This is page numbers 845 - 886 of the Hansard for the 19th Assembly, 2nd Session. The original version can be accessed on the Legislative Assembly's website or by contacting the Legislative Assembly Library. The word of the day was services.

Topics

Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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The Chair

The Chair Julie Green

Thank you, Minister. Deputy Minister.

Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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Cooper

Thank you, Madam Chair. Certainly, our budget is based upon past experience. We have been working to try to make best use of our specialist resources and other physician resources by undertaking a review of our current configuration and to ensure that we are optimizing the taxpayer money that we have there. There has been a review that is underway between ourselves and the NT authority to look at specialist services that may be required to meet needs going forward.

At this point, we feel this is good, but we believe it's a responsible thing to do as part of our overall trying to address our deficit to ask ourselves some good questions about what kinds of services we need, what are some alternatives to delivering those services to ensure that we are optimizing taxpayer money. The answer is: we believe this is an appropriate allocation. Our focus is on trying to deliver better value for money and better management of the resources we have.

Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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The Chair

The Chair Julie Green

Thank you, Deputy Minister. Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes.

Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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Lesa Semmler

Lesa Semmler Inuvik Twin Lakes

Thank you, Madam Chair. Just with this, it's brought to light through COVID that we have a lot more and my colleague has related to it about mental health, going through virtual. Our doctors' appointments are virtual. By looking at our specialty services, it's $26 million here. I think about: we go into medical travel. There are a lot of costs involved with medical travel, meeting the specialist. Is there a plan, looking at these high numbers, to ways to look to save costs for our government by more virtual care specialty clinics to try get rid of some of our wait lists and maybe start using that for a lot of our cases that are sitting on these wait lists throughout the Northwest Territories? Thank you.

Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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The Chair

The Chair Julie Green

Thank you, Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes. Minister.

Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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Diane Archie

Diane Archie Inuvik Boot Lake

Thank you, Madam Chair. The Member is absolutely correct. That is our intent. For the last two months, we've been looking at telehealth virtual care. We have been doing a lot of our mental health services through virtual care. This is something that we can look at once we get through this pandemic and try to find ways to be creative in our budgets. We do spend a lot of money on specialty services. That is something that we can look to in the future of cost savings. If it's working, then why not continue using the way it's working. Thank you.

Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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The Chair

The Chair Julie Green

Thank you, Minister. Next on my list, I have the Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh. Go ahead.

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Steve Norn

Steve Norn Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh

Marsi cho, Madam Chair. Just a quick statement. With this COVID pandemic, a lot of our mains that we are going to be reviewing, the complexion is going to completely changed. I think, again, this is going to be no different. I just reviewed. I am probably going to go back and forth a little bit, though I will try not to be too confusing. If you could turn your page to 172, there is a line item here for Rockhill Apartments. My question here: we are very sad of what happened here, by the way, with Rockhill. It was a good program. My constituents used that building, and it's no longer here. My question to the Minister for this contribution, this line item: this $266,000 that is mentioned here, is that still somehow funnelled to the YWCA in another line item? Thank you.

Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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The Chair

The Chair Julie Green

Thank you, Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh. Minister.

Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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Diane Archie

Diane Archie Inuvik Boot Lake

Madam Chair, no, it is not.

Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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The Chair

The Chair Julie Green

Thank you, Minister. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.

Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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Steve Norn

Steve Norn Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh

Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you for that response. These allocated funds are completely discontinued, and so I guess for lack of a better word then, why do we seize out this money from here on in? Thank you.

Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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The Chair

The Chair Julie Green

Thank you, Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh. Minister.

Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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Diane Archie

Diane Archie Inuvik Boot Lake

Due to the fire in October 2018, there was no budget in this budget. Thank you.

Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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The Chair

The Chair Julie Green

Thank you, Minister. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.

Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

May 28th, 2020

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Steve Norn

Steve Norn Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh

Thank you. I'm going back to page 171 now, Madam Chair. There is a line item for contract services. Back from the 2018-2019 actuals, it was at $8.4 million, approximately. It spiked up to over almost $25 million. Now, we are back down to $22 million. Can the Minister just explain a little bit how that came about and the reasons why we are at the number we are at today? Marsi.

Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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The Chair

The Chair Julie Green

Thank you, Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh. Minister.

Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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Diane Archie

Diane Archie Inuvik Boot Lake

Madam Chair, I am going to look to Ms. Mathison to give us the breakdown. Thank you.

Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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The Chair

The Chair Julie Green

Thank you, Minister. Director of finance.

Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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Mathison

Sure. Thank you, Madam Chair. The increase from 2018-2019 to 2019-2020 was related to the service payments for the new Stanton Hospital. That was $18 million. In 2019-2020, there were some one-time costs as Stanton was settling, that are now out of the budget for 2020-2021. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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The Chair

The Chair Julie Green

Thank you, Director of Finance. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.

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Steve Norn

Steve Norn Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh

Thank you, Madam Chair, another sticky cost at the hospital that we've incurred. My other quick question here was with travel. The complexion of all this is going to change. We're not going to be travelling a whole lot for the next while. If there is any surplus for this year, would that just go back into the consolidated revenue fund? Thank you.

Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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The Chair

The Chair Julie Green

Thank you, Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh. Minister.

Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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Diane Archie

Diane Archie Inuvik Boot Lake

Madam Chair. The travel amount, we are all still doing patient travel. We still have patients who are receiving care here in the Northwest Territories as well as outside the Territories, for appointments like cancer appointments. We still will incur travel, but, if we don't use up the budget, yes, it will go back in. Thank you.

Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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The Chair

The Chair Julie Green

Thank you, Minister. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.