Northern Taxi Owner Refusing Medical Trips

Northern Taxi Owner Refusing Medical Trips

Thursday, April 10, 2008 at 15:53

A northern health region has been forced to enlist a taxi business in Beauval to take people in Pinehouse on medical trips to La Ronge and Prince Albert.

Until now, that service was provided by two taxi services in Pinehouse — but one of them shut down in December, and the owner of the other one says he’s stopping doing medical trips until he sees more compensation for the trips from the government.

Henry James Smith says the rapidly rising cost of fuel is putting him out of business.

The CEO of the Mamawetan-Churchill River Regional Health Authority, Kathy Chisholm, says she will continue to lobby the provincial and federal government for more coverage for northern taxi services.

She says it’s an extremely valuable service in remote communities that don’t have access to bus service.

Smith says the compensation he receives for every kilometre travelled on these trips has only been increased once in the 17 years he has been in business.