|
Petition
Presented March 13, 2008
Long term care
facility for Conception Bay North
Home
| In the House | Petitions
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Member for Port de Grave.
MR. BUTLER: I
am sorry, Mr. Speaker, I believe it is catching.
Mr. Speaker, I want to
stand today and present another petition with regard to
the long-term care facility for the Conception Bay North
area. I won’t go into the full body of the petition
because I have already read that before the hon. House.
When we hear so much over
recent days with regard to facilities throughout our
Province, I guess our area is no different. We have the
Carbonear General Hospital there, which is taking up a
lot of the people who could be placed out in a long-term
care facility. We have the Harbour Lodge, the Interfaith
Home and the Pentecostal Home. Those facilities are
getting up in years when it comes to the age of a
structure, and this is where the people are coming from,
but I guess the main concern is where we had been placed
on a priority list through the department, with a proper
assessment done, back in 2000-2002, and the Conception
Bay North area was listed as being number one. All of a
sudden we find ourselves in sixth position, not a bad
position to be in if government is going to recognize us
once again and say yes, you are in need of a new
facility; but, Mr. Speaker - and, we are not complaining
because those people are getting new facilities.
I know it was mentioned
recently that, I think, Corner Brook and Clarenville are
just about coming on stream. I read in the Throne Speech
there were a couple of other facilities, Happy
Valley-Goose Bay and Lewisporte, I think, that by 2010
will be on stream. That is all wonderful, Mr. Speaker,
and we have no problem with that, in supporting it
totally.
I just want to call upon
government to at least have another evaluation done of
the Conception Bay North area. If that area was in such
a great need back four or five years ago, surely
something must have gone wrong if, all of a sudden –
and I will use the expression - it is totally off the
radar screen.
The people of the area
are calling upon us. The need is there, Mr. Speaker,
and, between now and when the Budget comes down,
hopefully something will be announced.
I call upon my hon.
colleagues across the way. I am surrounded by three
ministers, three people who are in the Cabinet. I
believe they all have a strong voice and can make it be
known. The Member for Trinity-Bay de Verde, the Member
for Carbonear-Harbour Grace, the Member for Harbour Main
and my hon. colleague from Bellevue, people from his
district use those facilities as well.
Mr. Speaker, I want to
call upon government to listen to the prayer of this
petition and on behalf of the people of the Conception
Bay North area, that they would consider the
possibility, sooner rather than later, of a new facility
to serve the seniors of the Conception Bay North area.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. |
