Mr. Chair, the plan is rolling out. There is a plan. The plan involves some fairly detailed financial analysis. One of the challenges we have which Members have heard about before is that we have eight authorities with different financial systems. It makes it very difficult and time consuming to do the financial analysis. We continue to work with Stanton and Beaufort-Delta. In both hospitals there have been numerous management changes made that have resulted in savings and efficiencies. We continue to look at the potential for shared services. We are continuing to analyze specific cost-drivers such as some of the ones that Mr. Elkin mentioned earlier, particularly in the Beaufort-Delta region, hospital and staff costs, it is unfunded staffing costs.

As we get business cases developed, we have been bringing those forward to the Financial Management Board. We know there are some areas in our structural deficit that are going to require additional funding. For example, the physician budget at Stanton Hospital which, right now, is being funded in part… More than a $2 million shortfall is being funded through THSSI funding. When THSSI funding expires, we’ll need to deal with that. The reality is that we are not able to get additional funding in the base budget for these authorities until we can provide a persuasive business case to the Financial Management Board. So we recognize that this is not going to happen overnight.

The other missing piece is something that was recommended, touched on in the Auditor General’s report, which is the need to have a funding model for the authorities. That work is also going on, but these two pieces of work are integrated and, quite frankly, it’s not something that can be done in a short period of time.

We can certainly provide a committee with a summary, once again, with the adjustments that have been made. Some of the ongoing drivers for the structural deficits have been addressed. Others have not been addressed and we are continuing to look at those. That’s why we really are to a five-year plan, because we know we won’t have this work finished in the fiscal year, but we are chipping away at it. Thank you, Mr. Chair.