Thank you, Madam Chair. We know very well that with this activity there have been some changes with respect to how this has been arranged for this year, and I know the director is part of that and a responsibility of more the broad system of planning. With that, we know that before committee, and I know we’re talking about the new governance model where we should hope to streamline a lot of our administrative components throughout our authorities and, as mentioned in the House by the Minister, there may not be perceived savings. So, I guess, to the first question.

Will we not at least see some savings in design with respect to more efficiencies or more streamlining of services, quicker reporting and better financial services management? Do we not forecast maybe some degree of savings if and when I guess this governance model comes into full effect? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. Minister Abernethy.

Yes, Madam Chair, we do believe that there will be opportunities to get some economies of scale and reduce some expenditures in some areas, but the overall price of delivering health care in the Northwest Territories continues to climb. We’re not going to turn patients away and the cost continues to climb. So we don’t see an overall savings in this activity, but we do see an opportunity to save in certain areas, have some economies of scale, control future growth of expenditures and make sure that we’re getting maximum benefit for all the dollars that we’re spending within the system. So, yes to everything the Member has just said.

I appreciate the Minister’s reply to that. As also mentioned, and in keeping the overarching issue, the directorate is in mind when I’m asking this question, the question of the performance indicators. Again, we have a national agreement to maintain and report on 32 of these so-called comparables, national comparables across Canada. Does the Minister foresee that that will be in full effect during this fiscal year and will this reporting be available publicly by residents? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. Ms. DeLancey.

Thank you, Ms. DeLancey. Minister Abernethy.

Thank you, Madam Chair. In addition to the 32 indicators, which are the GNWT indicators, we also do continue and contribute data to other organizations like CIHI that is doing national reporting. Our data is included there where it doesn’t actually identify… When the numbers are too small, they don’t put it in, but where the numbers are enough, they report on those and we contribute regularly to those organizations.

Thank you, Minister Abernethy. Mr. Dolynny.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I appreciate the Minister and deputy minister’s response. So it appears that we’re going to have more of a hybrid year, given the fact that some indicators will be available, some aren’t. Now I know how CIHI works and how they report. They report it as system-wide indicators and they’ll actually do facility indicators such as the Stanton Hospital. The differential information, that is available publicly. So if I wanted to gauge how well my hospital was versus the territory. I’m certain these parameters would be available for the public and that’s, I guess, the purpose of it here.

The way CIHI reports, there appears in their last edition there was only about, I think, eight performance measures for the Stanton facility and there were a lot more performance indicators for the NWT territorial, as the system-wide indicators. I guess to the question, can we get an explanation why the disparity? Why wouldn’t those indicators be relatively the same, and if so, are we going to see improvement this year and moving forward in terms of getting a better range? I’m hearing the fact that we’re working on getting more baseline. I get it, but I’m looking if we’ve got 25 reportable parameters at the facility, will we have 25 reportable parameters as an NWT system-wide parameter as well? Thank you.

Just to confirm, the Member is talking about the CIHI at this point?

Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. For clarification, Mr. Dolynny.

Yes, Madam Chair. I’m referring to the CIHI, which they have, again, 32 national base indicators which we are, from what I’m informed, we do participate with.

Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. Minister Abernethy.

Thank you, Madam Chair. CIHI is fairly structured in how they report information and they request information from us on all their indicators, and we provide them every piece of detail that we can. Then they go through their analysis process and present their information. They present it in different categories such as hospital-based categories as well as a territorial category. Some information at a territory level, our numbers are such that they can be recorded. Whereas maybe at a hospital level, if they’re too small then they’d be self-identifying so that they may not be reportable. They have some really stringent criteria on what degree of number they will put forward and what degree of number they won’t. That’s where some of the discrepancy, if any, may exist. But we will continue to provide CIHI with their data on a regular basis. They’re an important institution, important organization for helping all jurisdictions in Canada make evidence-based decisions, and we will continue to contribute data to them and everything they ask for. If we can provide it, we will.

Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. Ms. Bisaro.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I have a number of questions on this section. As the Minister mentioned yesterday, this department has changed considerably in the way it’s laid out, so if I bring up something on the wrong page, please, whoever, let me know and I’ll put it on the right page when we get there.

This section, if I read the text right, includes health services administration in Inuvik. I’d like to start by asking the Minister, when we talked about business plans there was a concern, and there’s been a concern for a number of years, but we talked about, basically, health card fraud and that Members feel and residents feel that there are people who are using our health care system when they’re not actually living here. When we inquired during business plans, I think we were advised that the Audit Bureau was going to be looking into this situation and to determine whether or not we are being as diligent as a government as we should be and ensuring that people are not taking advantage of our health care system when they don’t live here. I’d like to know from the Minister if that was done and have we established any kind of a different proof of residence criteria or protocol?

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Minister Abernethy.

Thank you, Madam Chair. It’s my understanding that that review by the auditors here in the Northwest Territories was done in 2008, and they made a number of recommendations. Most of them, I believe, we

actually did incorporate into the health care cards here in the Northwest Territories.

We share the Member’s concerns. We want to make sure that our residents’ information is secure. We’ve had lots of conversations about some of the recent incidents around health care cards with the Information and Privacy Commissioner. She’s made a number of recommendations and we’re certainly looking at implementing, where appropriate, where reasonable and where possible. For some of the details on some of the specifics around the NWT health care cards, I will go to the deputy minister.

Thank you, Minister Abernethy. Ms. DeLancey.

Thank you, Ms. DeLancey. Ms. Bisaro.

Thanks, Madam Chair. I guess I’m just a little confused, because we discussed this, I think it was September of 2014, and it was a recommendation of committee at that time, and you guys are talking about 2008. I’m just not quite too sure. I appreciate that that work was done but that was, what, seven years ago now, and I thought there was going to be some work done in the last six months or so. But I will leave that at that.

There is, I believe it’s in the section that it would be covered, the contract for the air ambulance medical travel contract. There was a huge increase in the annual cost of that contract. I’d like to know, first of all, where it is in this budget, where it shows up, and secondly, can I get an explanation as to why it’s going to cost us I think it’s $4 million more each year for the next five or 10 years, five years?

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Minister Abernethy.