Thanks, Madam Chair. Well, I'm glad we came to the same conclusion. That was the figure that I had as well so glad the Minister was able to find that.

So this money here, is that going to prevent this from happening again? Is that what the -- basically that's what the objective is? Thanks, Madam Chair.

Thank you. Minister.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, the last four years have had nothing but unexpected emergencies so I'm a bit hesitant to make that promise. That said, that is exactly why we are going to try and hire more individuals, so they don't wind up in this situation as they were at that time back a year or so ago where the disproportionate number of vacancy rates led to the need to reduce services.

Avoiding a need to reduce services is, I know, a priority and so there's been a lot of money, as you would have seen, coming through both in terms the main estimates and supplementary estimates to support our health system and specifically to support human resources within the health system. That said, of course, Madam Chair, there's a lot of need across the entire health services envelope right now. So I know I just add the note of caution that while adding six full-time positions more than that is significant, there's a lot of other needs throughout the system right now. So, again, priorities to avoid this -- the reduction in services but coming with the notation that there's a lot more work to be done. So thank you.

Thank you. Member for Frame Lake.

Yeah, no, thanks for those comments. But I just am mindful of it cost us $1.2 or $1.1 million to close it and maybe to help keep it open, it's significantly less than that by hiring some more staff. So I think this one's kind of a no-brainer. And yeah, I guess we got to try to prevent this from happening again. And if means spending some more money and actually saving money in the long run, I think we need to do that. And that's all I've got. Thanks, Madam Chair.

Thank you. Member for Great Slave.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I just wanted to ask a little bit about the suicide prevention strategies funding and just can the Minister confirm that this was the money that came out of the negotiations of Regular Members? Thank you.

Thank you. Minister of Finance.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Yes, that is correct. Thank you.

Thank you. Member for Great Slave.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I just would be remiss if I let this opportunity go by without making the comment that I wish this number was a lot more. I don't hold it on this Minister's head that it is not more. I do recognize where we're at from a fiscal standpoint as a government. However, I still want to make the point that I think we're paying more at the other end than we would be if we would just put the money upfront properly and into investing in our youth and ensuring that they all have places to go. It was really shocking to me as the deputy chair of social development that not every community even has a youth centre, and I think that right there in and of itself is a basic start. So I just wanted to make the comment that, you know, we need to be putting more money within funding for youth supports and suicide prevention. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Member. Are there any further questions to - okay.

Supplementary Estimates (Operations Expenditures), No. 1, 2023-2024, Department of Health and Social Services, operations expenditures, health and social programs, not previously authorized, $3,187,000. Does committee agree?

Supplementary Estimates (Operations Expenditures), No. 1, 2023-2024, Department of Health and Social Services, operations expenditures, long-term and continuing care services, not previously authorized, $2,243,000. Does committee agree?

Supplementary Estimates (Operations Expenditures), No. 1, 2023-2024, Department of Health and Social Services, operations expenditures, total department, not previously authorized, $9,531,000. Does committee agree?

Please turn to page 10. Supplementary Estimates (Operations Expenditures), No. 1, 2023-2024, Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment, operations expenditures, corporate management, not previously authorized, $89,000. Does committee agree?

Supplementary Estimates (Operations Expenditures), No. 1, 2023-2024, Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment, operations expenditures, economic diversification and business support, not previously authorized, $2,929,000. Member for Frame Lake.

Thanks, Madam Chair. First off, I love fish and I'll eat it as often as I can get it. But in here there's $2.2 million for operations of the Hay River Fish Plant, and just wondering is this going to be an ongoing expenditure over time or what's happening here? Thanks, Madam Chair.

Thank you. Minister.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, we are not expecting this to be an ongoing thing. This is really part of the transition now that there is -- well, hopefully soon to be the operational fish plant in Hay River, and over the next three years it will be transitioning to be a locally operated -- hopefully locally operated fish plant. But for now, we need to get it open and running. So unfortunately with the production in fish having gone down over the last five and so years, as a result of which there's a bit of a gap particularly in this first year in terms of what we're expecting in revenues versus the cost of running the plant. So we are expecting some revenues in and that will offset some of this amount, but certainly want to be able to ensure that we can run that plant, get it going, and support the revitalization of the industry, revitalization of having fish moving south and getting more money for those fish, which then, again, hopefully brings more fishers on, raises production, and gets us out of having to subsidize the plant. Thank you.

Thank you. Member for Frame Lake.