Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to raise an issue today that I believe is something this government cannot continue to ignore. This issue is the impending closure of the City Centre Airport in Edmonton.
The City Centre Airport receives approximately 4,500 medevac flights per year from northern Alberta, Northwest Territories and Nunavut. About 1,000 of these flights originate in the Northwest Territories. Of the 1,000 flights, typically 10 percent are of a critical nature. The Cross Cancer Clinic, Stollery Children’s Hospital and other health facilities at the University and Royal Alexandra Hospitals are established to serve the needs of critical care patients arriving from the Northwest Territories by medevac. The closure of the City Centre Airport will undoubtedly put lives in peril and cost this government thousands of dollars more in transporting our residents from the international airport.
Mr. Speaker, in an emergency situation, a STARS helicopter service will charge $2,500 an hour, and at the best of times it will take 30 minutes to get a patient from the international airport into a major hospital. A ground ambulance for a return trip to the international airport would be in the neighbourhood of $700.
Mr. Speaker, as the Members of this House are well aware, all jurisdictions across this country are dealing with ever-growing expenditures in health care. Here is an example of the City of Edmonton, who like to say they are the gateway to the North, showing little regard for the safety and well-being of our residents.
Make no mistake about it, Mr. Speaker, the closure of the Edmonton City Centre Airport will increase health risks for NWT residents. NWT residents will be exposed to longer flight times and riskier hospital transfers. And again, these increased patient risks will be accompanied by increased costs.
Mr. Speaker, where is our Health Minister at in this process? Has she had discussions with the mayor of Edmonton, the Premier or the Health Minister in Alberta to convey obvious concerns that this government would have? I have not heard her say anything publicly about it. Is she waiting for the bulldozers to move in or what, Mr. Speaker?
In life and death situations, minutes count and we owe it to our residents to champion the fight to keep the City Centre Airport open. We need to ensure all of our citizens have the best access to medical services when they need it the most. We need to find allies in northern MPs, MLAs and municipal politicians to lobby the City of Edmonton and province of Alberta to try and keep this airport open.
Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted
This closure will affect each and every community in the Northwest Territories and all of our residents. In the North, air ambulance service is a service that our residents depend on. Why doesn’t our government have anything at all to say about the closure of the City Centre Airport in Edmonton? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Abernethy.
MEMBER’S STATEMENT ON
MOTORCYCLE RIDE FOR DAD
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Motorcycle Ride for Dad is an event that raises funds and awareness to combat prostate cancer. The ride is in its 10th year nationally and this is the first year that it will be happening in the Northwest Territories. To date, the national ride is involved with over 100,000 people and raised over $5 million. The NWT Ride for Dad is proud to be adding to these impressive figures.
Prostate cancer is a deadly disease that most men try not to think about. In fact, most patients don’t even know they have it. Nationally, there are an estimated one million cases, 80 percent of which are undiagnosed. If caught early, this disease is curable and the ride is trying to make sure that men are talking to their doctors and, if necessary, getting tested.
The NWT Motorcycle Ride for Dad is also trying to make this a truly territorial event by encouraging riders from all over the Territory to take part. People who want to take part in the ride do not have to be a rider. They can get pledges to be a passenger if they know someone who has a motorcycle or they can raise pledges as a spectator. The ride is also always looking for donations, sponsors and volunteers.
Mr. Speaker, the ride will take place on Sunday, June 6, and will include a parade through Yellowknife, a poker run and a barbeque afterwards. Money raised from this event will go towards education awareness campaigns right here in the Northwest Territories. These funds will help to provide information about this disease and inform men about the risks of contracting prostate cancer, and encourages them to see their doctors and become better informed. So far there has been a huge amount of interest from sponsors and the general public and this is shaping up to be an excellent first year for what many hope will be an annual event in the Northwest Territories.
People interested in volunteering or making a donation can contact @email and people who want more information can visit the website at www.motorcycleridefordad.org\nwt. Please support this worthwhile cause. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.
