No surprises here

The NDP leader says it's disgusting what the provincial government hasn't done for the people of Labrador West.

Lorraine Michael's visit to the site of the new hospital and college last week, verified what she had only expected, no structures yet visible on the site.

"I knew what was happening, or what wasn't happening, but I just wanted to go up and see for myself," Michael said in an interview with the Aurora. "The site where the hospital and college are supposed to be...well there is a nice leveling of land going on up there but other than that, I didn't see a thing."

The NDP leader says she fully understands the frustration the people of Labrador West must be feeling and says the status of the long-promised projects indicates what the timing of these promises was all about.

"When we were in campaign mode for the 2007 elections, this government turned itself inside out to convince people in this district to vote Tory because of all the wonderful things they were going to do for them. I am quite disgusted...disgusted that they would have done that and, I think, knowingly they did it just to get votes. That just sickens me."

Design question

Michael pointed out the current budget only allowed for money for the design work on the hospital, a design that she questions on a couple of angles.

"It is my understanding that the design work is not even finished yet," said Michael. "I certainly haven't heard that it was."

When asked whether Labrador West MHA Jim Baker has offered any information on the status of the design or questioned it publicly, Michael was quick to respond.

"Absolutely not," she answered. "We hear very little from Mr. Baker at the House and that is very disturbing. Mr. Baker is a shadow MHA from what I can see. That disgusts me also. When we get back into the House, I will be asking for answers and I will be paying attention to how my questions are answered. I hope when it comes to the budget of 2010-2011, I won't have to be asking the Minister how come the design isn't finished."

The people of Labrador West she said, ought to be let know why the design is taking so long and even more importantly what kind of services the hospital is being designed to accommodate.

"One of the questions I put to the premier in the House last spring was if he could tell us what services are going to be in the hospital," recalled the NDP leader. "The premier actually stood in the House and said you didn't need to know that and you can figure that out afterwards."

This is a red flag for Michael who uses Lewisporte as an example-Lab and X-ray services are being removed-that she hopes Labrador West won't be patterned by.

"Just look at what happened with Lewisporte, they [government] knew when they finally came through and told the truth, they knew they weren't putting Lab and X-ray services under that roof. You here in Labrador West need to know services are going to be in that facility because there are specifics for such rooms as radiology and labs and these answers should be there about the programs and services prior to the design of the hospital. I remember meeting with the mayor of Lewisporte and he was so excited that they were going to have all these services under one roof. I think the people better beware and start asking some questions."

Michael advises constituents in Labrador West to ask their MHA for these answers and to pay close attention to how he answers.

Health Care troubles

The state of health care and health issues throughout the province has the NDP leader concerned to the point where she is calling for a full review of the health care system.

"To me it's a scary time and we've gone through, over more than 10 years, a lot of changes. We've gone down to four boards. In every aspect of our Health Department there are questions and concerns and what we need to do is an extended review of our health care system, the same way they did in Manitoba."

Manitoba, she said, gained something really positive from its intensive review and that was to establish a really good system of community clinics within the province - a total contrast to what she is seeing in this province.

Each time services leave rural areas, such as what's happening now in Lewisporte, Michael says, it's a hit against sustaining rural Newfoundland and Labrador.

"It's a move that is forcing people from smaller communities," she says. "It's no different than the Smallwood Government because that is how they moved people off the islands in Placentia Bay and the other remote areas. They removed services. They are not calling it resettlement but it is a form of that, yes."

Slow college-no residence

Not seeing any steel on the site where the new college was said to take shape this season was no surprise to Michael either.

What does surprise her, she says, is why the government didn't have the wisdom to plan a residence with the college design.

"One of things that I heard when I was here during the election campaign was, we not only need a new college, we need a residence. And that is not in the plans at all. Seems to me that the housing situation here is even worse than it was three years ago when it comes to vacancy."

Michael says she wonders if the MHA is assessing the need for a residence right now and reporting it back to Government.

"I think they should be assessing that now because it's very disappointing that it's not in the current plan," she said. "You have programs here that aren't been offered anywhere else. For example the Mining Technology Program. That's specific to here, but there might be more than people of Labrador West who'd want to do that program. Especially now that mining is on the rise in this province."

People from the island portion of the province, she suggested, would probably come to Labrador West to do the program if a residence was available.

"When they built the Stephenville campus, for example, they recognized that people would be coming in from outside Stephenville," she pointed out. "So, they built a residence as part of the college. It should be a no-brainer one is needed here in Labrador West as well, but maybe the people who made the decision had no brain."

No hardtop predicted

Though she isn't surprised there is still no hardtop to be found on the TLH in Labrador West, the NDP leader is amazed at how the people can take so much disappointment on so many promises.

"It's unbelievable that there still is no pavement anywhere on the Labrador West end of the TLH," she said. "A little bit in Goose Bay, you can't count. Now, I didn't expect to see it because I don't think they tell the truth to people. To be quite honest, I will be really surprised if there's any pavement laid down there this year at all. Because they keep saying it and saying it and it hasn't happened, so I don't have any expectation.

I feel sorry for the people of Labrador West because some of them trust and think that what's being told is going to happen. I will believe it when I see it."

With snow and frost already hitting Labrador, it's hard to keep up hope for much in this short construction season, she says, and the minister of Transportation and Works as well as the minister for Labrador Affairs should have suggested a more sensible approach.

"There's no way, I don't think, that you can-in one short Labrador season-prepare and pave the road unless you triple the number of workers. You either have to do one of two things; increase the number of workers and get it done quickly or pave a certain distance and maintain the rest of the road until the next season."

Michael says the project seems to have fallen short because it was too big of a piece to bite off and it ought to have been done in sections like paving is done on the Trans Canada Highway.

"Mr. Baker isn't saying publicly that the people are frustrated with all this," she added of the Labrador West MHA. "I remember twice it could be three times he spoke and it was very positive about Labrador and the efforts being made by the government."

Staying in touch

Though she no longer has a member in Labrador West, Michael said she is very much in tune with what's happening here and stays in touch with a lot of people in the area.

"I get calls from people here still because they are not getting answers from their MHA, they are not getting help from their MHA who is Mr. Baker," she said. "I do what I can for anyone who asks for help."

Michael said her trip to Labrador is enjoyable but she wishes she could have seen more done, at least a couple of promises made by the Tories kept.

"There is nothing to see and it's unbelievable after all that was promised," she said. "My message to the people of Labrador West is this: if you continue to vote for people like Mr. Baker, or anyone else that is part of the Danny Williams' Team, that's all you are going to get. You have an MHA that is doing nothing else only backing the government and not fighting for the rights of his people. My trip here shown me what has not been done."