Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, the Member again raises a good point. This is my second trip into Colville Lake and there are issues with very basic equipment. Because they're small, some of the equipment was maybe not medieval but definitely circa Korean War. Maybe not Korean War, probably newer than that. But it's definitely
second-hand equipment. We have also been to communities where I've seen X-ray machines held together with twine, and nails holding things so the pieces wouldn't come down, and cobbled together plywood benches. So, yes, the issue of basic equipment; we have some money for diagnostic equipment, the X-rays we're going to look at across the land.
The other issue that has come up that is very important is the issue of vehicles in the communities. There's not a set standard. Some communities are very well equipped, some communities have vehicles that are over 20 years old, some communities are forced to share between two separate buildings, one being the social workers and the nurses, for example, one vehicle which tends to be very problematic with house visits. So there are a host of areas.
The other one, of course, that the deputy just mentioned is we have dental therapists that are labouring in communities with no equipment, or equipment that is very old and outdated. So there are pressures on us to do those very fundamental things, equip the staff we have to do the work that they have been hired to do. Thank you.