Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, that increase was -- the difference was that there was the supplementary funding because of the increased costs that the out of territory treatment facilities with the new agreements, and it also was the increased cost to the travel that it was increased numbers that we were getting for people that were going out for treatment. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you. I'm going to go to the Member from Monfwi.

Okay, thank you. So it just goes to show that we really do have an addiction issue in the North, and especially with the drugs and alcohol. So it's just that there is the difference here is that there's reductions. I have an issue with that where, you know, why? Because we know that there is a major issue. You know, and why there's a reduction within the budget. I know that just like what my colleague said from Mackenzie Delta, in small communities, and in here too, we know of someone who is suffering with addictions. We even have family members who are suffering, you know, with addiction issues. And lately I've been hearing in my region is that a lot of people are seeking help. They want to go for help. They want to go deal with their addiction issues. So I know that there's the on the land base. So some of those will work for some people. And with the treatment facility, some it will work, it will work for some people. Because we don't have something to fall back on when they come back, like the transition centre or a program that's going to be, you know, helping these people. Some of them, they only last a day as soon as they come back. So we do need something in place. Because the government is spending a lot of money trying to send -- you know, to send the people out to get help that they need to deal with their addictions. But there's nothing. There's nothing in place for a lot of -- in the small communities, like there's nothing. It's going to be -- it's good that Yellowknife -- and there's Yellowknife and Inuvik. But from my region, there probably -- you know, there's nothing there for my communities or for my regions. And with things that's happening in Yellowknife, crime related to drugs, it's a lot of people are scared to go to Yellowknife to seek help. So with the transition centre that's being proposed in two communities, I just wanted to ask the Minister if they're looking at having the same program in other regions for next fiscal year. Thank you.

Thank you. I'm going to go to the Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. At this time right now, what we have in the budget for -- and in our business plan is to have these two programs, one in Yellowknife and one in Inuvik, as it is a partnership with an NGO and health, infrastructure, and housing. And so right now where we're at is getting these two up and running and hopefully to have that -- and, you know, and, I mean, if there's a way to be able to work with Indigenous governments and with other partners, if there's federal dollars that we can access that we could try to bring more of those facilities in the territory, you know, I fully support that type of work but right now where we are financially is this is where we can -- you know, what we can do right now. And like I said, any time I talk with Indigenous governments if there's -- you know, if there's a way that we can tap into some of these federal budgets that the announcements with mental health wellness and addictions and different pots of money that they have, if there's ways that we can work with communities to partner, you know, we're always looking for different ways to try and provide different services but right now what we have on the books is just for these two facilities. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you. I'm going to go back to the Member from Monfwi.

Thank you. Okay, this one is for the residential care. Okay, the budget is good for the 2024-2025. I've been talking to some family members and I have -- I didn't talk to the people in care, but I've been talking to some family where it is hard for them -- especially, it is okay to visit the family that are in care, and I know there are some family that were very advocate, they really advocated for the family members that are in care so I know that they brought them back. They brought them back up North. They're in our regions in care. By there are some that are in group home. Family there wants the family to come home too, because some of these, when their family come and visit it is hard for them. Both parties, it is hard for them. It is difficult for them to leave each other because the young person or the adult that is in care is away from the family members. This is, like, going back to residential school where the family -- they are away from their family, their language, their culture. You know, so they -- so some of them are saying they would like to see them back up North in some kind of a group home setting where there is service for them, there is program and services for them. And I know about the specialized services for children and youth. It's not that I'm talking about, it's for other that can come home and be cared for by -- in the North where they will be near family.

So I just wanted to ask the Minister if this group home, the residential and group home facility can be extended to outside of Yellowknife in the regions where families would like to care for them. Can they provide that services to other regions?

Thank you. I'm going to go to the Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. You know, I hear where the Member's coming from and I understand that there's many -- the clients that we do have in residential care facilities are very complex and, you know, however, we all wish that we would be able to have all the service to support people. And, you know, my community is kind of like your community, it doesn't have all of the specialized services there. And we also don't have the staff that will help to be able to take care of a number of the needs of the people and to support the family on top of that. So right now what we do is we look at each individual -- when we review all of the people that are living in supportive living on a case by case and if there's -- you know, if things change in -- like, people that are outside of the territory, if there's circumstances that change in the territory and there's way to repatriate them back into the Northwest Territories, at least they're in the territories. But as to a lot of these clients, repatriating them into the smaller communities or the regional centres, there's just not the level of support to be able to support that resident and the family. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you. I'm going to go back to the Member from Monfwi.

Thank you. I know it is complex, but there are some that can be brought back to the North. And I -- only if you -- if the department's talking to some of the families, I'm sure. Because there are some that are there without no families. We know that. And the power of attorney, and they don't know who is the power of attorney. And I know that from talking to some of the people here who have loved ones over there, they said they only find out after the fact that their loved ones was in the hospital like, you know, and because they don't have anybody. There's no family anymore or not -- like, not that family anymore but it's just that the guardian is not around no more and there's no power of attorney. So the state is, but nobody contacts the family members in the North.

