"Now that the federal government has committed an extra $32 million in health care funding, the premier and minister should ensure that a portion of this money is used to establish this important MRI machine and make it a priority for this government," said Mr. Joyce. "The concern that Mr. Williams and Mr. Marshall previously presented was that there was no money available for this project. This $32 million is new funding that hasn’t been allocated in this year’s budget and has not yet been committed to any specific project. I would encourage government to use some of this money to ensure this project receives immediate attention. I am well aware that there are many competing interests for these dollars, however, with a project that needs such a limited amount of funding to be finished, we cannot afford not to move forward with this initiative immediately.

" Mr. Williams and Mr. Marshall were very adamant before and during the election that this machine was a necessity. I would hope that their commitment to the people of Corner Brook, and indeed the west coast, has not changed because they have become the government. There has already been a major delay in these renovations and we can ill afford to delay this project any longer.

"I am confident that this project will eventually move forward, but I insist government have the funding in this year’s budget to ensure there are no further delays. West coast residents should not have to continue traveling to St. John’s for this service, thus leading to longer wait lists for MRI procedures. This is unacceptable and should be corrected immediately."