Veterans Affairs committee  Well, there you go.

Veterans Affairs committee  The $55,000 we're referring to is our average cost for our contract beds, not the beds they use in Kenora or Dryden or Sioux Lookout, perhaps, but our costs, on average, for the Deer Lodge site beds--the 4,000. The community care beds are partially financed by the provinces and we just provide a top-up to whatever charges are made to the veteran patient so it's the same cost outcome for the person in a bed in Kenora as it would be for the person in Deer Lodge.

Veterans Affairs committee  That's correct.

Veterans Affairs committee  Certainly as part of the veterans health services review that Mr. Ferguson and I discussed with you last May, the object of that would be to see if we could respond to the 60% of veterans who don't have an eligibility for any care from us, or if they do, they only have eligibility for the most expensive care, and that's that $55,000-a-year bed care.

Veterans Affairs committee  It's a good question, and it's a challenge for anyone, particularly elected members, to reach the people they want to reach; I understand that, especially with a large riding like yours. Really, general knowledge and general information that you're interested in veterans and interested in helping is the only way in which privacy law will permit you to function in that area.

Veterans Affairs committee  In effect, committee members and Chair, that does conclude our comments. I think we're ready to take questions that members may have.

Veterans Affairs committee  It's Darragh Mogan here, responding to the question. The community beds are in about 1,900 facilities across Canada. They're really where the veterans choose to go, and where they're licensed by the province for the most part. That's the kind of choice I think Ken Miller was talking about that veterans prefer.

Veterans Affairs committee  Yes, that's Deer Lodge.

Veterans Affairs committee  No. What I'm saying, Mr. Valley, is we have about 4,000 contract beds and the inconvenience of those is that they're not located necessarily where the veterans are located all the time. So it would mean that someone from Kenora would have to go to Winnipeg, and there's a real down side to that in terms of one of the determinates of health, and that's social integration.

Veterans Affairs committee  Good morning. Thank you very much for allowing us the time and for indulging our being on the end of the phone rather than there with you. Unfortunately, I'm unable to travel today. I wanted to give a little focus to the opening--

Veterans Affairs committee  I'm sorry; I'm Darragh Mogan.

Veterans Affairs committee  When Brian Ferguson and I were appearing at the committee last May, we talked about the veterans health services review and the veterans independence program. What we didn't get to in the discussion of the continuum of care was the very important role long-term care now plays in that continuum and will certainly play in the future.