Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, when it comes to health centres, health clinics, health cabins, those types of things, the Department of Health and Social Services is essentially the client. We are identifying the program and the magnitude of programs and services that we need to be available through a facility, and the facility must be designed to meet those needs, but Public Works and Services is the builder.
Also, Public Works and Services, for Health and Social Services as for all other departments, has a responsibility for property management, which means they are managing leases, they're managing rent, they're doing all of those things on behalf of the Government of the Northwest Territories. So, when it comes to something like a health cottage, cabin, whatever you want to call it, in Sambaa K’e, we have identified a need we are putting into this capital plan so that we can, you know, put some money aside to acquire the facility.
I've been to the community myself. I've had an opportunity to talk to the chief, who has made it very clear that they would like to own and rent a new health cabin exactly like they do today. We're supportive of that. We're open to that as a possibility, but, at the end of the day, it's the procurement department that will be making those decisions based on what is affordable.
I know that staff was supposed to be in Sambaa K’e yesterday. The chief indicated he was not available on short notice and the meeting was cancelled. We have indicated to them that we're happy to go in there whenever the chief can be available to discuss options on how we can move together. That meeting would obviously be with Public Works and Services, the chief, but also staff from Health and Social Services because, at the end of the day, we want to make sure that whatever is built or whatever is acquired meets our clinical needs.