The Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare Capital Plan Development Task Force will present its final recommendation to the MAHC Board for their Stage 1B hospital redevelopment submission to the LHIN and Ministry of Health & Long Term Care on October 10.
For the sake of clarity and full disclosure, information that should be understood by all residents of Muskoka from MAHC’s own financial data are provided herein.
- The recommendation is one new hospital built on a new land site for Bracebridge and one new hospital built on existing land site for Huntsville.
. - Gross capital cost estimate for Bracebridge is $284,242,100.
. - Gross capital cost estimate for Huntsville is $295,889,600.
. - Total gross capital cost estimate for MAHC (2 new sites) is over $580 million.
. - The total cost of redevelopment is only partly funded by the Province of Ontario.
. - Approximately 25 per cent of final capital costs for redevelopment are funded by local taxpayers (“local share”).
. - Taxpayers will fund their share through annual tax levies charged by their local municipality and by the District of Muskoka (two levies) over 25 – 30 years.
. - Local share based on MAHC’s gross capital cost estimates amount to $73,003,200. for Bracebridge and $75,414,900. for Huntsville = $148,418,100.
. - Population (not only taxpayers) of Muskoka includes: 60,900 residents and 83,000 seasonal.
. - Median average income for Huntsville is 26 per cent below Canada’s average.
. - Almost half of Huntsville’s population is over the age of 64 (45 per cent).
. - It is universally understood that new build on greenfield site hospital infrastructure projects have a long experience of exceeding budget estimates, sometimes dramatically.
The MAHC capital cost estimates are staggering and represent long-term public debt that does not align with the reality of our time, both provincially and locally. It is important and fiduciary for residents (and especially taxpayers) to understand what is happening with MAHC hospital redevelopment thinking. Whether you agree or disagree, soon it will be too late to register your views.
Given the record-breaking public debt, its impact to local taxpayers and potentially the local economy, it is mystifying that our locally elected politicians remain silent and are not advocating for their constituents—a sacred trust. They should be aware that if this matter goes wrong, their political careers will rapidly come to a end in disgrace. Sadly, only one council person appears to be providing a public discourse; thank you, Councillor Withey.
Ross Maund is a former MAHC director and a career senior corporate executive who lives in Huntsville.
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How about disclosing an accurate account of how much renovations and an addition would cost???? There have been multiple bed closures throughout the years. An entire wing which use to have beds for patients has been turned into multiple offices in Huntsville over the years. Will new hospitals in each town have an increase in patient beds after Huntsville and Bracebridge have lost beds again and again and again after multiple slashes or will new hospitals be built for more office space??? The staggering estimated cost sounds like an attempt to drive through yet another agenda
As Mr. Withey points out, Mr. Armour has also weighed in on his side. And, in fairness, Ms. Terziano is unable to express her opinion. She replaced the former Mayor on the Task Force, and is bound by its confidentiality strictures.
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Yes, Ruby, I agree completely: 140 respondents has zero statistical relevance. Of course, I voted for the only sensible alternative – expansion on both existing properties – stageable and affordable. I feel that many voters were deceived by the fact that Bracebridge’s new hospital was a “fait accompli”; so they wanted to wallow up to the trough as well. Unfortunately, they didn’t realize that they would be the majority contributors to said trough.
Carefully planned expansion (upward) and full use of the existing hospital facilities are responsible and affordable solutions over time. The exorbitant and debt-burdening newbuild fantasies are not.
Erin Jones – well put and agreed!
Thanks Ross for yet another informative article on the real cost of the Task Force recommendation. I did want to point out that not all councillors have been silent on the issue. Dan Armour was not in attendance at the last council meeting as he was away on official Paramedic service. Dan has since weighed in with full support of the position I articulated at the meeting. Thank-you Dan.
As for Ruby’s comment, regardless of the result of a flawed poll that had only had 140 respondents, the fact remains that the MAHC Board should not be allowed to bankrupt municipal taxpayers against their wishes. There is a petition being circulated on Facebook right now against the recommendation. Hopefully the MAHC Board will receive and accept the findings of this survey.
We were told that we wanted the new build by the health bureaucrats. Many of us wanted to refurbish and add to our present structure as a lower-cost alternative (even though we were also told–apparently in error–that the renovation was going to cost as much and is an inferior option to a new build). That appears to be not exactly accurate. If you check out the health facilities in other communities, it very often looks like they have been built in a piecemeal fashion, as a lower-cost option. But we gravitated to the idea of the new build because that was what the “experts” seemed to favour–when the “one-new-build” model didn’t fly. And now, to add insult to injury, we have been told that we have spent yet another $500,000 just to work the numbers for “the Plan”? Isn’t that the problem with politicians and bureaucrats? They seem to be of the opinion that, “There’s always more taxpayer funds to be had!” Bureaucracies are especially like that. Big government turns out to be bad government.
Now that we know what the price tag would be–it is back to the modest plans which should have been sought in the first place.
The aforementioned survey was skewed and lead to directed results.
I find this trend of “The MAHC Task Force has given Huntsville what they asked for.” to be very concerning because it is far from the truth. Huntsville has never requested a new hospital.
I am also shocked at those within the community that are disseminating and endorsing this narrative. (Disclaimer – I know that Ruby was not endorsing the Task Force’s proposal. She is and continues to be a warrior for healthcare in Huntsville.)
Let me preface this by saying that I am not in favour of two new builds. However …
When MAHC conducted their online survey about the infrastructure options for our two hospitals last year, the majority of respondents DID favour a new build over renovation or expansion.
Only 32% opposed a new build for Huntsville, citing the cost and the opinion that a completely new build was not necessary.
Now that we’ve been presented with a price tag for our choice, it seems we’re having second thoughts, and many of us insist we wanted the renovation/expansion option all along.
Sure, only 140 people responded to the survey. That’s hardly a good cross section of our community. But it just goes to show you, if you don’t participate in the process, your opinion won’t be heard. After spending two years and almost half a million dollars, the task force has worked out a recommendation to give us what we wanted, based on the input we provided. Is it their fault that most of us didn’t bother to respond?
Side note: Keep this in mind on October 21st.
The west wing second floor in Huntsville Hospital is used for storage and offices.
It appears to be fully functional minus the staff and the funding.
Its there, it exists why not put to good use.
We do not need a new hospital in Huntsville an addition would be just fine and there is a lot of room either go up one more story or expand the two floors we have now. I do not understand why anyone would want a completely new hospital when a little fixing up is all that is needed.