Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Our brand new hospital has been plagued with problems from the day it opened in May. First, it was the food provided by the kitchen. Now, eight months after opening, there are chronic plumbing and heating issues. It is my understanding that the new Stanton hospital has more mechanical problems than the one it replaced. These ongoing problems are distressing for staff, patients, and residents of the NWT, who expected so much more from the most expensive building the GNWT has ever built.

I spent a day inside the emergency department before Christmas with a bad knee. An alarm rang for hours, and I understand that alarm fatigue is now a problem because medical staff do not know whether the alarm is for a real problem or whether it is an all-too-frequent false alarm.

Throughout the day, staff shared cellphone pictures of doors frosted over, as well as stories about how cold the hallways are near the outside doors, while others are uncomfortably hot. They have been dealing with plumbing problems since the hospital opened and as recently as yesterday, and they are tired of the workarounds.

I know that the Minister, staff at the department, and the hospital health authority are aware of these problems, but their best efforts have not resulted in an end to the problems. I am not sure if there are new problems every week or whether the problems have been multiplying since the hospital handover. I have no idea who is doing the repairs and what they are costing. Does the hospital have a warranty, like a new home, and how long is it good for?

You may be aware of a hospital constructed in North Battleford, Saskatchewan, using the same P3 model and 30-year maintenance contract. That hospital, which opened two months before ours, has had some of the same problems with mechanical systems. In fact, the problems in the North Battleford hospital are so extensive that they triggered a third-party construction audit of the project. A media report says that the audit will review the quality of materials, equipment, labour, and workmanship used during the building. It is expected to be completed sometime this spring.

The current state of our brand new hospital is discouraging, to say the least. We expected better of this $350-million facility. We want to know that we are getting value for money. I will have questions for the Minister of Health and Social Services. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.