August 30, 2006 Alberta Hansard 1799 Legislative Assembly of Alberta Mrs. Mather: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am very pleased to introduce to you and through you to the Assembly today guests from Title: Wednesday, August 30, 2006 1:30 p.m. the Good Samaritan care centre in Mill Woods. The guests today are Date: 06/08/30 Dwayne Danforth, Rowena Emmons, Harold Ferguson, Earline [The Speaker in the chair] Kwasnycia, and Linda McClinton. I’d ask these guests to stand or wave as they receive the warm and traditional welcome of the head: Prayers Assembly. The Speaker: Good afternoon. The Speaker: The hon. Member for St. Albert. Let us pray. Give to each member of this Legislature a strong and abiding sense of the great responsibilities laid upon us. Give us a Mr. Flaherty: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to introduce to you deep and thorough understanding of the needs of the people we and through you to members of the Assembly Dr. Gene Kalita, a serve. Amen. well-known psychologist in the Edmonton region. Would you Please be seated. please rise, doctor, and receive the warm welcome of the Assembly. Thank you. head: Introduction of Guests The Speaker: The hon. Minister of Seniors and Community The Speaker: The hon. Minister of Municipal Affairs. Supports. Mr. Renner: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As you know, over the past few months I’ve been meeting with a number of municipal leaders Mrs. Fritz: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m pleased to introduce to who comprise the Minister’s Council on Municipal Sustainability. you and through you to all members of the Assembly a very special Again this afternoon, immediately following question period, that family that’s visiting from Calgary today. It’s my absolute pleasure minister’s council will be getting together to deal with important to introduce my friends Al, Noelle, Kathleen, and Nicholas Mah. issues related to municipalities. It’s my pleasure to introduce one of They’ve made a special trip to our Legislature so that they can tour the members who has joined us today, who I will ask to rise very the Legislature. I think we’ll even be going to your office this shortly. I would like to point out that the president of AUMA, Mr. afternoon, seeing where you are as well. The children are very Bob Hawkesworth, was planning to be with us and will be participat- interested in that. I’m very glad that you’re all here today, and I ask ing in the meeting, but I understand that he has the pleasure of that you please rise and receive the warm welcome of the Assembly. changing a tire on QE II at the present time, so he’ll be a little bit late. We do have Mr. Don Johnson, who is the president of the The Speaker: The hon. Minister of Human Resources and Employ- AAMDC, with us in the gallery. ment. Mr. Speaker, I think it’s interesting to note that in preparation for this afternoon’s meeting this morning I read a speech that was given Mr. Cardinal: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. It’s my by the Minister of Municipal Affairs in 1962, reporting on the work pleasure to introduce to you and through you to the members of the of his advisory council, that was structured very similarly to the one Assembly two aboriginal leaders who have been involved in that we have ongoing now, so history does have a sense of repeating aboriginal issues, working for the government. Tom Ghostkeeper itself from time to time. and Clifford Supernault are both working towards retirement and will be leaving the government. I’d like them to rise and receive the The Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Beverly-Clareview. traditional warm welcome of the Assembly. Mr. Martin: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am very pleased today to The Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Centre. introduce to you and members of the Assembly Diane Martin. Diane is the current president of the Alberta Lymphedema Association. Ms Blakeman: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. In response to The Alberta Lymphedema Association is a not-for-profit charitable the Turner Valley Gas Plant’s environmental contamination of the organization founded in 2003 by a team of people who recognized Sheep River and its surrounding area a group of residents from the need to help people living with or at risk of lymphedema. The Black Diamond and Turner Valley have come together to address ALA works to make a difference and to empower affected individu- their concerns over site cleanup, drinking water supply, and als and their families to help manage this condition and is committed environmental integrity. Two of them are joining us today, and I to ongoing education of its stakeholders. Diane has been affected by would ask them to please rise as I call their names. Linda Abrams lymphedema for the past four years and has worked tirelessly since is the leader of the Sheep River foundation, which is a group of area her diagnosis to effect change in the community. She’s also the co- residents that formed specifically to address the contamination of the founder, along with Kirsten Hausmann, of the lymphedema thera- Sheep River and the surrounding area by the gas plant, and Roxanne pists association. She’s in the public gallery. I would now ask that Walsh is a member of the Turner Valley Gas Plant Committee for a she rise and receive the traditional warm welcome of the Assembly. Safe Historic Site. This committee is attempting to get stakeholders and community members together to come up with a solution that head: Oral Question Period not only contains the problems but reclaims the Turner Valley Gas The Speaker: First Official Opposition main question. The hon. Plant as a historic site that is safe for visitors and also for those who Leader of the Official Opposition. swim or recreate in the Sheep River. I am pleased to introduce them to you and through you to all members of the Assembly, and I ask Health Services in Grande Prairie that you join in welcoming them to this House. Thank you. Dr. Taft: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The conditions in Alberta’s health regions due to acute staffing shortages continue to deteriorate. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Mill Woods. Physicians in Grande Prairie feel that they have no support from 1800 Alberta Hansard August 30, 2006 local MLAs, no input into medical affairs, and they fear someone The thing that I find most impressive is that the Capital health will die before the provincial government addresses the crisis. In a region has been assisting that region where needs can be met, letter from the president of the Peace Country region medical providing locum support, and our rural physician action plan organization, which I will table, the president states that “the continues to build on the amount of dollars and amount of resources growing deficit of family physicians has reached a crisis where that we’re providing. whole communities may soon be without any physician.” My first Mr. Speaker, the last point: we doubled the amount of money this question is to the Minister of Health and Wellness. Given that these year in the academic relationship plan for physicians, putting more physicians express concern that “many existing services are only one physicians in place, and I would remind the Assembly that we had physician or one nurse short of complete collapse,” will the minister a greater per capita increase in physicians, with 800 physicians more finally admit that this government has failed the people of the over the last few years, than any other part of Canada. Grande Prairie region? The Speaker: Second Official Opposition main question. The hon. The Speaker: The hon. Minister of Health and Wellness. Leader of the Opposition. Ms Evans: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On the contrary. I would Calgary Health Region CEO acknowledge that there are pressures in Grande Prairie. There are pressures in Fort McMurray. There are pressures in Calgary, quite Dr. Taft: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The crisis in Grande Prairie, frankly. You don’t add 92,000 people to a province within one year which has been building for years, is just one example from across and not have pressures on workforce. We are not unique. We are Alberta of how this government has failed to deliver the health care part of a North American phenomenon where workforce issues are services Albertans deserve and need. Yet documents just released a problem. We are taking action. show that CEOs of regional health authorities are paid top dollars, especially if they’re connected to top Tories. My question is to the The Speaker: The hon. leader. Minister of Health and Wellness. Given the serious and chronic problems of the Calgary health region, how does the minister justify Dr. Taft: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again to the same minister: the head of the region, Jack Davis, getting a $57,000 raise this year given that Peace Country health was unable to retain its only child alone for a grand total salary of $593,000 plus a car allowance? psychiatrist for the entire region, will the minister admit that this Justify that. government has failed children needing mental health services in the Grande Prairie region? Ms Evans: Well, Mr. Speaker, obviously the hon. member opposite has not looked closely at the delegation of authority from the Ms Evans: Well, Mr. Speaker, on the contrary. A very interesting province to the regional health authorities to manage their affairs, comment from Senator Kirby in the time that he worked on the their staffing, their management issues as they see fit.