I certainly look forward to the Minister’s response and, as well, we’ll have another opportunity to discuss this during his departmental business plans in Committee of the Whole. I just wasn’t clear; did the Minister say that the contract was up this year or was that for the information that he requires to see?

We have quite a few contracts that are signed with communities and development corporations across the Northwest Territories. I can’t say with any certainty whether the specific contract referenced is up this year. I will find out, though, and provide that information.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’ve got some more questions today for the Minister of Health and Social Services getting back to my Member’s statement where I was talking about the sterilization of surgical equipment at Stanton Hospital. Again my main concern here is the public that are out there waiting for surgeries and residents who have gotten post-operative infections being upset and concerned over how this has all played itself out. I’d like to ask the Minister when exactly the decision was made to cancel elective surgeries at Stanton.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The honourable Minister responsible for Health and Social Services, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. First of all I need to clarify some of the confusion that might be created as a result of our exchange here.

There are incidents of infections that I had reported yesterday, but there is no connection between those infections and the sterilization equipment that we’re talking about.

Stanton is maintaining and upgrading the sterilization equipment. They are waiting for parts. For that reason they have had to cut down on surgeries. They are doing emergency surgeries as well as those that require medical travel when people travel here to have surgery. They are doing those. They are delaying elective surgeries. That is a separate process from incidents of infections that the hospital has identified, which they are following up on.

Based on that information that they need to be serviced and maintained -- and I’m speaking about the equipment -- can the Minister give me a date that would coincide with a decision being made to delay or cancel elective surgeries at that hospital? I’m looking for a date from the Minister.

I don’t have a specific date, but Stanton has delayed and lowered the number of elective surgeries in January and February.

The Minister talks about parts and we’re waiting for some parts. I know the CEO had mentioned that in a news report, as well, that they’re waiting for a part. I’d like to ask the Minister exactly what parts we’re waiting for and why it’s taking so long to get those parts to arrive at the hospital.

I’d like to reiterate what the CEO said in her interview, which is that all of our equipment meets national standards. They’ve decided to improve the steam quality of the sterilization equipment. They have recently installed a new reverse osmosis system and are in the process of installing a steam filtration system to improve steam quality. In doing so, they have had to have a new part and they are waiting for that. That is the situation with this.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Final supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It doesn’t get much more vague than they’re just waiting for a part. I’d asked the Minister a specific question: what part are they waiting for and why is it taking so long?

That’s a highly specific and technical question and I’d be happy to undertake to get the information on exactly what equipment, exactly what part, and exactly from where that Stanton is waiting for this.

I should note here, though, that our biomed department at Stanton is second to none. They have a very good staff and well-trained staff who maintain and look after our medical health

equipment from all over the Territories. In my entire time of 12 years here, I don’t remember something like this happening. I have full confidence in the authority to do the job and this is an extraordinary situation, but I’m sure it’s a normal situation too. The hospital is in need of equipment and they are ordering a part to be able to do that.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The honourable Minister responsible for Health and Social Services, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to let the Member know that the decision to add fluoride rests with the municipal governments. The department is responsible for setting maximum limits and monitoring fluoride levels in water. The chief medical health officer supports the addition of fluoride to drinking water as a measure to prevent tooth decay. At this time in the NWT, there are only three communities that fluoridate their drinking water: Inuvik, Fort Smith and Yellowknife. Wrigley has natural fluoride in their water. It is the municipalities that can make the decisions on fluoridization. The department just sets the maximum standards.

The Minister is correct that it’s a municipal issue that they actually manage, but from a public health point of view it falls under the chief medical officer quite rightly, as she put the issue. So then follows with the particular matter of how often the levels are monitored and what type of public education is provided by the chief medical health officer out there that people realize that fluoridation is added to their particular water and they understand the full gamut of what it means, whether it fixes teeth or helps defer decay from teeth or, as other people have talked about, it’s created some type of medical issues that people

have to struggle with. It’s a publication point of view from a public health concern that I’m trying to raise.

Communities that fluoridate their drinking water must regulate fluoride levels regularly to ensure that they remain within the regulations set by the Federal/Provincial/Territorial Committee on Drinking Water, which is currently set at a maximum of 1.5 milligrams per litre. The chief public health officer is in charge of approving the standard operating procedures for the sampling, testing, treatment and quality of water of municipalities, but it is the municipality’s responsibility to administer fluoride into drinking water and testing levels of fluoride to ensure that they meet the standards.

I’m not sure that the average person knows that there’s fluoridation in the particular water. I think it’s sort of an old-school approach that you either assume, or it is or it isn’t in water. How often does the chief medical officer review the results of the particular pros and cons of the value of fluoridation that is out there? Again, I’m not talking about the municipality managing or putting it into their system. I’m talking about the quality and public safety.

As I stated, it’s up to the municipalities to do this. The CPHO sets the standards and they do that. There is the appropriate jurisdiction. I can also add that the many governments and health organizations, including Health Canada, the Canadian Public Health Association, the Canadian Dental Association, the Canadian Medical Association and the World Health Organization endorse the fluoridation of drinking water as a safe and effective way to prevent tooth decay, which is actually quite a serious issue in the North. Community water fluoridation has been identified by the U.S. Centre for Disease Control as one of the 10 great public health achievements in the 20

th

Century.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Final supplementary, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m glad the Minister mentioned the WHO, because the WHO in 1994 recommended levels half of what the Minister had prescribed up to the level of what the Minister prescribed.

As we all know, toothpaste comes with fluoride and there are many other products out there that do pick up the shortfall where there is a gap. Again, I’m not talking about the management of an actual municipality from the injection system at the water treatment plant. I’m not talking about the governance of the council about them flipping a coin on whether they should put it in or not. What type of public education does the chief medical health officer provide the public to let them know that this is in their water and the potential risks abound by that process? It’s only a public

awareness campaign. Does the Minister provide any information and if not, will she instruct the CMO to do this type of work?

The amount of fluoride that I indicated is the maximum amount and, as I indicated, the chief public health officer has set the standard procedure. It’s the municipalities that administer them and it is up to the municipalities to fluoridate the water.