Thank you, Mr. Bouchard. Mr. Aumond.

Thank you, Mr. Aumond. Mr. Bouchard.

My next question is about the Stanton Territorial Hospital plan study. I guess in coalition with the other expenditures is the Stanton Hospital. I’m just wondering what the plan is going forward. We’re looking to do major upgrades to Stanton Hospital. What is the strategy going forward on upgrades to the facility in an area where we may actually be tearing down and replacing? I know these are not huge numbers we’re spending on seclusion rooms and stuff like that, but I’m just wondering, I guess, the strategy going forward and how much money do we put into it that we’re

basically maybe tearing away when we actually retrofit the full facility.

Thank you, Mr. Bouchard. Mr. Kalgutkar.

Thank you, Mr. Kalgutkar. Mr. Bouchard.

I understand the planning side of it. I’m just wondering about the capital expenditures to Stanton now that we know that we’re going to do a major retrofit to it. At what time do we say, okay, we’re not going to retrofit anything anymore because over the next five years we’re going to tear it all down? I guess what is the strategy going forward when we’re implementing capital projects into that facility when we’re planning to do a major retrofit to it?

Thank you, Mr. Bouchard. Minister Abernethy.

With respect to Stanton, there has been a significantly complex process where we’ve involved many professionals including health practitioners who are currently using the building so that we can have a really solid plan of care as part of our planning study and so that the building would meet our future and current needs. We’ve built hospitals and health centres before and we recognize that there are challenges in doing that.

By way of example, we did a major upgrade to the health centre in Fort Smith, and it was like this project given that we continued to provide services in that building while we were constructing it. We learned a lot of lessons for not having a really comprehensive plan as far as how do you build and live in the same building at the same time, so we spent a lot of time in the design of this project trying to put in those mechanisms and plans so that we can build and move from certain sections of the building without affecting program delivery. The bottom line that exists there today has a great skeleton but not much else, so we are going to add on to the building and then we’re going to upgrade what is there now, which means a significant amount of work, but we do have a plan that will allow us to transition and to continue to provide services in that building while we’re doing it. It’s quite complex; it’s huge. A lot of time and effort has

been put into it, so we will be able to provide services during construction.

My only concern is in this supp we have over $400,000 that we’re going to be putting into Stanton Hospital, which I’m assuming most of that work will probably be torn down eventually in the next 10 years depending on where we retrofit and what we retrofit. I’m just concerned that we’re spending money that we’re just going to tear down eventually here. If we can come up with a strategy and maybe something to go forward as far as we’re not going to invest money that we’re going to just tear down I guess is my concern.

The build is not going to start until the summer of 2016, assuming the procurement process goes well. We have a requirement to continue to provide services to all the residents of the Northwest Territories and this is a territorial facility. We are taking steps to ensure that where we can utilize equipment, construct or utilize during the capital process, we can continue to use it as we move forward in the new design. We don’t want to throw anything in the garbage. We want to maximize our investments as best possible, but we are going to gut the majority of the existing building, once construction starts, over a seven-year period.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I want to follow up on Mr. Bouchard’s questioning I believe it’s around the existing facility in Hay River. I would like to ask about that facility. Are there any plans once the old hospital in Hay River is not being used and there’s going to be a new hospital there in operation? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Minister Abernethy.

Thank you, Madam Chair. The Member is asking a question that I think a significant number of other individuals have been asking. The building will be assessed and go through the disposal process as usual, which may include, if appropriate and if the building has any life left into it, repurposing or tear down, depending on the nature and state of that building.

Mr. Chair, I want to throw in my comments to the facility in Hay River. It’s a good facility and certainly I would support that. Madam Groenewegen talked about this in a previous session here, about having that facility maybe be considered with some work with the federal government and our government as a centre for excellence because we have a high population of people needing diabetes awareness and

programming and stuff like that, that facility can be used for diabetes services for the people of the Northwest Territories.

According to the Health department documents, there are at least 200 people every year who will be diagnosed with diabetes. This is two years and we will have 400 and so forth. There is a real crisis that’s creeping up on some health care costs. I think it is something that the government maybe could consider working with other governments as to having that centre, because right now people are wondering where to go. Families are wondering where to go. There is a program in Edmonton out of the Royal Alexandra Hospital that has a program, because I attended the program with my wife for one week. It’s an excellent program to work with people and families. I think this hospital is in good standing. Again, they are doing the assessment. We can pitch in for having a centre like that in the Northwest Territories for a diabetes prevention program. We can do some of that work. I want to leave it at that, make comments to the Minister while he is in front of us. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Mr. Chair, I hear the Member loud and clear as I have heard the Members from Hay River as they speak about the same issue. What we do know is, based on the assessment of that building, that building does not meet the needs of a health facility. I don’t believe that we’ve done that additional assessment to see if there is any other purpose that it can be used for. As with the normal disposal process, that building would obviously have some work done to it to figure out if it can be used for any other. I can’t say. I haven’t climbed around in that building myself. I don’t know the true nature and state of the roof and mechanical, but that work will be done and we will be able to determine if there is any future use for that. As always, we are always open to discussions with committee and the communities to see if there are opportunities to repurpose.

Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. Committee, we are on total department of $28.111 million.

Thank you. Page 11, Department of Justice, capital infrastructure expenditures, court services, not previously authorized, $353,000; corrections, not previously authorized, $161,000; services to public, not previously authorized, $237,000. Total department, not previously authorized, $751,000. Committee, agreed?

Page 12, Education, Culture and Employment, capital infrastructure expenditures, education and culture, not previously authorized, $2.61 million; labour development and

standards, not previously authorized, $193,000. Total department, not previously authorized, $2.803 million. Mr. Bromley.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I had a couple of questions, a couple of topics on that page. First, the Kaw Tay Whee School interior works in Detah, not a big project but I see we are carrying significant dollars over.

Will that work be completed this summer and not interfere with the school starting up in the fall? Thank you.