Sandy Lee

I’m doing exactly that, so I’m sure the Member agrees with what I am doing. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am on record to say that the municipality had voted on a plebiscite years ago to close this airport in a phased fashion. Two years ago we were aware that they were closing this and the letter that the Stanton CEO sent is not a letter to some consultant in Missouri. That was, in fact, very appropriate and direct input that our government put in. We wrote to them to tell them how important this service is. We were involved exactly where we should have been.

Mr. Speaker, since then, the decision to close the airport has had overwhelming support within the municipality...

The plan is in the works. The plan is being worked on. We are being consulted on the plan. The Premier of Alberta set up the quality council. Our Premier was engaged, as well, at his level. I am engaged with the Minister of Health in Alberta. We have two years before the last runway closes. Mayor Mandel has said that the runway will be open until we have a plan. The Premier of Alberta said that. We are engaged. I have talked to the federal Minister of Health. I have talked to Minister Ambrose, who is the Minister responsible for Northern Alberta. I want to assure the public that we are totally...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I don’t think I can comment or respond to what the mayor said in his conversation with the honourable Member.

What I need to say is that while the decision to close the municipal airport is within the jurisdiction of the mayor and the city, the responsibility of looking after the medical travel issues is within Alberta Health Services and the Minister of Health of Alberta.

I am engaged in discussing with the Minister of Health in Alberta. My officials are engaged in directly communicating with her counterparts in Alberta. There is a quality council set up to work out a...

Mr. Speaker, what our people need to know and I need them to know and the Members here should know is that when there is a medical emergency in any part of our Territory, they are connected with our medical providers at the regional level and a territorial level. There are doctors and nurses and care providers who are looking at the patient’s situation and deciding on the medical course of action. They will be sent to the Territorial Hospital in Yellowknife if necessary or if it is something that needs to go to southern jurisdictions right away, that will be done. Then our medical...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. When I mentioned that this was the responsibility of the airport, what I meant was the decision to close the airport was within the jurisdiction of the municipality of Edmonton.

Mr. Speaker, it should be made clear, and I’ve said on many occasions, that this is a very important issue for us and we have a responsibility to make sure that our public and our patients that need to use the Alberta facilities and Edmonton facilities are taken care of.

In that regard, I have been communicating with the Minister of Health in Alberta who, along with his Premier, have set up a...

Thank you.

Yes, I would, please. Thank you.

I do appreciate what the Member is saying. The jobs or the positions or the people that are in our communities do serve in two different areas. Economically those are jobs and they have those jobs and those are important to them. Then in terms of care, it is so much more preferable for our people to be taken care of on our own. So I agree with the Member that there is room in our health care system, health and wellness, where we train and we have people in communities to take care of those who need assistance. Largely those are usually elders or they could be people with chronic conditions...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have with me Ms. Paddy Meade, deputy minister of Health and Social Services.