I believe so.
Debates of Oct. 15th, 2008
This is page numbers 1655 to 1688 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 summary.
Topics
Committee Motion 79-16(2) Deferral Of Consideration Of Asset Management Activity In Public Works And Services Capital Estimates (Td 93-16(2)) (Committee Motion Carried)
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Committee Motion 79-16(2) Deferral Of Consideration Of Asset Management Activity In Public Works And Services Capital Estimates (Td 93-16(2)) (Committee Motion Carried)
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Jane Groenewegen Hay River South
I think I heard the Minister say, “I believe so.” Was that the answer? I couldn’t hear it; it was very quiet.
Committee Motion 79-16(2) Deferral Of Consideration Of Asset Management Activity In Public Works And Services Capital Estimates (Td 93-16(2)) (Committee Motion Carried)
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Sandy Lee Range Lake
My understanding is that it’s for the lease improvements of 1,800 square metres that the clinic is looking for, to renovate, but I could defer to Mr. Aumond to see if that information is correct.
Committee Motion 79-16(2) Deferral Of Consideration Of Asset Management Activity In Public Works And Services Capital Estimates (Td 93-16(2)) (Committee Motion Carried)
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Committee Motion 79-16(2) Deferral Of Consideration Of Asset Management Activity In Public Works And Services Capital Estimates (Td 93-16(2)) (Committee Motion Carried)
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Aumond
Thank you, Mr. Chair. The dollars in question are for tenant improvements to fix up the
consolidated clinic and also to provide some equipment, I believe.
Committee Motion 79-16(2) Deferral Of Consideration Of Asset Management Activity In Public Works And Services Capital Estimates (Td 93-16(2)) (Committee Motion Carried)
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Committee Motion 79-16(2) Deferral Of Consideration Of Asset Management Activity In Public Works And Services Capital Estimates (Td 93-16(2)) (Committee Motion Carried)
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Jane Groenewegen Hay River South
This is a new process we have here, and it’s very difficult to talk about these projects and not be able to talk about the dollars. We’re not talking about the dollars, because we want to go to a fair, competitive process in order to acquire the leasehold improvements. But oh, my gosh — this is for tenant improvements? This is a very large amount of money. Did the department consider building a free standing clinic somewhere else as opposed to renovating somebody else’s space to the tune of $6.5 million?
Committee Motion 79-16(2) Deferral Of Consideration Of Asset Management Activity In Public Works And Services Capital Estimates (Td 93-16(2)) (Committee Motion Carried)
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Committee Motion 79-16(2) Deferral Of Consideration Of Asset Management Activity In Public Works And Services Capital Estimates (Td 93-16(2)) (Committee Motion Carried)
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Sandy Lee Range Lake
Mr. Chairman, this capital funding includes everything to do with the clinic. That would include tenant improvements as well as all of the medical equipment and everything else that would have to go into this clinic.
Secondly, I do want to inform the Members that there have been extensive studies done. Initially when this project was approved, I think about three years ago, the thought was to build a new building. The review has come to the conclusion that it’s more economical to use the existing site and do tenant improvements.
I’d be happy to get back to the Member on the exact breakdown of how much of this allocation is for the tenant improvements and how much is for the equipment. I just don’t have that on me right now.
Committee Motion 79-16(2) Deferral Of Consideration Of Asset Management Activity In Public Works And Services Capital Estimates (Td 93-16(2)) (Committee Motion Carried)
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Jane Groenewegen Hay River South
Well, that sort of begs the question: what’s going to happen with all the equipment that’s in the leased facilities now? And what’s going to happen to the clinics that are currently leased, the three that Ms. Lee or…? Somebody made reference to three clinics. Where is the equipment going from them, and what’s going to happen with the government’s investment, I guess, even if it was the federal government?
Since the GNWT invested money, particularly in the one downtown here, do they have any other alternate uses that have been contemplated for those buildings since we have invested so much?
Committee Motion 79-16(2) Deferral Of Consideration Of Asset Management Activity In Public Works And Services Capital Estimates (Td 93-16(2)) (Committee Motion Carried)
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Committee Motion 79-16(2) Deferral Of Consideration Of Asset Management Activity In Public Works And Services Capital Estimates (Td 93-16(2)) (Committee Motion Carried)
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Michael Miltenberger Thebacha
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. One of the concerns, of course, that led to this is that the current clinics don’t have a lot of the equipment they need. They don’t have the space. They don’t have the exam rooms. They don’t have the plumbing and other infrastructure, let
alone the equipment to do the testing or the X-rays and such. So a lot of that will be new.
