Thank you, Mr. Chair. I wanted to just mention, but to be clear, it doesn’t mean that there isn’t a project in Simpson with the electrical, mechanical and other issues and some more concerns around infection control and stuff like that and the fact that standards have increased so much since that building was originally built. We still believe that Simpson has to be a priority.
At the same time, the Member has brought up concerns about the health stations that exist, the health cabins/health stations. I’m going to refer to them as health stations. We have two that the Member has addressed. One is in Trout Lake and one is in Jean Marie River. The one in Jean Marie River is a government asset while the one in Trout Lake is not a government asset. It is a band lease. Unfortunately, the one in Trout Lake is the one with the significant ant and other problems. We feel that both of these facilities need to be addressed and we are moving forward. We’ve been out to assess them. We are having conversations in the communities trying to figure out what our next logical steps would be.
As far as build or addressing them, I would say that given the current state and our ability to provide safe, competent, quality care to those facilities is more hindered than it is at Simpson. I would say that these two facilities would have to be a higher priority moving forward than Simpson, but it doesn’t mean that Simpson isn’t still on the books. It’s something that we’re working towards. But in Trout Lake we need to make sure that we can provide care in a safe environment, and we’re working with the community. Whether we move forward and try to find a new lease opportunity or whether it’s something we have to bring in there still gets to be determined, and we are doing that work now. I will certainly keep the Member and the community informed as we move forward and try to figure out what the best course of action will be.