MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Opposition.

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, on Monday, 26,000 litres of offshore drilling mud were spilled from the Henry Goodrich on the Newfoundland Grand Banks, yet the public are only finding out about this today. I thought that government had dealt with this issue of reporting spills in the offshore, Mr. Speaker. I ask the government today: When did you know about this and why was it not reported at that time?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Natural Resources.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SKINNER: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, there was a spill of some 26,400 litres of a synthetic drill mud that occurred on Monday. It was spilled from the Henry Goodrich while it was drilling a hole out there in what we refer to as the Ballicatters Well. The mud has sunk to the floor. The company and C-NLOPB have sent down remotely operated vehicles to test the seabed floor. There does not, at this point – the analysis is still ongoing –appear to be any environmental damage and we will continue to work with the C-NLOPB and Suncor, the company, to ensure that the mud that was spilled will be cleaned up.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Opposition.

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The minister did not answer the question around reporting. After everything that we have been through in this Province, it is not good enough that it takes three, four days for this kind of information to get out there.

I ask you again today minister, in light of what we have seen in the past and commitments that your government has made in reporting these particular spills: Why is it that this one was not reported and not made public until now?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Natural Resources.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SKINNER: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, it is the regulatory body, the C-NLOPB, that is monitoring and responsible for the reporting and regulation of the offshore. They posted the information to their website, which is the process that is to be followed. That information is available for the public and for anybody else who wishes to see it. That information is on their website as we speak today.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Opposition.

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

My next question is for the Premier, and I see she is all dressed up in her finest today, Mr. Speaker, to go down to see Stephen Harper this afternoon. Mr. Speaker, I should remind the Premier of the Little Red Riding Hood story –

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

I ask the hon. member to pose her question.

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I should remind her of the Little Red Riding Hood story because I would not want the wolf to devour her because there are no woodsmen left to rescue you, Premier, after you closed down all the pulp –

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MS JONES: – and paper mills in Newfoundland and Labrador.

My question, Mr. Speaker, for the Premier is: we want to know what concessions that you have given up to get Stephen Harper’s so-called support, which is what we are hearing at this stage, on Muskrat Falls. You are quoted in the media –

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

I ask the hon. member to pose her question.

MS JONES: That was my question, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER: Thank you.

The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, it is unfortunate that chauvinistic remarks are being made by the Leader of the Opposition. I find it very offensive, Mr. Speaker, in this day and age to have those kinds of comments preface any question that is being addressed to me. Mr. Speaker, I do not need rescuing – I do not rescuing from a woodsman or from anyone and particularly not from you.

Now, Mr. Speaker, there have been no concessions of any kind made to the Prime Minister or anyone else in this Province or in this country, nor will there be.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Opposition.

MS JONES: Mr. Speaker, I am sorry if the Premier is offended because I said she is all dressed up to go to Stephen Harper’s party –

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MS JONES: I am sorry about that, Premier.

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MS JONES: Answer the question now. You are in the media and you are saying that you have accepted the conditions that Stephen Harper has offered you. What are those conditions? Tell the people of the Province.

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I never heard of anything so foolish before in my life. I do not care who is speculating about what might have been said or what might have been given up. She is asking me a direct question: Have concessions been made to the Prime Minister for anything, Mr. Speaker, including Muskrat Falls?

I am telling you, Mr. Speaker, telling this House, and telling the people of Newfoundland and Labrador, no, there have not.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Opposition.

MS JONES: She must be struck amazed again today, Mr. Speaker, because I will tell you this: She is quoted in the media as saying she has accepted Harper’s conditions.

Tell us what the conditions are, Premier.

AN HON. MEMBER: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Mr. Speaker, because something gets quoted, because you read it, does not make it true. Otherwise, the National Enquirer would be a much more popular magazine than it is, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: I certainly have not indicated to anybody, media or otherwise, that I have accepted any conditions with regard to anything, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Opposition.

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

We do not know what the conditions are that she has accepted, but we may find out at some point down the road.

Mr. Speaker, let me ask her this, because right before the writ was dropped, Prime Minister Harper flew to Quebec or whatever, signed off the agreement on Old Harry, put it in writing, and gave it to the people of Quebec. This is my commitment.

What did he give to Newfoundland and Labrador, I say to you, Premier? What was the trade-off for you to get any support at all on this particular loan guarantee? Was Old Harry a give-up for Newfoundland and Labrador to make that happen?

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Mr. Speaker, I am embarrassed for the Leader of the Opposition. She does not even understand the kind of process that is required to settle a boundary dispute.