The government will look at the length of the leases and put the existing space to whatever use they can during the life of the lease. I would imagine they would look at their other requirements and see if there’s any further need for those particular leases.
Committee Motion 79-16(2) Deferral Of Consideration Of Asset Management Activity In Public Works And Services Capital Estimates (Td 93-16(2)) (Committee Motion Carried)
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Committee Motion 79-16(2) Deferral Of Consideration Of Asset Management Activity In Public Works And Services Capital Estimates (Td 93-16(2)) (Committee Motion Carried)
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Committee Motion 79-16(2) Deferral Of Consideration Of Asset Management Activity In Public Works And Services Capital Estimates (Td 93-16(2)) (Committee Motion Carried)
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Committee Motion 79-16(2) Deferral Of Consideration Of Asset Management Activity In Public Works And Services Capital Estimates (Td 93-16(2)) (Committee Motion Carried)
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
David Ramsay Kam Lake
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I wanted to ask some questions, too, about the consolidated primary care clinic in Yellowknife. It’s something I’ve been looking forward to for a number of years now, and I’m glad to see it is finally going to materialize.
I just wanted to ask some questions and make sure it’s going to be in a location that’s accessible, that there’s going to be parking. I want to know whether or not a lease has been signed. I want to know where it is and when we might expect it to happen.
I guess the first question I have is: has a lease been signed with anybody to get this primary care clinic off the ground? Has it gone to RFP? Where is it in the process?
Committee Motion 79-16(2) Deferral Of Consideration Of Asset Management Activity In Public Works And Services Capital Estimates (Td 93-16(2)) (Committee Motion Carried)
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Committee Motion 79-16(2) Deferral Of Consideration Of Asset Management Activity In Public Works And Services Capital Estimates (Td 93-16(2)) (Committee Motion Carried)
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
The Chair David Krutko
For the record, Mr. Minister, if you want to refer the question, can you do it through the Chair?
Committee Motion 79-16(2) Deferral Of Consideration Of Asset Management Activity In Public Works And Services Capital Estimates (Td 93-16(2)) (Committee Motion Carried)
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Michael Miltenberger Thebacha
I apologize, Mr. Chair. The Minister of Health is in a position to answer that detail.
Committee Motion 79-16(2) Deferral Of Consideration Of Asset Management Activity In Public Works And Services Capital Estimates (Td 93-16(2)) (Committee Motion Carried)
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Committee Motion 79-16(2) Deferral Of Consideration Of Asset Management Activity In Public Works And Services Capital Estimates (Td 93-16(2)) (Committee Motion Carried)
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Sandy Lee Range Lake
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. An RFP was issued in July, and the lease has been awarded with downtown access space as well as the necessary parking. I expect to do a public statement on that. It’s just that the employees of the centre have not been advised yet, but it will be in a downtown location.
Committee Motion 79-16(2) Deferral Of Consideration Of Asset Management Activity In Public Works And Services Capital Estimates (Td 93-16(2)) (Committee Motion Carried)
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Committee Motion 79-16(2) Deferral Of Consideration Of Asset Management Activity In Public Works And Services Capital Estimates (Td 93-16(2)) (Committee Motion Carried)
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
David Ramsay Kam Lake
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Under what authority was a lease signed that would commit the government to spending dollars on leasehold improvements? I’m not privy to the
contract that was signed or the lease that was signed.
Obviously, when you look at a contract or a lease that’s been signed, it has provisions to say what the government would be responsible for in terms of leasehold improvements, what the rate of the lease would be per month or per year, however that’s worked out. So, yeah, that’s a question: under what authority was that lease signed?
Committee Motion 79-16(2) Deferral Of Consideration Of Asset Management Activity In Public Works And Services Capital Estimates (Td 93-16(2)) (Committee Motion Carried)
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Committee Motion 79-16(2) Deferral Of Consideration Of Asset Management Activity In Public Works And Services Capital Estimates (Td 93-16(2)) (Committee Motion Carried)
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Aumond
Thank you, Mr. Chair. The Department of Health and Social Services has the O&M money to enter into a lease, and the capital that is before you is for the tenant improvements. Health had the authorization to enter into the lease, they had the money, and now it’s the capital that’s required to undertake the tenant improvements and the proper fit-ups and put the equipment in place to operate the consolidated clinic.