Thank you. The Supported Living Facility. Both of those facilities have their operations and maintenance budget identified as a strategic initiative and it is hardly, to me, an initiative. We know both of those buildings are being built and are going to be or are currently completed. I think at the time that we start building any facility, we have to put the operations and maintenance funds into the budget as an ongoing expense.
I am little concerned, as mentioned by a couple of other Members, about the age of some of the buildings in some of the communities for seniors facilities and health centres and so on, and I am wondering when committees and/or Members will have an opportunity for input into the capital plan for ’10-11 for this particular department. Members know within their ridings which buildings need to be replaced and certainly have opinions on which buildings should be targeted in the capital plan, and I think an opportunity for input should be provided and I would like to know when that is.
Again, board reform is an issue for me, I don’t feel that this particular model, as laid out, is one that can work at all. There is not much more I can say, except that this model will not work.
The combining of the Department of Health and Social Services and the Department of Education, both of those are two huge areas, very different areas and one will take over the other or the other will take over the one. Housing, I think, is going to be a very poor second cousin at the bottom of the pile and unlikely to survive, in my estimation. So I really feel that the department should be looking at the effects that the board amalgamation will have on the department itself.
It was stated in one of our committee meetings that each department, as part of board amalgamation should be doing their own analysis, their own evaluation. They should be looking after their own needs, so to speak. So the Department of Health and Social Services should be considering this
board reform only in the light of health and social services. Is it going to benefit the department? Is it going to benefit the clients that take advantage of the programs and services that are offered through this particular department? I don’t think that has been done. That is all I have, Mr. Chair. I will have questions for the Minister as we go through the detail.