This is page numbers 3095 - 3130 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 know.

Topics

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

Page 3106

The Chair

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you. Member for Yellowknife North.

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

Page 3106

Rylund Johnson

Rylund Johnson Yellowknife North

Thank you. Thank you, Madam Chair. I just -- I notice there is two body holding rooms here. Can I just get a bit of an explanation of what -- why we're building body holding rooms. Are they required in all communities now? Is there some sort of standard that's kind of spurring us. I just would like a little bit of clarification there. Thank you.

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

Page 3106

The Chair

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you. Minister.

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

Page 3106

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Yes, thank you. "Body holding room" is the 2021 terminology for morgue. And health centres built prior to 2012 did not have any kind of refrigeration room for handling deceased, for the community to do the preparations or for the deceased to be -- have the remains stored until going out for autopsy or burial elsewhere or whatever. So this is an effort to upgrade those older health care facilities by providing them with these modular units that they can use as a morgue in their communities.

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

Page 3106

The Chair

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you. Any further questions, comments under the health and social programs? Member for Monfwi.

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

Page 3106

Jane Weyallon Armstrong

Jane Weyallon Armstrong Monfwi

This supply of medical equipment evergreen, it says here territory-wide. Which communities are identified? Like, which community are getting some of these services.

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

Page 3106

The Chair

The Chair Lesa Semmler

That section we've already passed that section and agreed to move on.

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

Page 3106

The Chair

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Minister.

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

Page 3106

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Yes, thank you. The biomedical ever-greening is things like mammography and x-ray machines, ventilators, anesthesia machines, patient monitoring machines, the ones that you see in hospital rooms, lab analyzers, and those -- whenever you think of machinery in a health context, that's what -- that's the equipment we're talking about ever-greening. And so I don't have a breakdown by community. The equipment exists in different communities to different extents depending on whether they have hospital, they have a health centre, or whether they have a health cabin. But if you want a specific breakdown for your region of which equipment is being ever-greened, I can request the department to provide that.

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

Page 3106

The Chair

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you, Minister. Member for Monfwi, did you have any further questions? Thank you. Committee, we'll turn back to page 34, Health and Social Services, administrative and support services, infrastructure investment, $3,641,000. Does committee agree.

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

Page 3106

Some Hon. Members

Agreed.

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

Page 3106

The Chair

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Okay. I will go back to Health and Social Services, health and social programs. Any questions, comments? Okay, so health -- Member for Hay River South.

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

Page 3106

Rocky Simpson

Rocky Simpson Hay River South

Thank you, Madam Chair. Just to get back to the body holding rooms, I don't think these are the first ones that we've seen the department build. I just want some idea of are we looking at additional communities that are going to have that requirement. 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

Page 3106

The Chair

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you. Minister.

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

Page 3106

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Yes, thank you. As I said, the body holding rooms are required in communities that have health centres that were built prior to 2012. And you're right, there have been body holding rooms installed at other points. We've seen them in the budget before. And now we see that there's going to be one for Deline and another for Fort McPherson. And I don't know how many more places are on the list so I'll ask Mr. Heath to fill in that. Thank you.

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

Page 3107

The Chair

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you, Minister. Mr. Heath.

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

Page 3107

Heath

Thank you, Madam Chair. There's ten in total that we're planning on doing and, as the Minister said, all the facilities that fit within that window. Essentially, the health centres that are in relatively good shape that won't be replaced in the near future, we'll say within a ten-year timeframe, we've initiated a program to install body holding in all of them. So currently, we have them in Aklavik, Fort Liard, Tuktoyaktuk, Deline. And it is the intention that Paulatuk and then the higher Arctic ones will be covered as well. They will come in a series. It will be done over multiple years, and ten in total. 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

Page 3107

The Chair

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you. Member for Hay River South.

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

Page 3107

Rocky Simpson

Rocky Simpson Hay River South

Thank you, Madam Chair. And can you give me an idea I guess of a range of cost for those, because I know that they're probably in, you know, from Liard all the way up north so, just some kind of idea. Thank you.

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

Page 3107

The Chair

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you. Minister.

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

Page 3107

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Yes, thank you. The projected total for the one in Deline, for example, is $600,000.

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

Page 3107

The Chair

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you. Member for Hay River South.

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

Page 3107

Rocky Simpson

Rocky Simpson Hay River South

Thank you, Madam Chair. And I'm not sure if this is the right place to ask this, but I think my colleague from Yellowknife North mentioned day shelters. So I just wonder if -- like, you know, we have an issue wth day shelters and night shelters, and I guess I'm concerned about the cost, that the amount of money we're spending on them in smaller communities when we have an opportunities to actually maybe sit down, take a look at it, and make something more permanent, because you know, we go year after year, you know, scrambling, looking for money. So I'd just like to get a sense of if the department is maybe going to take a look at that, a longer term look for day shelters and night shelters outside of Yellowknife. 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

Page 3107

The Chair

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you, Member for Hay River. I'll let the Minister entertain that.

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

Page 3107

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Madam Chair. This is really more of an O and M expense at this point because we're contracting other service providers to provide the day shelters and Housing is contracting them for the night shelters.

I understand what you're saying about whether there is some point at which building a facility would make more sense. And I -- I'm certainly happy to have those conversations. But I would just say that within the scope of our existing budget, I would say that we have more urgent priorities, such as the long term care units, for example, where, you know, there is no plan B that is owned by somebody else that we can use. So, you know, it's not a firm no, but it's not very high up the list from my point of view. Thank you.