It’s an honour to rise in the House to deliver this package of petitions with some 4,006 signatures, added to the 10,797 that were brought in September, for a total, with other petitions as well—there have now been 38,622 signatures asking this government to reopen the Minden ER.

Just about a year ago, on June 1, 2023, without notice, the emergency room in Minden was closed, and this has caused a number of problems. The main one is that the nearest emergency room is 20 minutes away, and so people have to travel in an emergency situation an extra 20 minutes by road, often in the winter.

What this petition is asking is that—they’re saying this closure is jeopardizing lives, and they are asking this government to reopen the Minden emergency department as soon as possible in order to save the lives of the residents of Minden and the surrounding community.

I fully support this petition, will affix my signature and pass it to page Armaan.

I am giving a petition that now has a total of 38,620 signatures on it. It’s about the Minden hospital that close to a year ago—their emergency was closed without any notification. We’re asking to reopen it immediately and have the health minister use the power that is given to her under the Public Hospitals Act to immediately reopen this hospital and to save lives in that community.

I’ll sign my name to the petition.