Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly, Wednesday 1 May 2024
Question Period focused heavily on housing and mental health service gaps, particularly in rural areas. The Opposition challenged the government on delays in opening a Gander homeless shelter, ambulance service restructuring, and inadequate mental health supports. Additional topics included road infrastructure, environmental assessments for wind energy projects, accessible housing wait-lists, and the Limitations Act.
Question Period
Gander homeless shelter delays
Asked by T. Wakeham · Answered by F. Hutton and J. Haggie
The ministers stated they have met with the mayor and toured the site, paid for architectural review and a project manager, and are working with the town on rezoning. They noted 16 new shelter beds are already open in Gander with another property ready for purchase within two months.
Integrated ambulance services RFP and Gander base
Asked by T. Wakeham · Answered by T. Osborne
The minister explained that Gander was never a base under the current system, but the RFP allows it to become one over time. The new proponent will evaluate service locations and determine the best sites based on operational needs, following Health Accord recommendations for St. John's and Goose Bay bases.
Hangar lease at St. John's airport
Asked by T. Wakeham · Answered by J. Abbott
The minister confirmed he is reviewing all leases of facilities and will make changes if necessary.
Psychiatric unit closures and mental health services
Asked by B. Petten · Answered by T. Osborne
The minister denied units are closed but acknowledged human resource challenges. He listed numerous program expansions including FACT/ACT teams (from 3 to 15), Mobile Crisis Response Teams (from 1 to 8 with 7 more announced), Doorways locations (now 85), and increased Bridge the gapp usage (from 1,500 to over 100,000 annually). He committed to looking into specific cases brought to his office.
Switched-at-birth apology and compensation
Asked by L. Parrott · Answered by T. Osborne and J. Hogan
The ministers stated they cannot comment on ongoing legal cases. The Justice Minister noted the public Apology Act is considered in settlement discussions and offered to discuss the matter with the Member outside the House if authorized.
Rocky Brook Bridge closure and Buchans Highway conditions
Asked by C. Tibbs · Answered by E. Loveless and J. Abbott
The Fisheries Minister committed to meeting with residents to find a solution for the bridge, noting safety and taxpayer costs are considerations. The Transportation Minister said they are reviewing road priorities for next year and will consider moving damaged roads up in priority.
Wind energy environmental assessments
Asked by P. Forsey · Answered by B. Davis
The minister defended the legislatively governed environmental assessment process as rigorous, involving public consultation and 25 federal/provincial departments. He noted decommissioning fees and numerous release conditions are part of the process.
Accessible housing for persons with disabilities
Asked by J. Dinn · Answered by F. Hutton
The minister stated 26 people are waiting for accessible units and that all new builds include fully accessible housing components. He offered to meet with the Member to discuss specific cases and emphasized housing is now a stand-alone portfolio with a doubled budget.
Road conditions and safety in Humber-Bay of Islands
Asked by E. Joyce · Answered by J. Abbott
The minister confirmed safety is the top priority in road assessments and that summer maintenance programs will be accelerated to address concerns. The regional superintendent is in contact with the Member on specific issues.
Limitations Act amendments
Asked by E. Joyce · Answered by J. Hogan
The minister confirmed the Limitations Act amendment is now on the Order Paper and is the number one legislative priority for the Department of Justice and Public Safety, but declined to comment on its effect on any specific case.
This is Tabled's summary of the sitting, written from the official record; Hansard is only ever quoted at the link above. Search Newfoundland and Labrador Hansard for the words themselves, or read this sitting in the archive.