Kevin A. Menicoche

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Certainly, I can say unequivocally on behalf of the residents of Fort Liard and Nahanni Butte that they’re not choosing to go there. It’s just that over time they’ve developed trust issues about service of health delivery within our own system. But aside from that, if we can develop this base, the residents have a working relationship already. I’m just asking our government, let’s formalize this, let’s work a way around it, let’s continue supporting our residents getting the proper health and close to home delivery of health care that they can.

When the Minister talks about using our health services in Fort Liard, that’s an entirely different question, because the Minister is well aware of the other concerns with regard to people not trusting or else being dismissed by our Fort Liard Health Centre, but that’s an entirely different issue altogether.

What I’m talking about is when Alberta had the Capital Health Services we had a written agreement to use their services, their facilities, with our medevac services, et cetera, and now they’re called Alberta Health. I’d just like to ask the Minister exactly what type of arrangement or...

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize three of my hearts in the gallery today: my loving partner, Ms. Lucyanne Kendo; a wonderful stepdaughter, Brittany Jewel; and my very smart grandson, Kayleb Black-Villeneuve. Welcome to the gallery.

I’m very pleased that at least the department is beginning the process of trying to understand the situation about having Fort Liard and Nahanni Butte residents having a travel cost. I think that’s the biggest issue, because the Minister is right; we do have reciprocal billing and we do have an agreement throughout the provinces that our health care cards are recognized in BC as well as Alberta, but it’s just a matter of getting there, seeing the services. Like I said, they’ve been doing it for decades. They’re familiar with the doctors and the dentists in those communities in northern BC.

I’d...

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I just want to follow up on my Member’s statement wherein I spoke about Fort Liard and Nahanni Butte residents accessing health services in Fort Nelson, BC. I just wanted to speak with the Minister of Health and Social Services with regards to that.

He was travelling in my constituency in May. He heard from the residents about the type of care that they do get from Fort Nelson. Part of the barrier there is that they’re not being referred there. They’re going there and they have been using it for decades, but their travel costs aren’t being covered to go there...

While I’ve got the microphone, I’d like to speak a little bit about future needs of Fort Simpson. Of course, due to the housing stock, there’s a need for a new eight-plex or a 10-plex type of building. I don’t know if the department has that in their forecast for future growth of Fort Simpson and their needs there.

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. I just noticed some of these units in the smaller communities, just a general question about the concept of, in order to reduce costs, duplexes or four-plex type of schematic. Is there anything new in the works with regard to that in placing those in the smaller communities, Mr. Chair? Thank you.

Thank you very much. Also, a new issue that came up out of Fort Liard was the road tests that the community was almost too small because I think we changed our legislation that the road test had to be done in the larger communities like Fort Simpson. Even Fort Simpson was questionable at that time. So I don’t know if the department has reviewed it with regard to giving out learners’ permits, class 7s and class 6s. I know that Aurora College goes to great lengths to train up to 10 people at a time in Fort Liard. So just with that there, Mr. Chair.

Thank you very much. Yes, just with the co-pay component, I’m just wondering what kind of timing does the Minister expect in looking at and reviewing that particular guideline that’s in our programming currently. Thank you.

I think the Minister was talking about some of the bridges on the winter road section which kind of leads towards the Mackenzie Valley Highway Project to the north of Wrigley. I know that when the Minister came with me and we spoke with the Wrigley delegation, that was one of their asks, was can we start doing a small, mini program of highway development past the community of Wrigley, in terms of piecemealing the eventuality of a Mackenzie Valley Highway up the Mackenzie Valley. Just with those thoughts, any work that has been done by the department with respect to that other than the geotech...