One of the challenge of being a territorial government versus a provincial or the federal government is we have a debt limit that's controlled by Ottawa and is capped. How do P3s interact with our debt limit? Can we find more flexibility through P3 financing through our own borrowing?

In a P3 project is just what we bookmark for the project that goes towards our debt limit. So, for example, if the project is worth -- let's use $100 million as an example. If we have to put in $50 million, well $50 million would go toward our debt limit. If we go through the traditional procurement services, then all the money that's bookmarked for that particular project will go towards our debt limit.

Thank you to the Minister for that answer. It seems that we do need to explore other options to suit our unique circumstances as a territory. If we're going to invest in infrastructure today, we need to look up those options so we can free up more time for investment. So it sounds like the Minister is doing that, and that's great, but how are we ensuring adequate oversight of P3 projects? Can the Minister provide honourable Members with some examples?

We find that this is a way to have our infrastructure dollars go further, and some of the risk being on the proponent. So I think there's some value there. As far as oversight, I'll used the Inuvik-Tuktoyaktuk Highway for an example. We have an Inuvik-Tuktoyaktuk Oversight Committee that meets regularly and gets updates on the highway. So that type of oversight will continue for any of the other projects that we go through a P3 process; we get updated on Stanton quite regularly, we get updated on the Mackenzie fibre optic link quite regularly. So we have an enormous amount of oversight in these committees, and we feel that, in the future, this is the direction to, as I said before, stretch out our infrastructure dollars a lot more to get more projects for the residents of the Northwest Territories. It's something that we would continue to pursue, unless we have a compelling reason not to.

Oral questions. Member for Kam Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you to the Minister for obliging. I raise these questions because members of the public do have concerns about these P3s. So is there a way we could make P3s more transparent? I was really encouraged by the Minister of Public Engagement and Transparency's statement today. Is the Department of Finance working on a way to bring more of this information to light and allow the public to have a better sense of why we use P3s and why it's an effective tool for this government, and that they are being held accountable for the millions of dollars we're investing in them? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, we do have a P3 policy that's readily available online. We might have to make it a little more accessible or put it right on the front page, because sometimes you have to navigate your way through the system to get at number of these policies. So we'll ensure that the policy itself is readily available if people want to have a look at it. But I think their big concern is not so much the policy, but the fact that this government wants to stretch our investments out a little further, get more projects for the communities across the Northwest Territories, because a lot of these people want to work. So, you know, we'll continue to do what we can to allow our infrastructure money to go a lot further.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife Centre.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today my questions are for the Minister of Health and Social Services. As I said in my Member's statement, I understand there's some good work under way developing the new Disabilities Action Plan. My questions are more by way of an update. Can the Minister confirm the status of the actions reported on in the reply to our disabilities motion, and whether we're on track to have a new plan in place by March 31st? Mahsi.

Masi. Minister of Health and Social Services.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in March there was a motion that all Members of the House supported, including Members on this side. We have moved forward, we have begun the development of the plan. We intend to have it done March 31, as originally indicated. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

That is the intention. We intend to have a plan outlining the services and whatnot that are provided today and identifying any gaps in services we need to provide, as well as an opportunity to have mechanisms to evaluate as we move forward.

To break out one of the multiple questions there, could the Minister commit to annual reporting to the Assembly on the Disabilities Plan once it is delivered?

We'll certainly work with committee. We will keep them updated both with the review and the report, as well as moving forward.

Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife Centre.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Finally, on this point, I'm wondering whether the Minister will deliver with this plan a costed implementation plan and the assignment of the resources needed to deliver on it. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I knew the money question was coming. The Member has asked pretty much for money on every initiative that we're working on, which I appreciate, and obviously we would love to put money into these initiatives. The problem is, we have an expenditure versus revenue challenge here in the Government of the Northwest Territories. Any money that we put into new initiatives, new programs, is going to cost money, and that money has to come from somewhere.

As I've committed on the other questions the Member has asked, we're going to look carefully at how we're spending our money to make sure that we're getting maximum benefit for the dollars. If we have to re-profile how we're spending the dollars in order to get maximum benefit, we're prepared to do that. Once that's done, if it turns out we need some additional dollars, I'm prepared to work with committee and Members to try to find those dollars from within existing resources so that we can make appropriate investment, but it's going to take the will of both sides to find areas to reduce in order to invest in new areas. So I'm not going to commit to having a fully costed plan at this point, because I think we have to have a lot more discussion on where our future investments are going to go, but I'm prepared to push for it.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Nahendeh.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. A couple of days ago I was asking the Minister of Health and Social Services some questions about medical travel, and I'd like to follow up with a couple of questions that I didn't get to ask that day. With the different authorities, with Hay River and Behchoko or Tlicho, does the medical travel policy still apply to that community, the ones that the department has developed? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Minister of Health and Social Services.

I'm not sure I understand the question 100 per cent. If a resident of the Northwest Territories is given a referral to a community outside of their home community for a service, if they are required to go to another community to receive services, whether it's somebody going to Fort Resolution for an appointment or somebody from Simpson going to Edmonton or Yellowknife, medical travel will apply, and if there is a legitimate need for an escort, those needs will also be met. So I'm not sure I understand the question 100 per cent.

I thank the Minister for the answer. He kind of answered the question. What I was asking, though, was: is that policy, the medical travel policy developed by the Department of Health and Social Services, applicable across the territories? I think the Minister answered the question, saying it does.

So my second question, and maybe he can answer this one. I shouldn't say can, I know he can. In regard to non-medical escorts, when people move from a small community to a larger centre, sometimes they lose that support system. So what is the process to allow people to get non-medical travel that are not in that community? So if I move from Fort Simpson to Hay River and I don't have the support system there and I need a medical escort, what is the process so that people from the community that they live in can help support that patient?

This does happen from time to time. But to be clear, a medical escort, non-medical escort, still needs to be referred or supported by a practitioner. It's not a choice that the individuals get to make; they still have to have support. If there's a legitimate need, an escort will be provided.

I understand the situation the Member is describing. If Jane Doe lives in a community, has to go to Edmonton, but their daughter, spouse, whatnot, happens to live in a different community, how do we get the right people together? It's usually done through an exception request. This is something that an individual can request. It usually has to be escalated up further than the administrators who are actually doing the day-to-day administration of the program. But it is something that happens; it is an exception request.