Thank you, Mr. Chair. I want to say to the Minister, certainly the health centre’s flooring replacement in Fort Good Hope is much appreciated and needed. I know I did do some visits. This was actually a couple of years ago, so I’m glad it has been looked at. It has been dealt with and I appreciate it.
At the same time, when I visit the health centre facilities in Tulita, I am hoping that we would look at more urgent need because of the progress that I’ve tabled to the Minister, not to have our hardworking nurses cohabit with mice in the communities within the centres there. That’s very dangerous, very dangerous. I know the Minister is supportive of our northern nurses in our small communities. You do the best for them because they work long hours. I hope that somewhere within the small capital project this priority can be looked at in Tulita as soon as possible with the living conditions.
I understand what the Minister said about the new Tulita health centre that has been on the books. Certainly people have been asking for that and they appreciate what the Minister is saying right now. However, we need to wrap this up because the urgency now is that the health residence with the furniture, with the flooring, with just the old age of the building and hoping that we could take out some mouse traps in that facility. That’s not good for us. The same with the shed that they have storing their medical health supplies there. We have to do better. I wanted to put that in your mind so that these nurses that we get are not going to have to continue to live in those types of conditions day in and day out as we sit here. Tonight they are going to go back to the same facility.
I guess they are looking for their leadership, now that you know it’s out there, what you’re going to do about it. There are some options and I’m glad you’re open to the options. Certainly within the government there are no guarantees, but I wholeheartedly ask you to look at it seriously for the nurses. There are some units that could be looked at in Tulita and having you work with your colleagues to look at this capital infrastructure budget here. Is it somewhere we can do some work so that we can make it liveable in Tulita?
The other stuff is long term. I understand that, but priority right now is the residence and the shed. So I appreciate that, even with the work that you’ve already committed to Fort Good Hope. I wanted to raise that, Mr. Chair, at the Assembly here, and the Minister again is being reminded for the last couple of days when I talked with him. I just wanted to raise that with the department, and senior officials are here and Members are here. The conditions need to be really improved in Tulita. Thank you.