Air Ambulance Private Members Motion callously defeated by government: MHA Dean

Marshall Dean, MHA for the District of The Straits-White Bay North, says the Private Members Motion he presented in the House of Assembly this week calling on government to place its recent Air Ambulance decision on hold was callously defeated by government members.

The Private Members Motion, the first for the MHA, requested government delay removing the air ambulance service out of St. Anthony while a more comprehensive analysis and consultation was undertaken.  The petition was presented while residents of the St. Anthony area sat in the public gallery following their protest on the steps of the Confederation Building.

“The pleas and cries of the people of my district were simply not heard by this government,” says Dean.  “The fact that all those government MHAs could see no merit in this request and vote against the motion speaks to their lack of understanding of this issue.

 “The consultant’s report was flawed, there was no extensive consultation with stakeholders including air ambulance staff and the health care board, no rural impact analysis carried out as mandated by government itself and Transport Canada regulations were not considered. Further, key variables such as geography, weather, staffing levels and services available were not even examined.   

“The bottom line is that this government is trading the lives and safety of one region of the province against another and that is simply the lowest form of governance.  Time will prove that the Abitibi expropriation blunder may not be their biggest mistake.”

Go to Air Ambulance Private Member's Motion

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Media Contact: 
Kim Ploughman | Communications
Office of the Official Opposition
Tel: (709) 729-4634

Private Members Motion

Air Ambulance

Whereas air ambulance service is critical to the health and lives of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians;

And whereas government commissioned a consultant to complete a review of air ambulance service in northern Newfoundland and Labrador;

And whereas this report did not include all regions of the province or all aspects of the air ambulance service;

And whereas the consultant and government did not consult with local stakeholders including air ambulance staff and Labrador-Grenfell health board members during the process and before the decision to move the air ambulance was made;

And whereas air ambulance staff have identified a number of problems with the consultant’s report;

And whereas the report only looked at a few aspects of air ambulance service and missed key variables such as geography, weather, services available and staffing levels;

And whereas there is a CF(L)co plane in Churchill Falls owned by the people of the province that could serve as an air ambulance, but was not considered in this review;

And whereas a more comprehensive review of the entire air ambulance program would ensure a more effective service for the people of Newfoundland and Labrador;

Therefore be it resolved that this House of Assembly calls on the provincial government to place on hold the current decision to move the air ambulance out of St. Anthony until a complete and comprehensive review takes place that includes all regions and aspects of the air ambulance service.