Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As we all know, last year Health and Social Services authorities amalgamated into the NWT Health and Social Service Authority. The rationale for this move was to improve coordination, communication, and the use of resources, including staff, among the regions. The Hay River Health Authority was one of the two that were left out of the amalgamation because it was engaging negotiations, but the primary reason appears to me, anyway, to be the costs associated with bringing it on board, due to their underperforming pension plan.
This pension issue has been going on for over a decade, and the price tag is growing. Every time I bring it up, it is a different number: $20 million, $15 million, $25 million. I am bringing it up again because I see the negative effects of being excluded from the NWT Health and Social Services Authority in relation to issues like medical travel, staffing, and mental health. I want to see if we can bring some sort of conclusion to this issue. My first question to the Minister of Health is: how much would it cost to bring the Hay River Health and Social Service Authority into the NWT Health and Social Services Authority? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.