Thank you, Member for Kam Lake. Minister responsible for Health and Social Services.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Member for that question. So last year we did reorganize services on the basis that the service provided within the schools is advisory and not therapy. The service provided within the clinics is therapy. And we prioritize the youngest children for that therapy so that they have the best success when they do begin school. Having said that, we have had and continue to have significant staff vacancies in both the in-school and the occupational therapy services. And so as a result, they were reduced for this school year. In school, consultative services will be maintained for students with priority needs, and those are primarily students under five years of age and students with complex needs. So we've added a number of new positions in the Delta and at Stanton with the hope of -- not only the hope but the intention of reducing the average wait time of -- what we're going for is reduction of an average wait to less than two months. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Minister mentioned that the current service model focuses on -- primarily on children that are birth to five years of age. And we know that typically at about age six children age out of the system, and the model that -- sorry. They switch to a consultation model at age six. So given the impacts of COVID-19, is Health and Social Services looking to increase or remove this age-out limit to increase access to services in our community schools and that includes in Yellowknife here. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we're not looking at making that change.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, given that there is a national shortage of speech language pathologists, is health working with ECE to create a hybrid model of partnerships, resident speech language pathologists, and community-based paraprofessionals to provide the much needed on-the-ground support in our community schools. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as the Member knows, NTHSSA and the department do work collaboratively with ECE in this area. And in the next fiscal year, the department is preparing for a review specifically of the speech language pathology services to understand the current service gaps and identify opportunities to improve services. And that work will include NTHSSA, Hay River Health and Social Services Authority, the Tlicho Community Services Agency, and ECE. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary. Member for Kam Lake.

Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we do have a high-level service dashboard that is available online, but it doesn't drill into the level that the Member is asking for. And so I will follow up with her to give her specific times for Inuvik, Stanton, and Fort Smith. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife North.