Okay, I’m getting a bit confused here. We’re doing a budget here for the 2012-2013 area and we’re not going retroactively in time, we’re going forward in time, which means if we know forward in time we have patients that are going to be under our care and attention, could we not put

this in the main estimates and not have deviations and having to have supplemental appropriations that happen immediately after this process? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. Mr. Beaulieu.

Thank you. Much like the supplementary appropriations that go forward for firefighting, the Department of Finance would prefer to not put these types of costs in the base. So only when it’s verified that the money has been used, then we get it through a supplementary appropriation as a standard process.

I don’t understand the direct link between firefighters and firefighting which we do not know and something that we do know. I’ll leave it at that, but I’m going to ask the department moving forward to take a look at this because, again, comparing this to firefighting, these are two different types of entities.

With that, my next question involves the contract services and the details of other expenses. We see a drop from the $5.776 million down to $3.028 million. Can we get an explanation as to that drop? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. Mr. Elkin.

Okay, so we’re seeing two different charge items dealing with the same entity, again creating confusion for those that would have to look at these estimates year after year and, again, creating a lot of extra work. Even by me talking for 10 minutes on this, this is creating work. Will the department put some commitment moving forward that these types of items be looked at that would be encompassed within the main estimates?

Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. Minister Beaulieu.

Thank you, Madam Chair. The Department of Health and Social Services is prepared to go back to the Department of Finance to see if the number can be put into the base so that this doesn’t occur in the future.

No further questions, Madam Chair.

Questions? Mr. Bromley.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I’d like to follow up on my earlier questions on the telehealth infrastructure and use of the technology. I appreciated the Minister’s information that we actually do have telehealth infrastructure in all 33

communities. That was really good news. I’m wondering, first of all, what activities or programs are we currently using that equipment for.

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Ms. DeLancey.

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Mr. Beaulieu.

Thank you, Madam Chair. In the 33 communities we have 73 locations using it but we could expand the use of this technology. There is room to expand the use of this technology, for sure.

Just to probe that a little bit, that could be interpreted with different degrees here, so I’m interested in… Let’s start with the basic use for the most fundamental things on the list. Is every community capable of using it for speech pathology sorts of work and for counselling, say?

Yes, for both speech pathology and counselling.

That tells me that the basic skills are there and engaged and I’m sure as people get more familiar, they will work towards the upper level of achievement as was the basis of my question. That’s all I have on that.

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Page 8-17, Health and Social Services, activity summary, program delivery support, operations expenditure summary, $34.772 million.

Page 8-18, Health and Social Services, activity summary, program delivery support, grants and contributions, contributions, total contributions, $18.197 million.