Today I want to draw attention to several long-standing concerns about the Stanton Territorial Hospital. First, Mr. Speaker, Stanton is a gem of our health care system and the quality of health care is not the issue. But as many people know very well, Stanton has had problems with cleanliness and poor housekeeping ever since it was privatized. New CEOs and new public administrators have been appointed and they have all come and gone over the years but the problem still remains. The present contractor is not able to find qualified employees and retain qualified employees to a consistent level to deal with this problem. As a result, the cleanliness of the hospital is left to deteriorate. Sometimes the contractor has been put on notice, but with a lack of results. Sometimes it has led to short-term effects with positive results.

However, that kind of performance is not acceptable at a hospital, Mr. Speaker. The public expectation out there is that a hospital is expected to be one of the cleanest places on the earth. But, Mr. Speaker, is that 100 percent realistic? I’m not here to say. But, Mr. Speaker, patients at our hospital expect the rooms to be clean and safe. The bottom line is they don’t need to be put in additional danger because of dirty floors and washrooms and they certainly don’t need to have a family member

show up to clean those bathrooms and empty those trash cans.

Perhaps Stanton needs to move back to an in-house service. Perhaps Stanton needs to terminate the current contract and find someone who understands these needs. Either way, Stanton needs to find a permanent solution, not a temporary one. I hope the Minister can tell me what they are doing to ensure that the health of our citizens is not being jeopardized.

Secondly, Mr. Speaker, I want to point out the absence of effective security provisions at Stanton. There have been numerous incidents over the years where disturbed and sometimes violent people have caused significant problems and jeopardized the health and safety of our patients while they are getting much needed health care. Most recently, an inmate managed to get into a patient’s room while he was looking for a washroom. I can’t imagine how vulnerable and trapped this lady felt; a senior with nowhere to run.

Mr. Speaker, it is difficult to imagine that this inmate was in her room disturbing her while she was there. The stress on her and her family was significant. Mr. Speaker, I hope that each and every one of these security incidents is carefully reviewed by the senior management team at the hospital and they certainly find actionable ways to deal with this so it is not repeated. Mr. Speaker, I’d rather be complaining about the lack of services here today and the lack of response today than hopefully someday that we never have to talk about how we could let this happen. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.