Mr. Speaker, we have not been able to settle the Old Harry boundary because there was no mechanism in place to do it. We were able to settle the Nova Scotia one because Nova Scotia has an accord and we have an accord. Quebec needed an accord with the federal government so we could enter into a discussion around the Old Harry boundary, Mr. Speaker.

There have been no discussions on where that boundary might be. There has been no process of ratification begun, Mr. Speaker, but thank God, finally, after fifty years, we have a process in place where we can do that.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Opposition.

MS JONES: Mr. Speaker, the Province of Quebec, the very province who said they would not support loan guarantees for Newfoundland and Labrador, all of a sudden, Mr. Speaker, have a written commitment from Harper on Old Harry, that the Premier knew nothing about, had no details of, was not at the table, was not included, and provided no representation for Newfoundland and Labrador.

Mr. Speaker, last week she said transitions can be difficult, when she referred to her former colleague, Mr. Williams, who she is not speaking to these days. Well, we know, Mr. Speaker, that transitions are not that difficult because members on the other side are all out there supporting Stephen Harper today and they could not trust him a few years ago.

I ask the Premier, Mr. Speaker: What concessions are you giving up on behalf of the people of this Province to try and get some kind of a bait and deal from Stephen Harper?

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, when Newfoundland and Labrador negotiated its Atlantic Accord with the federal government, I will guarantee you that the provincial Government of Quebec was not sat up at the table, Mr. Speaker, because they had no business being there. That is the same for Nova Scotia when they negotiated their agreement with the federal government, Newfoundland and Labrador was not there, Quebec was not there either.

Now, Mr. Speaker, because Quebec has an accord with the federal government, we finally have a process that we can draw on to settle the boundary dispute. I say again, Mr. Speaker, there are no concessions to anyone with regard to anything. Mr. Speaker, you do not always need to give concessions, you just need to make good sense.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The hon. the Leader of the Opposition.

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

We know there were conditions and we know that Quebec got what they wanted, Premier.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in the House today on behalf of Chelsie Coombs. She is an eighteen-year-old Memorial student who suffers from a debilitating chronic pain disease called neuropathic pain. She was hospitalized for 100 days in Eastern Health’s facilities and is currently bedridden at the Miller Centre. The family has not been able to get a response from the minister, the Premier, or Eastern Health as to why there are no treatments and interventions and services available in this Province to treat her pain.

I ask the minister, or the Premier today, if one of you will tell us why nothing is being done to assist Chelsie and her family, and why her case is not being addressed?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KENNEDY: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Although we invest $2.7 billion annually in the health care system, there are always situations where families or individuals feel that their loved ones are not happy with the treatment or being treated properly.

Every day, Mr. Speaker, we have thousands of people who go through the health care system. I am aware of this case but, as the hon. member opposite I am sure is aware, I cannot comment on details of the case pursuant to section 39 of the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act.

I am informed that numerous meetings have taken place, Mr. Speaker, with this family, as late as a couple of days ago, and maybe even today. If this individual is willing to provide me with a written consent then I am certainly willing to discuss the case, either in the House of Assembly, on the Open Line or elsewhere, but until such consent is given I cannot discuss the details of the case.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Opposition.

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I am sure if the minister had responded to them they would have absolutely gave you their consent.

Mr. Speaker, in January of 2010, Chelsie was transferred to a Halifax rehabilitation centre and for the first time she had a team of specialists and proper therapies. She started to make significant progress and got back the use of her legs and other vital functions. When she was transferred back to Newfoundland and Labrador her condition regressed because there were no therapies available to her.

With all of the abundance of oil resources that we have seen in this Province, why are we not offering these vital therapies to chronic pain patients like Chelsie? Why do they have to leave Newfoundland and Labrador to get this service?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KENNEDY: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I think the hon. member opposite is aware of that. There have been a number of issues raised by this family with Eastern Health that have been dealt with through Eastern Health. It is not simply one issue. I did, by the way, reply to a number of letters over the last few days that have been received either by the Premier or myself in relation to the family.

Mr. Speaker, as I have indicated, there is always going to be situations where we do not have the services required, or the family, or an individual is unhappy with the situation.

The member opposite referred to a situation earlier today: 11:30, I think it was Thursday night, an e-mail was sent to me by the Leader of the Opposition in relation to a young child and a need for a prescription. By 2:30 p.m. the next day, Mr. Speaker, we had straightened that situation away.

When these situations come to our attention, we try to deal with them. I am informed, Mr. Speaker, that Eastern Health is working with this family. As I have indicated, Mr. Speaker, once written consent is obtained from the family then I can certainly discuss the details of the case.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Opposition.

