Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I'd thank the Minister for that response. And I guess since we lost three or four weeks here, will we be able to accomplish the scope of work that was set out in the RFP, or are we going to have to come back to this next season? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And these questions will be for the Minister of Infrastructure. And they're fairly easy questions so she'll be able to answer them off the cuff. I can see here getting ready. I'd just like to get an update on the status of dredging in Hay River since we did have, you know, approximately three weeks where people were away from the community. Thank you.

When we're talking about incorporation. Will the Minister commit to identifying the financial amount we are talking about and whether it would have to be allocated in one fiscal year, or could it be accomplished over several years? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, incorporating the HRHSSA into the NTHSSA, I see an opportunity to formally expand health services to those communities outside Hay River, which I expect would result -- and I would hope it would result in an increase in staff in Hay River. Can the Minister confirm if this is something the department would consider in such an amalgamation process? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister tell me if incorporating the HRHSSA into the NTHSSA was to proceed, what would the process be and the timeline to complete such amalgamation? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I ask the Minister of health and social services what are the barriers to incorporating the HRHSSA into the NTHSSA? And I ask that question as residents of Hay River are concerned that this separation is, in part, one of the reasons the community cannot attract doctors or fill vacant health positions which in the end impacts timely and quality health care for our residents. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as we wrap up four years in office, many of us, including our constituents, find we are fighting the same battles which include that of health care recruitment and retention, lack of housing, homelessness, addictions, cost of living, access to labour and trades people, decrease in economic activity, affirmative action, and several other important issues. For now, I want to zero in on health care and ask why it is that we continue to have trouble recruiting and retaining doctors and health care professionals in our communities?

Mr. Speaker, I will use Hay River as an example. The Hay River Health Centre provides services not only to the residents of Hay River but also those surrounding communities which include K'atlodeeche First Nation, Enterprise, Fort Resolution, Kakisa, and Fort Providence. In essence we may be a health care centre in name, but we are seen as a hospital to many of the residents accessing services. People rely on services that are quickly disappearing or not available due to lack of doctors and qualified health care professionals. This is placing residents' health at risk, and we should be concerned.

Mr. Speaker, residents are tired to hearing of doctors shortages or that a whole department is closed due to lack of staff. That reality must change. The NWT was once competitive with southern Canada when it came to wages and benefits for health workers. We now find ourselves in a position where we are no longer competitive; instead, we are only comparable or in a wage deficit which does not work when it comes to recruitment in communities with high living costs and limited accommodations.

Mr. Speaker, the Hay River Health and Social Services Authority considers itself a separate and a distinct organization from the NTHSSA yet during union negotiations, countless employees say that they cannot provide benefits above and beyond what the NTHSSA and GNWT provide.

Mr. Speaker, if it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck.

Using that analogy, the HRSSA facilities are owned by the GNWT, the cost of managing, operating and managing the facility is covered by this government, contract negotiations require support from this government, so why would we not look at the amalgamating the HRSSA with the NTHSSA so all workers are treated equally throughout the health care system in the NWT and, most importantly, residents are provided with timely and quality health care. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Yeah, you know, I went through the budget and, you know, what's in there is in there, I guess. Well, we're never all going to be happy with what's in there but, you know, we've got a little bit for all our communities and for, you know, highway work and that type of thing. But I guess what I would just like to state, I guess, is that, you know, we are going into election, you know, government's going to kind of slow down here a bit. Contractors, some of them have been, you know, impacted by the fires as well so they've been out of work, some of them for -- for, you know, several weeks, and they're going to be looking for something to sustain them, you know, while we do this transition. So I would just like to send the message to the other side is that make sure that we get, you know, the work continues, we get work -- we get contracts out there and so that we can make sure that our small, medium, and large-sized businesses continue to work. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, when we're talking about, we're talking about Paradise, it's actually a flood plain and, you know, the damage there was significant and there's potential for it to happen again. So, Mr. Speaker, I ask the Minister if he is prepared to offer the property acquisition option to residents in areas where rebuilding is not feasible due to the severity of flooding and fire potential, such as Paradise Valley, and if not, is he willing to step aside as the Minister responsible for MACA and allow someone who will? Thank you.