I guess my question is who decided that this project was a priority with the extra $900,000 that was lapsed over from Public Works and Services?

It came through to FMB. This demolition has been a priority for quite a number of years. It’s just that we haven’t had the funds to take care of the project and, in fact, demolish the property and put it back into use. With the funds identified by the deputy minister, we were able to do that. Anybody that has been to Inuvik would see what an eyesore it was right in the heart of the community, and it’s a very significant issue to get out of the way after all these years.

Like I indicated, I don’t have a problem with the demolition in Inuvik. I’m just wondering what other projects were deferred. What list do we have of this type of project that we selected from and Inuvik was chosen? Were there any other projects that were high on the Public Works and Services list to spend that $900,000?

There is no list as the Member is suggesting. This was brought forward as a long outstanding issue where there were finally funds able to be put to use.

No further questions.

Thank you, Mr. Bouchard. Committee, we’re on page 4, Finance, operations expenditures, deputy minister’s office, not previously authorized, $1.472 million. Total department, not previously authorized, $1.472 million. Does committee agree?

Thank you, committee. Page 5, Public Works and Services, operations expenditures, asset management, not previously authorized, negative $1.472 million. Total department not previously authorized, negative $1.472 million. Does committee agree?

Thank you. Page 6, Health and Social Services, operations expenditures, program delivery support, not previously authorized. Ms. Bisaro.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I have a couple of questions here. The first one is the first line item, the funding for increased costs related to Hay River Health and Social Services Authority Pension Plan. This is an item which I think has appeared every year since I’ve been here, or at least for the last several years.

Can I get an explanation as to whether this is something that is going to continue on into the future until we presumably bring those staff in under the GNWT public service, or is this an amount and is this amount that is going to be similar for the years following, or is this kind of a one-time cost? Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Minister Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. This will be an ongoing cost until the determination is made to put the funds necessary to bring this contingent of staff into the public service in the territorial government. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Ms. Bisaro.

Thanks, Mr. Chair, and thanks to the Minister. I don’t remember what the total amount would be that we have put into the pension plan for the Hay River Health and Services Authority, but I would think it’s many, many millions of dollars.

How close are we to bringing the Hay River Health and Social Services Authority in under our GNWT public service so we can bite the bullet once and for all, pay what we need to pay to get their pension plan in, similar to superannuation, and then have them as our employees going forward? Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. For that response, I believe we’re going to be going to Minister Abernethy.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Moving forward with health transformation, we want to bring the Hay River Health and Social Services into the public service. The Department of Health and the Department of Human Resources have been given the mandate by Cabinet to enter into negotiations with the Hay River Health and Social Services Authority, the UNW as well as superann to figure out how we can move forward with that to actually make that happen, recognizing the potential costs, articulating, determining what those costs might be so that we can bring it back to the House. The work is beginning this year. We’ll have a better sense of the costs later this year, hopefully, to begin to have those discussions with committee.

Thanks to Minister Abernethy. Is it likely that we are going to see this switch executed in the ‘15-16 budget year? Thank you.

Mr. Chair, the timeline is we need to pass the legislation. The legislation is before committee. Committee is reviewing that legislation. Should that legislation pass, then we have a go live date of April 1, 2016. Our hope would be that we would be able to facilitate this change for that time, but we recognize that it may take a little bit longer to work through all the challenges with superann and union, but our goal is to look at April 1, 2016. So it would not be the 2015-16 fiscal year.

Thanks again to the Minister. That’s a great target date. I certainly hope that it can be met.

My other question on this page has to do with the next line item, transfer of funding from Education, Culture and Employment to support the expansion

of the Healthy Family Program. I’m certainly in support of expanding the Healthy Family Program, but I’m trying to understand where the money is coming from in Education that’s going to be transferred to the Healthy Family Program. Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. For that we’ll go to Mr. Kalgutkar.

Thanks to Mr. Kalgutkar for that answer. The Child and Family Resource Program I thought was a fairly successful one, so does that suggest that it’s not a successful program and that it’s being scaled back? Thank you.