Mr.

Chairman, I have a similar

question to the last one, regarding the long-term care territorial dementia facility. Recently the Minister committed $15 million to this project as an overall project. I want to know and make sure: was that commitment outside of passing this budget or not?

Minister Lee.

I believe I was in the opening ceremony to do a cutting ceremony, but I don’t think that’s the same thing. The answer to that is that this Legislature approves the appropriation for capital projects, and it’s in the books for this year, and it has to be approved for the project to proceed.

Has any work been done to date outside of the previous commitment for planning, such as maybe an RFP?

There has been work done from previous years approved. In order for that project to go forward, we need to have this money approved.

Thank you, Minister Lee. Ms. Bisaro.

Interjection.

I don’t know which is worse.

Mr. Chair, I just want to ask... My understanding was that in February we approved the number of capital projects, and the dementia facility was one

of them. Could I get clarification that the dementia facility and any other projects that were passed in February are a done deal but the consolidated clinic is not because it is new to this infrastructure acquisition plan?

Thank you,

Ms. Bisaro. Minister Lee.

Mr. Chairman, I would like to defer that question to the Minister of Finance.

Thank you, Minister Lee. Minister Roland.

Mr. Chairman, Ms. Bisaro is correct. The interim appropriation did have some capital attached to it, and funding was sought for approval to deal with a number of those projects. But the remainder of the projects in ’08–09 would need the authority of this House to continue with approvals. We’d have to get further detail on that if the Member sought more information.

Thank you,

Mr. Roland. Ms. Bisaro? Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I’m just wondering if maybe the Minister could comment. I know it’s not in the ’08–09 year, but I’m wondering what type of master development plan we can get for $17.5 million. That seems, to me, to be a lot of money for planning.

Just as a note, we’ve actually gone past and agreed to 5-7, Mr. Ramsay.

Sorry, Mr.

Chairman. I seek

unanimous consent to go back to

5-7.

Unanimous consented granted.

We can go back to 5-7. Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. To the Stanton Territorial Hospital master development plan: this is an area the Minister has had some question on in this past. It’s something we’ve talked about in the House, at least since the time I’ve been here. I’m wondering: for $17.5 million, who is doing this plan? Maybe the Minister could comment on that.

Thank you,

Mr. Ramsay. Mr. Elkin.

I thank Mr. Elkin for the timing, but to the price: are these numbers accurate? Seventeen and a half million dollars by the time it’s all said and done?

What’s happening at Stanton is that the consultant has been hired to do that plan…. No, $17 million is not for the consultant; $17 million is allocated for the renovation work that we know we’ll follow. I’m working through the deputy minister — or the deputy minister is working with the Stanton Authority — to make sure the concentration of that master development project is on the seven key areas where it’s seeing most pressure: the emergency unit, diagnostic and imaging, medical daycare, ICU and some other places I can’t remember right now.

Understanding, also, that the building of the consolidated primary clinic will reduce the pressure in the emergency unit, which will impact the way the master development plan is done.

Also, the building of the territorial dementia centre will allow 18 residents who are in the extended care unit right now to be moved out.

These three projects are related. The amount allocated here is obviously plan B, or class B, estimation.

I just want to get a better understanding. Between the hospital technical upgrades at almost $27 million and $17.5 million on the master development plan, that’s $46 million. I’m just wondering: we’re spending this year $3.2 million on the technical upgrades; we’re spending another $10.8 million in ’09–10, and that’s without a master plan. Are we not putting the cart before the horse? Shouldn’t you have a master plan developed for that hospital before you go out and start doing all these technical upgrades? It would only make sense, to me, to do that first.

The two capital projects are not related. They are related in that they’re in the same building, but technical upgrades are a maintenance…. Well, maintenance and technical upgrades, as he says. The building is almost 20 years old. It does need a lot of work in the technical areas like replacement of the medical gas and vacuum systems for a million; additional upgrades to the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems at an estimated cost of $1.9 million; overhaul of the elevators; and overall replacement of interior work at the hospital.

It has not had any kind of retrofit in 20 years. This is a sort of a midlife upgrade to upkeep a facility that was built 20 years ago.

I don’t want to prolong this too much longer, but it would only make sense to me, if you are going to look at technical upgrades to that hospital without having done a master plan, that master plan would tell you where patient areas are, where there might be a lounge…. You might want to move the cafeteria, you might want to move offices out of there, you may want to tinker with the layout of that hospital. And if you’re going to do that down the road, why would you put oxygen or gas or air, or anything else you need in a hospital, into an area where, three years later, you do a master plan for $17.5 million and it tells you that’s not the best utilization of that space? It doesn’t make a lot of sense, Mr. Chairman.