Dear Mr. Zwodezsky:
I am very concerned at Premier Stelmach and the health Minister's refusal to fund long-needed long-term care beds for seniors and disabled Albertans who can no longer live independently. It has been evident for years that about 1500 longterm care beds were needed provincewide, the lack of these beds causing acute-care hospital beds to be taken up by those who could be housed and cared for more economically in a nursing home setting. How can you justify this wasteful use of hospital resources, and cruel treatment of needy senior and disabled Albertans who must travel to other urban centres in order to be housed, far from family and friends? It is unfathomable why your government's policy is to refuse to raise the revenues necessary to construct the needed facilities, either through provincial progressive taxes or through increased royalties on our natural resources. How can failing to meet the basic needs of Albertans be preferable to raising taxes, which are way below those in other parts of Canada? Given the huge numbers of unemployed Albertans, it would appear reasonable to put those men to work building or renovating public longterm care beds, solving two problems at once. Incidentally, subsidizing for-profit care companies to construct facilities is unwise when monies are in short supply, and profits would consume part of the funding.
Please reconsider your present policies. I look forward to your prompt reply on this urgent matter.
Sincerely,
Aileen Tayler
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