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I am being told by the family that they have been unable to have any contact with Eastern Health. They have been trying to get meetings with Vicki Kaminski and they have been unable to get those particular meetings. In fact, the treatments that are required - it is one thing to say we do not have the service; it is another thing to make an effort to provide it. From what I understand, the services they need are not complicated and they are not overly expensive.

I ask the minister today, if he will take it under advisement to start the process to provide the services, such as hydrotherapy, to patients in Newfoundland and Labrador like Chelsie who need it but do not have access to it?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KENNEDY: Mr. Speaker, my concern, as the Minister of Health for the Province, is the health and well-being of all of our residents. We do the best we can on a daily basis, Mr. Speaker. There are thousands of workers in the health care system who provide the best care possible. We are putting significant amounts of money into the health care system.

In terms of new services or expanding services, we are always willing to look at that, Mr. Speaker, in terms of helping our public. Because that is the question, how can we best serve the public of our Province? Mr. Speaker, tough decisions have to be made. On the one hand you can expand one service but then we have cancer drugs, we have the issues with the recruitment of doctors. We have to put significant amounts of money into the health care system. We cannot be all things to all people, Mr. Speaker.

As for this particular family, again I can check into it but I have been informed that meetings have taken place and discussions have taken place as late as Tuesday past. Now, if that is not correct, Mr. Speaker, certainly I will get back to the hon. member but I think that that is, in fact, the case.

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Opposition.

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Doctor Anthony Clevenger, a research, wildlife biologist at Montana State University this morning released a report here in Newfoundland and Labrador entitled, Moose vehicle collisions and their mitigation in Newfoundland, which clearly states that Newfoundland and Labrador’s government is misleading the public and they are inaccurate when indicating that there is little to be done, other than put the responsibility on motorists to avoid collisions with moose and by clearing brush from sides of highways to increase driver visibility. The report further indicates that those measures have proven to be ineffective in both Canada and in the United States.

I ask the Premier today: When will your government consider taking effective measures including moose fencing to make our highways safe for the people of Newfoundland and Labrador?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Transportation and Works.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. HEDDERSON: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Again, when it comes to moose-vehicle collisions on the highways of Newfoundland and Labrador, I do not think there is any member on either side of the House who would not want that to go away.

I, for one, commute two hours a day over terrain that is conducive to moose. I have come upon accidents. To say that we as a government would sit back and do nothing is as far from the truth as anything. We are, given the resources that we have, doing everything that we can to mitigate and to make the highways of Newfoundland and Labrador as safe as possible, including doing some brush cutting, public awareness, and other things that we hope are being effective in helping to cut down on these accidents.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Opposition.

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

With all due respect, Minister, this biologist is saying that the programs that you have in place right now are ineffective and they are misleading to the public in terms of real action against what is happening with the moose population out there and the accidents that are being caused.

Mr. Speaker, over a year ago, the former Minister of Environment indicated that she was developing a five-year moose management plan. Today, we would like to see a copy of that plan, but we are being told that it does not exist.

I ask the minister: Why do you continue to drag your feet on this issue? When can we expect to at least see some start on the plan that you promised over a year ago?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Environment and Conservation.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. WISEMAN: Mr. Speaker, as my colleague has just indicated, this is a very sensitive issue and one that we are all very much concerned about when we hear of people having accidents on the highway. It has impacted many people’s lives and their families.

One of the unfortunate things about this whole discussion, Mr. Speaker, is it is fraught with misinformation. Just a couple of days ago, for example, we were informed by the RCMP that the information being distributed in the public domain about the number of moose-vehicle accidents is, in fact, inaccurate. In fact, they acknowledge themselves that the information that some of their offices have supplied has been inaccurate. So, there is no real way of knowing the number of moose-vehicle accidents that actually occur is the fact of the matter, Mr. Speaker.

The member opposite just referenced a study released today. That, too, has many inaccurate facts embedded in that report, Mr. Speaker. So as we try to –

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Opposition.

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The minister obviously told me absolutely nothing in that answer, I will say to you, Minister.

So, Minister, let me ask you this: Because you already committed, your government did, and your predecessor in the department committed to do the plan more than a year ago, are you going to do the plan? Will you call together the stakeholders, such as the Save Our People Action Committee and others out there, because we understand today they are not able to even talk to government at this stage for some reason, will you call these people together and start some movement on a management plan with regard to moose in this Province on our highways?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Environment and Conservation.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. WISEMAN: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Let me finish my answer I was giving a minute ago. Mr. Speaker, fundamentally, we have inaccurate information out in the system. The number of moose that are existing in the Province, Mr. Speaker, they have been on a steady decline for the last five years, contrary to what people are talking about and are suggesting that there are rapid increases.

