Dear Sir:
I am writing in response to an article released from Mayor Carol Leclerc regarding the new 3.5% tax increase for Terrace.
The recipients of these taxes included a new roof for the arena, a refurbished aquatic centre, and upgrades to some roadways.
As a registered nurse, my immediate thoughts were of the new hospital and upgrades for Terrace’s Mills Memorial Hospital that seem to be left out of the mayor’s plans.
As Northwestern BC’s regional hospital serving over 80,000 residents, the requirement of trauma services at Mills Memorial Hospital needs more attention.
With fentanyl overdoses spiking around the province, nursing staff working longer hours due to nursing shortages, and burnout of overworked and overwhelmed nurses becoming evident, it is time that we focus on providing safe patient care in all communities.
As a nurse, it affects me daily when we have to send patients over 14 hours away to receive the advanced care that we could provide here in Terrace.
If it were your family member, would you want the stress of travel or the lack of immediate life-saving treatment?
While the nurses and doctors are a phenomenal team at Mills Memorial Hospital, they have limited resources to treat the critically ill and injured today.
With that in mind, when looking to allocate the mandatory 3.5 per cent tax increase towards new roofs and equipment for recreational buildings, I ask that you consider the lives that could be saved with improvements to our healthcare facilities.
Marlee Emery, RN
BCNU Lobby Coordinator for the Northwest.
