Mr. Speaker, the Member is correct that we do have a big issue with grievances and arbitrations. As of last week there are 233 outstanding arbitrations. As the Member knows, it takes two to tango. For over a year we’ve had difficulty in scheduling arbitrations with the Union of Northern Workers. The grievances have been filed at the highest level, so they go directly to arbitration. Arbitrations take some time to resolve.

We have had discussion with the union, and we’ve set up a very aggressive timetable or schedule to begin to address these outstanding arbitrations.

Mahsi cho. Mr. Speaker, today I have questions for the Minister of MACA. Today I spoke about the many challenges my communities are facing regarding hiring properly trained recreation youth staff.

In response to my previous question on challenges in communities hiring trained recreation staff, the Minister of MACA acknowledges it was something that was recognized for quite some time.

I’d like to ask the Minister: Would he commit to following through with his commitment to meet with me to discuss these challenges, possibly redirecting financing to find solutions?

I’ve already committed to meeting with one of the communities in the Member’s riding. It wouldn’t take a whole lot more effort to meet with the Member in the other community he represents, Fort Resolution. We’d be

glad to talk about budgeting and being able to redirect financing and things of that nature with the communities, along with the Member.

Thank you to the Minister for that answer.

Mr. Speaker, I pointed out the successes that we all are aware of in the trades program. Just look at all the apprentices in our community. Would the Minister commit to supporting the recreation director-type position and the trades apprentices-type approach or possibly working with the Department of Education, Culture and Employment to reinstate the Public Service Career Training Program?

I certainly would commit to working with the Department of Education to look at how we can improve the numbers for qualified recreational staff. Aurora College already has a program, the Recreation Leaders Program; however, there is no real mechanism for an apprenticeship type of program in the community. Some communities have gone as far as to develop training plans for their communities, but it’s a kind of one-off situation designed specifically for their community. I would like to see that brought forward as a template.

We also have a number of programs geared toward our recreation facility maintainers through the School of Community Government. I’d be glad to share that information with the Member also.

I don’t have anything further. I’d just thank the Minister for those answers.

Presently there’s a health crisis going on in the Inuvik region. It has to do with providing medical services to the whole Mackenzie Delta and Beaufort Sea communities and Inuvik itself. Right now we’re short some five doctors in Inuvik; we’re down to four doctors when we should have nine. Clinic tours to our communities have been cancelled because of the shortage of doctors. In regard to the collective negotiation that’s going on, they seem to have no problem filling the Yellowknife Stanton hospital, which has some 27 positions. Out of that, 26 are filled.

Yet, Mr. Speaker, this health crisis we have in our communities is…. Without having medical services by way of shortages of nurses and, more importantly, doctors…. Doctors are the ones who play the most important role in our health care system. Without doctors, we’re just another Third World country.

I’d like to ask the Minister of Health and Social Services: what are we doing as a government to ensure we have the capacity to deal with delivering health care services, especially with the shortage of doctors in the Inuvik region?

Mr.

Speaker, I thank the

Member for the question. As I indicated to the Member from Nunakput yesterday, we are experiencing a very unusual situation, even within the context of the shortages of doctors and health care professionals we normally face.

This month two doctors were on scheduled leave, and the other two decided to move elsewhere to practise. Right now we are operating with about 50 per cent of our normal complement of doctors.

We are actively searching to fill the positions by locums so that we can provide the services. Beaufort-Delta made a choice of not being able to have the doctors visit communities, but we continue to provide services through the nurses in our clinics, who are able to be in touch with the doctors.

This is a very serious situation. We are aware of that, and we are working hard to fix the situation.

The time for question period has expired. I will allow the Member a supplementary question.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The whole health care system is dependent on four doctors to provide services to eight communities in the Beaufort-Delta Region. It’s not realistic to ask these doctors to provide that service and also ensure that we will have a stable health care system.

Also, the Minister stated that nurses….

Please ask your question, Mr. Krutko.

Mr. Speaker, it’s not only the crisis with the doctors. We also have shortages with nurses in communities where our health centres are being closed or put on emergency notice.

Can the Minister tell me exactly how many health care centres in the Inuvik region are on emergency notice, where they can only deal with emergency cases?

Mr. Speaker, all eight communities in the Beaufort-Delta Region are on a regular course of business. They do have the full nursing and primary health care services, including nurse practitioners and nurses.

We are not able to have doctors make regularly scheduled visits to communities as they usually have done, once or twice a month. Right now the community health nurses and nurse practitioners have to rely on doctors’ services by phone.

We are working hard to fill the positions with the locums and to have more doctors in place in that region as soon as possible. We do understand this is a very unusual situation.

A short supplementary, Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Can the Minister tell me exactly how soon these doctors’ positions can be filled in the Inuvik region so that the residents of the Beaufort-Delta Region will have some comfort, knowing that those positions will be filled?

Mr. Speaker, this is on high alert, obviously, because we only have four full-time-equivalent positions, or hours available, of doctors’ services out of the eight that we normally have.

We are doing everything we possibly can to fill them with the locums and to fill the permanent positions as soon as possible.

Final, short supplementary, Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Can the Minister give me a month, date, year by which she’s going to fill these positions?

Mr. Speaker, yesterday I stated in the House that we would like to have the full complement by the end of March, either by locums or by other means, but we are hoping we could do it sooner than that, if at all possible.

Item 9, written questions. Item 10, returns to written questions. Item 11, replies to opening address. Item 12, petitions. Item 13, reports of committees on the review of bills. Item 14, tabling of documents.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document, entitled Government of the Northwest Territories 2007 Public Service Annual Report.

Document 33-16(2), Government of the

Northwest Territories 2007 Public Service Annual Report, tabled.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document, entitled Status of Women Council of the N.W.T. annual report 2006-2007.

Document 34-16(2), Status of Women Council

2006-2007 Annual Report, tabled.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document, entitled N.W.T.

Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation Report 2008.

Document 35-16(2), N.W.T. Climate Change

Impacts and Adaptation Report, 2008,

tabled.

Pursuant to Section 68 of the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act, I wish to table the 2006-2007 Annual Report of the Northwest Territories Information and Privacy Commissioner.

Document 36-16(2), 2006-2007 Annual Report

of the Northwest Territories Information and Privacy Commissioner, tabled.