The number of moose-vehicle accidents, I say, Mr. Speaker, again the information that is in the public domain is inaccurate. Again, with respect to the moose quotas, we have already published next year’s moose management plan, Mr. Speaker, that maps out the number of moose licences to be issued next year. Again, the suggestion has been that the number of licences issued on an annual basis has been in decline, whereas in the last five years we have been steadily increasing the number of licences issued a year. Next week, we will be announcing a significant increase in next year’s quota, Mr. Speaker. All a part of that plan that she refers to –

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Opposition.

MS JONES: Mr. Speaker, let me tell the minister what else has been increasing. Since you guys took government in 2003, at that time there were 363 moose accidents being recorded, collisions on our highway. Today, Mr. Speaker, there were 741 in 2010. Mr. Speaker, that is an increase in the number of vehicle-moose collisions that we are seeing on our highway. Those statistics itself should be a reason for government to act.

I say to you: Are you prepared to call the stakeholders together, start taking this issue seriously and take some action on it?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Environment and Conservation.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. WISEMAN: The member opposite obviously did not listen to my earlier comment. On March 11, I have a letter here from the Chief Superintendent of the RCMP acknowledging that the information that their offices have supplied previously is inaccurate. The 700 figure that she references is totally inaccurate, Mr. Speaker.

Unfortunately, the information was supplied, it is out in the public domain, but it is inaccurate. Despite my commenting to that effect, the member opposite gets up and repeats it so that it actually resonates further in the public domain, and that is unfortunate, Mr. Speaker. It is a sensitive issue, one that we need to deal with, one that we are working through and managing.

In the moose management plan that she references, there are many components to that that I have already shared here this morning, Mr. Speaker. Fundamentally, we do have an issue that we are managing and working our way through. The moose management plan is a piece of that, but in the interim we cannot be out there suggesting that –

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

Further questions?

The hon. the Member for the District of The Straits & White Bay North.

MR. DEAN: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, last week I raised the issue of people receiving inadequate compensation of claims they filed with the provincial government due to Hurricane Igor. The minister stated his hands were tied because of federal guidelines. Today, we learned from the media, and it is somewhat surprising, that 500 of some 1,400 claims or so that have been put in looking for government assistance with rebuilding their lives after the hurricane have been denied the support they needed.

I ask the minister: Is this government prepared to come forward with a subsidy to help those who fall outside the federal government guidelines and are denied assistance in getting their lives back on track?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister Responsible for Emergency Preparedness.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. O’BRIEN: Yes, Mr. Speaker, the hon. member is correct that we have to follow the federal guidelines in regard to any compensation due to a disaster, and that is prevalent right across Canada in any province that we are in.

If the hon. member had done his research, he would have seen that those denied claims were claims that were denied for various reasons, insurable perils, or whatever it may be. If they were not covered by us, we also dealt with the various organizations, the non-charitable organizations, such as the Red Cross and Salvation Army, that have stepped in to take over those claims on our behalf.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for the District of The Straits & White Bay North.

MR. DEAN: Mr. Speaker, I understand there are various reasons why things are turned down. I appreciate that, that is a good piece of information, but I already know that. I think it is also unfortunate that we would suggest that one-third of the claims that were received, or were processed, have been denied and we would hand them off to the Red Cross or the Salvation Army for processing. That seems to be kind of an unfair thing for government to do.

I would ask again, those who have been denied, those who will not get assistance either from these organizations or from the federal government program, is this government prepared to help them to get things back on track?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Municipal Affairs.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. O’BRIEN: Yes, Mr. Speaker, I would like to correct the hon. member in regard to his last comment in his closing remarks. We are on track in regard to Hurricane Igor. As a matter of fact, 75 per cent to 85 per cent of the claims that have been submitted have been closed and dealt with, and the householders have been compensated. As well, there are some complicated files in regard to home replacements that we are working our way through. As I have said in this House, and I have said in media sources, we do not see any of the householders who have been affected by this unprecedented disaster on the Open Line shows, because our people are working closely with the people affected and making sure they are taken care of.

We have to go through the process. We have to see what is left over. At the end of the day, the Province may very well be responsible for 10 per cent to 20 per cent of the total claim. We have to see and we have to follow the proper guidelines at the end of that process.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for the District of The Straits & White Bay North.

