SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Planning and budgeting for the $900,000 retrofit of Stanton Territorial Hospital is well underway, according to Health Minister Sandy Lee.

Kam Lake MLA Dave Ramsay warned that capital plans and getting finances in place for those plans takes time.

"We have to come up with a plan to address the capital needs of that hospital. That planning has to start now," said Ramsay.

Lee said planning is underway and when Stanton is retrofitted she wants it to be a modern health facility, efficiently built and effectively used.

"When Stanton Hospital was built 30 years ago, even before they opened the door, the building was outdated. The building was not designed to deliver the programs that it was required to deliver by the time it opened," said Lee.

She said the planning process would take two or three years to complete, and the work being prepared for Stanton has to be in line with work being done in the regional health centres.

"Hay River, Fort Smith, Norman Wells and Inuvik will have much to say about the next phase of capital planning for the Stanton Hospital," said Lee.

Shelter funding slightly up

In an extension from last week's legislative assembly session, Weledeh MLA Bob Bromley asked what the government was doing to save the "haven for wounded families."

Minister of the Status of Women, Sandy Lee, said the Centre for Northern Families received funding from the government "from various envelopes" but the main funder is the Department of Education, Culture and Employment.

"ECE has been taking the lead in the reviewing of the program and we continue to talk to the management of the centre to find options," said Lee.

Lee committed to reporting to the assembly next week on the outcome of a recent meeting of the Coalition for Families Against Violence, stating they would like to see some stability in funding.

"We have increased the funding over the last number of years, said Lee, adding the funding was bumped up to $482,000 this year from $460,000 last year, and will go up slightly next year as well.

"I believe we are making progress and doing things that the coalition would like us to do," said Lee.

MLA unclear on Wildlife Act

Frame Lake MLA Wendy Bisaro wanted clarification on the Wildlife Act during the Tuesday session of the legislative assembly, asking if there was a percentage of land intended to be kept open for economic development.

Bisaro said she heard from some organizations that about 45 per cent of lands will be kept open for economic development, a number she said is too high.

"I think the Wildlife Act is impacted through conservation areas on economic development and particularly mining exploration and mining operations," said Bisaro.

Environment and Natural Resources Minister Michael Miltenberger said there is not a territory-wide percentage that has to be kept free for resource development and said the issue of what land is available for economic development is not part of the Wildlife Act, which is "designed to look at wildlife management and wildlife issues."

He said the issue of land set aside for economic development is being dealt with separately.

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