MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Opposition House Leader.
MR. KELVIN PARSONS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I would like to enter again, for
the ninth time I believe it is, the petition on behalf
of the residents of La Poile. That concerns, of course,
the lack of a washroom facility, restroom facility so
that users of the ferry service between Rose Blanche and
La Poile can have some decent, human, normal facilities.
Right now, there is nothing.
The petition, Mr. Speaker – which
says it all, by the way, the language of the petition
says it all:
WHEREAS
the people of La Poile must use the provincial ferry
system in order to travel to and from La Poile; and
WHEREAS
the people of La Poile and visitors are required to wait
at the Town of Rose Blanche from time to time for the
ferry services; and
WHEREAS
there is no restroom, waiting room area at the Town of
Rose Blanche where users of the ferry service may
utilize washroom facilities; and
WHEREAS
citizens of all ages including men, women, children,
seniors, disabled persons all require washroom
facilities as a basic human need in the course of their
travels and particularly while awaiting the transit
systems; and
WHEREAS
it is an abuse of human dignity as well as health and
safety regulations to allow such degrading and
dehumanizing circumstances to continue;
WHEREUPON
the undersigned, your petitioners, humbly pray and call
upon the House of Assembly to urge government to
immediately construct and operate a waiting
room/restroom facility at the Town of Rose
Blanche-Harbour Le Cou such that all users of the
provincial ferry service which operates out of La Poile
may be able to utilize such waiting area/washroom
facilities.
Mr. Speaker, it is pretty basic.
If you use a public transit system, you expect to have
the basic provisions, i.e. a washroom. If you go to Rose
Blanche, whether you are a resident of La Poile, anybody
else in this Province, someone involved in the fishery
going down to do fish inspections, or a tourist who is
visiting here and going down the coast, if you need to
use the washroom while you are waiting for the ferry,
tough luck. There is nowhere for you to go.
Someone suggested it is pretty
graphic to be up in the House of Assembly talking about
this. Well, it is more than graphic when you are
subjected to such horrors during your travel, literally.
If it is summertime, wintertime, or whatever, if you get
short took while you are trying to wait for the ferry,
too bad. That is the attitude we have had.
I have had several conversations
with the minister about this. I believe we are one of
the few if not the only public transit system left in
the Province that does not have it. He has assured me he
is going to take a look at this and see what can be
done. I pray, as it says in the petition, everybody in
La Poile prays, and everybody who uses the service prays
that the minister can find it within his budget to come
up with some funding to get rid of this problem that
should never, ever exist in this day and age, Mr.
Speaker.
Thank you.