MR. DEAN: Mr. Speaker, in today’s article on Hurricane Igor in the Clarenville Packet, one of the claimants who was denied states the federal guidelines are unfair.

I ask the minister: Given that storms like Hurricane Igor will occur more often, and given the federal government’s Disaster Financial Assistance Agreement is clearly not meeting the needs of those who need disaster assistance, will he commit to approaching Ottawa to do a review of this agreement so that it is more responsive to the needs of those affected in future times?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Municipal Affairs.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. O’BRIEN: Already done, six weeks ago.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for the District of Signal Hill-Quidi Vidi.

MS MICHAEL: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, good long-term care and home care is essential for people to be able to live their lives in dignity. Mr. Speaker, we have heard from a sixty-five-year-old man who waited in an Eastern Health ICU bed for over seven months because the resources were lacking allowing him to be placed close to his family and friends on the Northern Peninsula. His lengthy stay in ICU caused great stress on his family and has been highly damaging to his health.

Mr. Speaker, I ask the Minister of Health and Community Services: When can we expect a long-term care and community support services strategy to help people, such as this gentleman, who have fallen through the cracks of our current system?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KENNEDY: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

As I have indicated in this House on a number of occasions we are working towards the completion of a long-term care strategy.

What is a strategy? It is a plan. It looks at what we have done in the past. We have built numerous facilities; we have invested $256 million. What are we doing today? In the recent past we consulted with numerous groups, Mr. Speaker, nineteen communities, over 500 people attended sessions. What are we going to do in the future? We have to look at, Mr. Speaker, that our long-term care facilities are full. There is almost 100 per cent occupancy rate in St. John’s and throughout the Province. What did we do a few weeks ago? We contracted with a private agency to take forty long-term care beds so the very people that the NDP is talking about could come from the acute care beds into a long-term care type of facility and we criticized for that, so I am not sure exactly what it is she is looking for.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The hon. the Member for the District of Signal Hill-Quidi Vidi.

MS MICHAEL: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, the reason this man was held in the Intensive Care Unit here in St. John’s is there was no ventilator in the hospital in St. Anthony. Even if there were, there was nobody trained to use a ventilator, and that is why he was kept here for seven months, and kept in ICU.

I ask the Speaker: Will having resources like this available everywhere in the Province be part of the plan he is talking about?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KENNEDY: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I am aware of the case that the Leader of the NDP is speaking about, but what we are looking at in terms of a plan, Mr. Speaker, is the preventative approach, first and foremost. We outlined yesterday, $700,000 in Wellness Grants; we will be announcing $200,000 in Age Friendly Newfoundland and Labrador Grants, and $200,000 in Wellness Grants.

So we want our seniors to remain healthy, to stay in their homes, Mr. Speaker, and to be happy and healthy as long as possible.

Then, Mr. Speaker, we want to and we are dealing with home care as we have dealt with over the last period of time with an investment of approximately $90 million. We are looking at increasing home care. We will have to look at, Mr. Speaker, what to do with relatives who are looking after their loved ones, especially in rural parts of the Province.

We have to look at dealing with our personal care homes, Mr. Speaker; how can we help them remain viable? We have to look at our long-term care facilities. So we are taking a global approach in trying to address the issues that are out there.

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for the District of Signal Hill-Quidi Vidi.

MS MICHAEL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, yesterday at the Medical Association’s Senior Summit, NLMA President Dr. Pat O’Shea talked about the ill effects on elderly patients being forced to wait for care in emergency departments. Senior patients are becoming sicker while waiting for care.

Mr. Speaker, I ask the minister: Will he realize how major this problem is – and it is much more than offering preventative care? Will he work with Eastern Health and consult with the NLMA to support solutions that make sure seniors do not get sicker while waiting for treatment?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KENNEDY: Mr. Speaker, again, I am aware of this issue. It is one that we heard of during the Long-Term Care Consultation Sessions where medically discharged individuals were taking up acute care beds. So we contracted with Chancellor Park for forty beds to address the very situation raised by the member opposite.

The other thing we did, Mr. Speaker: In The Isle of Notre Dame and Twillingate district we opened up five acute care beds that were not being utilized throughout the year and put in a five bed restorative unit to deal with the type of situation that the member opposite talking about. So that seniors who are staying in acute care beds are moved from acute care beds into a restorative unit, into Chancellor Park, where they receive the help they need. So we are already addressing the situation.

Again, Mr. Speaker, she criticized us the other day for contracting with Chancellor Park to address the very situation she is criticizing us for today.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!