The Member has been around long enough to remember that the midwifery position that was at the Yellowknife Health and Social Services was a completely unfunded position. There were no dollars allocated to that midwifery position. The Member should also remember that the authority chose to put in a Midwifery Program with one NP, which is basically a recipe for failure. There’s no way that one incumbent can actually provide midwifery services given that it’s a 24/7 operation. As a result, the incumbent did choose to leave.
Moving forward, we have the money that will not be utilized in the Beaufort-Delta for their program. They are still requiring some funds, of course, but we anticipate creating a territorial Midwifery Program based out of Yellowknife and the expectation is although they’re providing consultation, advice and support to regions that don’t have midwives, they will also be able to facilitate some midwife-supported births here in Yellowknife. Thank you.