...(inaudible)...fast as they can in dealing with this because the sooner it gets to the public, the better it is. There is going to be an awful lot of interest in this and even from the first of May to the first of September is a very short time. So let’s get at it. Thank you.

Activity summary, supplementary health programs, operations expenditure summary, $23.074 million.

Page 8-26, activity summary, supplementary health programs, grants and contributions, contributions $12.603 million. Agreed?

Ms. Bisaro.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Just a quick question. I thought I had heard, I can’t quite remember where, in the last few days that the program review office was looking at some of the costs of medical travel. Could I get a confirmation from the Minister that that is so and if there are any findings that she can reveal at this point? Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. For clarity, we are on page 8-26. Minister Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. There is a lot of work being done on this area and I would like to ask the deputy minister to update the Members. Thank you.

Deputy Minister Meade.

Thank you, Ms. Meade. Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. We are on page 8-26, activity summary, supplementary health programs, grants and contributions, contributions, $12.603 million. Agreed?

We are on page 8-29, activity summary, supplementary health programs. Mr. Krutko.

Yes, thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I think that these community health programs, especially when it comes to the aging population in the Northwest Territories, which we are realizing, I know, from comments from the Minister, which stipulated that the elders population is almost 50 percent and increased over the last number of years. I can vouch for that on the basis of my home community in which they did a study to see exactly how many elders were from Fort McPherson and they counted 126 elders between the ages of 60 and 97 years old.

I think it shows that we do have a large number of our population in a lot of our communities throughout the Northwest Territories and I think that we, as government, have to find ways of accommodating that population in the Northwest Territories by assisting them by way of some means of providing seniors care, accommodating them through housing and accommodating them through care facilities, long-term care facilities, residential care and also in regards to hospital care.

I think at that point, we do have structures around that; the dementia centre, the hospitals we do have in our regions. I think it is important that we, as government, find a way to deal with this challenge that we are facing. It is not only here, it is across Canada, but I think that we have to find a way to accommodate our aging population. So I would like

to ask the Minister, are there any plans of working with the Housing Corporation or CMHC, or whoever, Health Canada, to find a way to deal with this challenge that we are going to be facing, which is already upon us, and try to accommodate those people, when they basically get on in age and require special attention and care? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Minister Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The Member is right; this is a crucial and big emerging issue. It is permeating into all of our program areas. It is not just a long-term care issue.

Seniors population right now -- about 3,500 out of 40,000-plus of the Northwest Territories population -- is the fastest growing segment of our population. It has grown by 54 percent over the last 10 years while the general population only grew by 4 percent. I think that speaks to what challenges and opportunities we are dealing with.

The department, in all program areas, looks at how to support the seniors and how to maintain their healthy living. That has to be a big part as well, as well as looking at their continuum of care. Obviously, institutionalization or the facilities are the last resort. I think that we need to also pay attention to providing home care support and other support, because I think that most seniors want to have an independent healthy life as much as possible. And as much as possible, they want to be in their communities and they want to be taken care of by their own people. That has to be front and centre of our strategy.

We know right now, from the demographics we have, we need to have at least 40 beds of long-term care in the next little while. We are making progress by doing a long-term care facilities review in the Territories and also working on a prototype, so that we can have a ready-made long-term care facility that can be placed wherever, depending on how this House makes the decision on where it should go. There are many different areas that we are working on within the department. Thank you.

Communities do want to try to maintain their loved ones and their elders in their home communities as long as possible and hopefully live out their days in their home communities without having to leave. I think it is important that we do find a way to accommodate our elders and ensure that they are having some sort of special living arrangements and also looking at ways of accommodating them so they do stay in their home communities. So I think it is important that we do find a way to work around it. I know that you mentioned 40 beds. Is there any idea of where this facility may be located?

No, Mr. Chairman. The Member knows that is not going to be solely my

decision. What I meant by that is looking at the demographics territorial-wide and looking at how big our senior populations are, and what ages they are, and knowing all of the other indicators that we, as a government, have to prepare for increasing long-term care beds.

With that, I’d like to move a motion and suggest that they consider Fort McPherson for a permanent long-term care facility, in light of the 120 seniors we have over the age of 60. I can state that there is a definite need. Mr. Chair, I’d like to move a motion.

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. The motion is being distributed. You may so move.

Thank you, Mr, Krutko. The motion is being distributed and I will then call for speaking to the motion. Mr. Krutko, would you like to start?

There’s not too much to say. I know the Minister has the information that I mentioned. There is that documentation that I can probably table here in the House, which illustrates the 126 elders in Fort McPherson from the age of 60 to 97. I think, if you’re talking demographics, that’s definitely showing you that almost 20 percent of the population in Fort McPherson is within that category. I think that is a large number and I think even the Gwich’in Tribal Council and the organization in Inuvik were surprised when they realized the number of seniors that we do have in Fort McPherson. With that, I’d like to move the motion and ask for support from my fellow colleagues. Thank you, Mr. Chair.