So I just wanted to ask the Minister if they can, you know, arrange some kind of a communication with the family members that have loved ones down south. Because I know it is hard on the loved ones that are left behind. And it's hard for the family to leave their loved ones behind. And it's just -- it's a repeat of what the residential school did to our people. So that's how they feel. It just feels like going back to residential school days. That's what they are saying. That's how they are experiencing the experience that they have leaving their loved ones behind, especially in the south. And it's not like down the road, it's quite a ways. So that's more of a comment. But I just wanted to ask the Minister -- it's more of a comment but it's up to her to reply. Thank you.

Thank you. I'll go to the Minister.

Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chair. And we do have the Office of the Public Guardian. And, you know, if there are members of the family, like -- you know, the instance that you've explained, maybe the person that had passed away who was the public guardian and there's family, I would suggest that those family members reach out to the public guardian. I know that they always want to make sure that there's a connection between family members and the resident. So thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you. Any further Members that want to ask questions to the Minister? I don't see any hand up, I'll continue on.

No further questions. Please turn to page 212, Health and Social Services, out of territory services, operations expenditure summary, 2024-2025 Main Estimates, $93,555,000. Does the committee agree?

Thank you. Moving on to supplementary health benefits beginning on page 214. Are there any questions? I'm going to go to the Member from Great Slave.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. So I'm going to keep these pretty general, just trying to understand a little bit better the Minister's thinking behind the changes to EHB. So in the business plan, one of the items is around stewarding physical health and contributing to fiscal sustainability, and HSS has an item that says income assessment process and fee structures established and incorporated into more HSS program and service delivery areas.

And my question is with regards to EHB specifically but health programs in general, how does this improve access to health care for all our residents per the priorities of this Assembly? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you. I'm going to go to the Minister.

Thank you. I'm going to go back to the Member from Great Slave.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. And thank you to the Minister for that. And thank you to her department for sending us some more information about EHB today. I really appreciate it. In the -- and it was a publicly accessible letter. Thank you for that.

So in that letter, it's noted that currently about 1,400 people are in the EHB program under the specified disease conditions list. The department estimates that that will grow when the specified disease condition list is dropped and the new policy rolls out in September, and the cost differential that health is estimating will be about $1.2 million. So it's an increase in expenditures for the department even with this change. And I can appreciate, you know, wanting to get folks who are, you know, finding it -- who fall below the threshold on to a program that allows them to access benefits. No issues there. I think it's great. Hundred percent behind it.

In previous presentations, public presentations that the department gave to Members, they used the calculator that is publicly available as well, and they spoke about band 15. So just as an example, for band 15 in Yellowknife, the net income for a single person who falls under band 15 -- I realize it might be different for families or folks with dependents -- it's $74,431 net income. So someone who's making probably in the range of $95,000 of gross income. So if you work out the average rent and grocery bill that a single person would pay even if, say, you're -- you know, you're a roommate, in a roommate situation, say you're at the beginning of your career in your early or late 20s, the deductible for a single person to co-pay into medication is $540 and you max out at -- I think it's 820, which is another $280 on top of that. So for that entire expenditure over a year, that's basically coming out to -- you know, if you're in a roommate situation, that's -- if you're lucky, that's a month of rent. So I guess my question to the Minister for her isn't really so much a question as a comment but, you know, how does she see someone, you know, basically paying an extra month of rent here in the capital as being an equitable program? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you. I'm going to go to the Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. There was a lot of numbers. There was a lot of calculations in that. I am not a mathematician, and I could not keep up with where we were at. What I can say with that, you know, is I understand that there's people out there that are not getting any services. There are people that are getting -- you know, and the majority of people already -- that may be working in positions, they may have some type of insurances. This doesn't inhibit them from applying on this program as well. So this is the payer of last resort, but it can be in combinations with other. It's not going to affect, like, NIHB clients. There's no change to that. There's no change to Metis benefits. There's no change to the senior's portion of the EHB. That all remains the same. It's the under 59. And I hear the Member. You know, there's been lots of different concerns. We've postponed it, I think, in the last government to do more fulsome reviews. We've advocated for change. Those changes have been -- that's what's the delay, is trying to implement the regional calculations and that will roll out on September 1st. And so, you know, and this is one of the things that I've said to my department is that over the course of the year that it's rolling out, if there is undue hardship we will make sure that we review those cases and, you know, and have -- you know, hopefully be able to look at the process and what we're going to be doing with those. And I also want to know after the full year is, too, how many, you know, more people that we've assisted and, you know, if there is the costs that people are -- you know, if there's concerns, then, you know, to hear that feedback. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you. I'm going to go back to the Member from Great Slave.