A Benefit To GNWT Employees (Committee Motion Carried)
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Glen Abernethy Great Slave
Thanks, Mr. Chair. That’s really good news. I’m glad to hear that that’s happened.
At the same time, we also see the budget for medical travel going up. With these changes, did they offer us an opportunity to save some money on our medical travel? And as a result, do we need to go with an increase in medical travel as high as we have?
Committee Motion 9-16(2) To Examine Alternative And Cost-Effective Means To Provide Medical Travel Assistance And A Dental Program As A Benefit To GNWT Employees (Committee Motion Carried)
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Bob McLeod Yellowknife South
We don’t think it afforded us any opportunities to save money. I think the changes in costs were probably minimal.
We have been doing some work as a department to try to find ways to reduce our medical travel costs. One of the ways we been able to do that is by contracting with a specific airline and also getting a Stanton medical doctor to review claims or referrals for medical travel.
Committee Motion 9-16(2) To Examine Alternative And Cost-Effective Means To Provide Medical Travel Assistance And A Dental Program As A Benefit To GNWT Employees (Committee Motion Carried)
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Committee Motion 10-16(2) To Defer Further Consideration Of Program For Department Of Human Resources (Ruled Out Of Order)
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Committee Motion 10-16(2) To Defer Further Consideration Of Program For Department Of Human Resources (Ruled Out Of Order)
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Committee Motion 10-16(2) To Defer Further Consideration Of Program For Department Of Human Resources (Ruled Out Of Order)
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Glen Abernethy Great Slave
Thanks, Mr. Chair. I move that this committee defer further consideration of the program summary for the Department of Human Resources at this time.
Committee Motion 10-16(2) To Defer Further Consideration Of Program For Department Of Human Resources (Ruled Out Of Order)
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
The Chair David Krutko
The motion is not in order. At this time I have to rule the motion out of order.
We are on under Employee Services, Active Summary. The motion talks about program summary, which is basically an item we haven’t got to yet. So when we get there, you can.
So again, Employee Services, Operations Expenditure Summary: $11.663 million. Agreed?
Department of Human Resources, Activity
Summary, Employee Services, Operations Expenditure Summary: $11.663 million, approved.
Committee Motion 10-16(2) To Defer Further Consideration Of Program For Department Of Human Resources (Ruled Out Of Order)
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
The Chair David Krutko
Information item,
Employee Services, Program Delivery. Agreed?
Department of Human Resources, Activity
Summary, Employee Services, Program Delivery, information item, approved.
Committee Motion 10-16(2) To Defer Further Consideration Of Program For Department Of Human Resources (Ruled Out Of Order)
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Committee Motion 10-16(2) To Defer Further Consideration Of Program For Department Of Human Resources (Ruled Out Of Order)
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Wendy Bisaro Frame Lake
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I’m curious. On the listing of positions for Employee Services, it lists employees in Yellowknife headquarters and in Fort Smith. I’ve wondered why there are no employee services provided in the other regional centres.
Committee Motion 10-16(2) To Defer Further Consideration Of Program For Department Of Human Resources (Ruled Out Of Order)
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Committee Motion 10-16(2) To Defer Further Consideration Of Program For Department Of Human Resources (Ruled Out Of Order)
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Bob McLeod Yellowknife South
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Some of the employee services are in Yellowknife. Unfortunately, the ones in Yellowknife are dealing with payroll and with the increases to the help desk. I’d like to ask Ms. Alexander to expound further on the question.
Committee Motion 10-16(2) To Defer Further Consideration Of Program For Department Of Human Resources (Ruled Out Of Order)
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Committee Motion 10-16(2) To Defer Further Consideration Of Program For Department Of Human Resources (Ruled Out Of Order)
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Alexander
: Thank you, Mr. Chair. In Fort Smith we have two of our help desk positions that are part of the Employee Services division. As well, we have one benefits leave administrator position. That position could actually be located in any of our service centres. When we went out to competition recently on it, the successful candidate was located in Fort Smith, and therefore we moved the position to Fort Smith. If the successful candidate had been located in one of our other service centre areas, we would have moved the position to another regional service centre.
Committee Motion 10-16(2) To Defer Further Consideration Of Program For Department Of Human Resources (Ruled Out Of Order)
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Wendy Bisaro Frame Lake
I guess I’d just like to clarify then. In the answer, I heard that benefits leave administration is only done by one person, I think. So that’s why we have people in Fort Smith. If I could get that confirmed, or if benefits leave administration is available at all regional centres.
Committee Motion 10-16(2) To Defer Further Consideration Of Program For Department Of Human Resources (Ruled Out Of Order)
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Bob McLeod Yellowknife South
There is benefits leave administration done in all regional centres, although payroll is predominantly centralized and done out of Yellowknife.