New medical travel coverage could bring taxis to more communities: Health minister
MLA for Clyde River and Qikiqtarjuaq decries lack of ground transportation options available to her constituents
Health Minister John Main, shown here in the legislative assembly earlier this year, says medical transportation in Nunavut is “not without difficulties.” (File photo by Jeff Pelletier)
A lack of taxis is making it difficult for people to make it to their local health centres, says Uqqummiut MLA Mary Killiktee.
She raised the issue in the legislative assembly on Oct. 28.
“It’s especially hard for elders and people with disabilities,” she said, directing her question to Health Minister John Main.
Killiktee said she considers medical travel issues to be one of the “main priorities” for her constituents, who live in Clyde River and Qikiqtarjuaq.
Medical transportation in Nunavut is “not without difficulties,” Main acknowledged in his reply.
He said his department has long advocated for support to establish more ground transportation services across the territory.
“Ideally, every community in Nunavut would have a taxi service that would do this that would later be billed,” he said of the federally funded non-insured health benefits policy, which provides auxiliary health benefits to Inuit living in Nunavut.
Main said a policy change last year means travellers can bill their taxi rides to and from the airport when they have to travel out of the community for health care. Previously, the coverage depended on how far the airport was from their community.
Main suggested the new policy could create a “revenue stream” that might help bring taxi services to more remote communities in Nunavut.
Indigenous Services Canada isn’t looking into making changes to ground transportation coverage in its non-insured health benefits policy, said Sylvain-Nicolas Bourgeois, a spokesperson for the department, in an email to Nunatsiaq News.
Nunavut’s Health Department also has no plans to put this issue back on the table, Main said.
I don’t want to be seen by Arviat health centre. I rather go Rankin inlet. They don’t really do anything and just gives us Tylenol. In Rankin they got better health centres than arviat. Don’t even wanna be seen for emergencies here in Arviat.
Here is another one who have no appreciation for the health centers, Tooma. There ppl all over the world earing 2% of your wages who have to borrow, steal and do anything to receive health care services for their families. You really have no appreciation what nurses try to do and working under tremendous pressure like, from you. My family consist of nurses, teachers, university grads, student pilots, plumbers and carpenters, why not go to nursing school and make an improvement to the health system?
Anyone in any community can start a taxi business. This is a very lucrative industry to be in. We should be asking ourselves what is stopping people from starting taxi companies in the smaller communities?
Two things i see.
1: Lack of mechanics to fix when issues happen
2: even then there are people that can fix their own vehicles having a warm place to fix it in the winter. not many truck/car size warm spaces available.
I live in Nunavut, when to school as “Residential” in MB. I have been fending for myself since 18, now an old man. Give me a break… able bodied patience? This is too much, those who really need it, fine, they should be assisted, where is it going to end? Is Nunavut going to be satisfied until everything, I mean everything is at Government’s expense. We are creating a gimme nation and has been for ages. Look at JP; 500 per child and yet ppl are hungry, why/? Illicit profiteering? PPL selling papers and baby formulas at cut rates, rock bottom? Just a guess. Why are ppl demanding on everything? I have been paying for fuel, power and high mortgage for over 35 yrs, I really have very little pity anymore for government finance ppl anymore. I still take few hand-outs now and then mind you.
Maybe Mary Killiktee should be working with her constituents to find that entrepreneurial spirit and encourage one of them to start up a reliable taxi business in her communities.
Government should not be relied upon to do EVERYTHING for you, especially this government…
There are many elements of a successful society; most are missing in Nunavut. It is rare to see entrepreneurial spirit, community spirit, self-sufficiency, personal responsibility, spirituality, volunteerism, resilience, love of learning. Those that do have those traits are envied or ostracized
We have built a third-world welfare state. Our main claims are entitlement, blame, corruption, laziness, and anger.
We all know that the reason there are not taxis in more communities is that EVERY taxi company/person thinks it will be an easy buck. They get help funded and then instead of running it as a business, use it to get quick cash to by bingo cards on Friday (If you say this isn’t true YOU LIE).
Every taxi I’ve ever seen in Nunavut gets a car, drives it till its dead then whines when when Gov wont step up and give them money to fix it…. Oh boo ho! Taxis are not a free easy money maker for you to buy Bingo cards or have spending cash… reinvest in your business, stop waiting for hand-outs.
One thing i have often wondered of why dont the hamlets in the smaller communities operate a small bus to transport people to the grocery stores and most importantly to and from the airport. They usually own a school bus. Put it and the driver to use.
No handout. Charge a small fee of course.
The “Red Tape” is always there.