Legislative ._ Assembly

Lloyd G. MacPhail: You are keeping this money from them.

HonaM. Lorne. Bonnell: We are not keeping any money from anybody. We are not keeping any money from anybody.

Lloyd G. MacPhail: You are not giving them $101.50.

Hon. M. Lorne Bonnell: What makes you think we should be giving them $101.50. Lloyd G. MacPhail: Because the cost of living has gone up.

Hon. M. Lorne Bonnell: Well the cost of living has gone up and they got $100.00 are we supposed to give them $101.50 too?

Lloyd G. MacPhail: Well the cost of living has gone up just the same.

Hon. M. Lorne Bonnell: I am afraid, Mr. Speaker, that my honourable friend is talk— ing about something that he doesn’t know anything about. He is talkig about Old Age Security, some Old Age Assistance, and $101.50, whatever that means, all con- fused into one and if he has any questions I will be glad to answer them on the Order Paper or in the Question Period, but I would like to tell the House about how we propose to cover some of our Senior Citizens with Blue Cross—Blue Shield, and I think it would be a benefit to the honourable member to stick to the point so

that he could tell his Senior Citizens in his area of the plan that might be available to them, if we can make proper negotiations.

Another time in our budget. an increase, Mr. Speaker, is our Rehabilitation Section under Welfare and under this Rehabilitation Section there is a small increase for medical restorative treatment which wasn’t there last year. Last year under Rehabilitation there was some done under Health and some done under Welfare, and in 1968, after April first, the Department of Health will no longer be looking after special projects, such as artificial limbs, and arrangements to finance these various rehabilitation procedures.

Under the Rehabilitation part of the Department of Welfare the Federal Gov- ernment pays 50% of the cost of the appliances or whatever expenses that we should have, and therefor it has been transferred from Health to Welfare for Rehabilitation purposes.

These, Mr. Speaker, are the major items and you will notice as well, probably, are not quite so substantial this year as they were other years. The Old Age Assis- tance, the Blind, and the Disabled Persons’ Allowances are down to what they were last year. This again, Mr. Speaker, is because of the transfer to General Welfare Assistance and you will notice that the General Welfare Assistance is up about $500,000 which accounts for the money that was transferred from these other pro- grams.

Leo F. Rossiter: Can I ask you a question, Mr. Speaker. Hon. M. Lorne Bonnell: Yes.

Leo F. ROSSiter: You may have covered this but I get them mixed up out there at Riverside. The Riverside Hospital and Hillsborough General Hospital, are you making one of these institutions into a Home for the aged or chronically 1]]?

Hon. M. Lorne Bonnell: Riverside? Leo F. Rossiter: Yes.

Hon. M. Lorne Bonnell: The Department of Health as you know, Mr. Speaker, al- ways operated Riverside Hospital and Hillsborough General Hospital.

Leo F. Rossiter: I realize that, but I wondered if. . ..

Hon. M. Lorne Bonnell: Now as of last year or part of last year, and next year the Department of Welfare will pay the cost of operting male dix’1s1on and most-of the female division of Hillsborough General Hospital and we have negotiated w1th the Federal Government, have an agreement signed that we will receive half the cost

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