Kevin A. Menicoche

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I just want to get back to the first issue. Many, many of our seniors are falling and fracturing bones. I think that our medical health system should pay attention to that.

So, I’d like to ask the Minister once again, how can the department do this? The family wants to be sure that people do not get hurt and misdiagnosed and lay at home for three days. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

My constituency has all small and remote communities. The Minister is talking about a protocol. I would also like to raise the issue of getting medical attention through medevacs should be part of that protocol, because had my constituent been medevaced immediately for a proper and thorough examination, I don’t feel that she would have gone through this pain.

Also, in fact, why aren’t we doing proper medical examinations at our local health centres? Thank you.

Thank you very much, Madam Speaker. I stand before the House today dismayed and frustrated. The reason: yet another failing of our health system. A family in Fort Simpson wanted me to raise this issue so no one has to go through this, and I hope we can learn from our mistakes.

This most recent case happened on Wednesday, February 5th, when a Fort Simpson elder slipped and fell in her home. She was taken by ambulance to the health centre, where two X-rays were taken. The first was blurry, so a second one was taken. Not seeing any obvious break, the doctor sent her home with a prescription of...

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. I thought I had seen a larger number of increases over last year, but its $50,000. While I’m asking, maybe I can ask the Minister why there’s an increase of $50,000 over last year.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Perhaps if the Minister can check firstly on the capital and then what specifically is in the O and M budget for the Jean Marie access road and get that back to me there.

Thank you very much. I’m really glad to hear that and maybe the Minister can specifically tell me what strategy that’s in, because it is a seasonal access road right now, meaning it does get soggy and people do get stuck. So the community would like assurance that they will get it upgraded to a highway status, passable year-round. Once again, would the Minister confirm that?

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to use that momentum and improve the Jean Marie access road. We can do more.

Residents of Jean Marie and the leadership have long wished to see the upgrade to a highway. Currently, it is listed as a seasonal access road in Jean Marie. It is truly a seasonal road. During the spring runoff and summer rain storms, the road gets soggy and muddy and almost impossible and impassable at times.

I urge the Department of Transportation to review funding and include the upgrading of this access road in the upcoming multi-model strategy that the department is...

I think the Minister meant Yellowknife standards where it’s chipsealed, as well, all their access roads. Just with that, it’s a priority of the community. It’s always been. I’ve been in this Legislature raising it time and time again.

Is the Minister aware of any other capital dollars aside from this operations and maintenance budget that is going towards the Jean Marie access road?

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I touched on the Jean Marie access road earlier in my Member’s statement, so I’d like to ask the Minister of Transportation some questions about the access road at Jean Marie.

Are there any plans in this fiscal year in the maintenance budget to do some specific work on that access road to Jean Marie? Thank you.

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. I just wanted a chance to comment on the budget address generally. Along with my colleague Mr. Blake, I think nursing in our small communities is one of our priorities I would say, and trying to get that in the budget is proving to be difficult. I would sure like to get support in one of these budgets and say, look, having equal services in the small communities compared to the larger communities is just as important, so I will continue to push with that. I’ll proceed with a Member’s statement during this sitting, along with that as well.

Decentralization and...