Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, if there -- I mean, difficult to make a guesstimate of that. Different nurses have different -- fall within the pay scale at different rates. There is different overtime amounts, different enhancements, you know, again, so. I can give you -- there's a, you know, total number of scheduled hours that an agency nurse might work. I can try to break that down. But, again, breaking it down by what that does by hour, you know, again, different nurses come in at different hourly rates. So, you know, I'm not -- this is a discussion broadly about the fact that agency nurses are being utilized in the Northwest Territories and elsewhere in Canada. It is all over the news right now. It is an agreement that we have with the UNW to use agency nurses only when available. And the difficult challenge we put ourselves in, and I don't mean to steal the Minister of health's thunder on this one, but if you don't have the nurses there and then there's staffing is short and services close, that is difficult on morale. It's difficult for the public. But, of course, to keep things open, we're either relying on our own nurses to cut short on their time off, on their leave time, or we're bringing in agency nurses. It is a quagmire, and I acknowledge that, but at this point we really just looking for supplementary appropriation to cover the costs for the current fiscal year for being in that exact quagmire. The forward-looking challenge is a much bigger one. Thank you.
Caroline Wawzonek on Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
In the Legislative Assembly on February 27th, 2024. See this statement in context.
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
February 27th, 2024
Page 298
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