I bet that headline caught your attention! Yup, hold on to your hat because, in some areas, I believe the Premier of Ontario is getting a bum rap.
Sometimes I think we expect our political leaders to be squeaky clean, above any kind of human frailty, immune to the realities of life that affect us all, and able to solve almost any problem, as if they possessed a magic wand.
We hold them to the highest level of perfection and then yell like hell when they turn out to be mere mortals, like the rest of us.
Certainly, perfection is not a word one would apply in describing Doug Ford. In many ways, he is an atypical premier. He is a little rough around the edges. He doesn’t always get high marks for diplomacy and yes, at times his proposals for solving difficult political problems are outside of the box.
But last June, Doug Ford, after four visible years in the catbird seat, through good and bad, won re-election with more seats than he and his government had in their previous term. They earned a solid majority that many people believed would not be achievable. Under our electoral system, they were handed a strong mandate to make tough decisions.
Two of the major commitments Ford made during that election campaign were to take serious steps toward fixing our healthcare system and to dramatically increase the number of new homes built to meet the looming housing crisis in this province.
Now that he is working to accomplish those objectives, it astonishes me (although I guess I shouldn’t be surprised) how many people from all sides of the political spectrum are up in arms because he is doing just that. Sure, in both of these areas, he is taking steps that may not have been anticipated, but the status quo is not working, and different, bolder, approaches need to be taken.
In relation to health care, Martin Regg Cohn, certainly not a fan of Doug Ford, wrote an excellent article in the Toronto Star this Saturday and put it this way. “But the contradictions, among critics is glaring. The system is broken, yet we dare not tinker with it, just do more of the same with more money.”
Martin Regg Cohn’s article “More of the same won’t fix health care” is well worth reading. He points out that “Canadian Medicare is more costly than ever and more expensive than in other countries with universal health care, and yet less responsive to patient needs.”
That brings us to Doug Ford and his intention to allow private for-profit surgical centres in Ontario to reduce the strain on over-burdened hospitals. Critics are screaming that it is against the principle of universal health care which is embedded in Canada’s ethos.
But as Martin Regg Cohn points out, that is not so. Two-tier medicine, (that is health care provided by non-government private agencies,) has been part of our health care system for decades. One example he uses is that during the pandemic, the overwhelming need for COVID-19 vaccinations was in part farmed out to private pharmacies to minimize timelines in getting needed vaccines out, and to reduce lineups, stress, and anxiety for millions of people.
The important thing here though is that it was the government that paid the price for these private services and not the individual. That does not threaten universal care.
The same principle will apply to outsourced surgery. Premier Ford has said Ontarians will only ever have to use their OHIP card, never their credit card. Government cannot always be all things for all people. Sometimes they have to reach out to the private sector to provide necessary services.
The Ford government has also taken steps to ease the burden on the delivery of health care services in Ontario by allowing pharmacists to provide prescriptions for minor ailments, thus easing the pressure on physicians and decreasing wait times for people who really need to see a doctor.
Finally, in relation to health care, Premier Ford, unlike the premiers of several other provinces, has opted out of the bun fight between the Feds and the provinces and said he would accept conditions laid out by the Federal government for the health care funding they provide to Ontario. With that said, there is now no excuse for the Trudeau government to further delay getting down to business with the Ford government and correcting the continuing deterioration of federal funding for health care services in Ontario.
While I agree that provinces should be held accountable for funds provided to them by the Federal government, I cannot help but see a double standard here. I recall that when the Justin Trudeau government first took office, they repealed legislation passed by the Harper government requiring First Nation communities to account for the intended use of federal funds provided to them by submitting annual financial statements. Thanks to the Trudeau government they are no longer accountable. In my view, everyone should be held accountable for the proper expenditure of public funds that they receive.
Turning briefly to another major issue, the Ford government has also moved on its promise to provide substantially more housing in this province, much of it badly needed in urban areas.
I recognize and understand the anger and concern about the Ford government taking land out of the greenbelt that surrounds the GTA. I am not in a position to know whether that was necessary to meet the required housing needs in that part of the province.
What I believe has received scant media attention, however, is that substantially more acreage than that which was taken was added by the government to the greenbelt, making it larger than it was previously.
The Ontario government has also passed legislation that supersedes some municipal zoning bylaws and eliminates some development fees for lower-cost housing. Certainly, this is not popular in some areas, but again, to build badly needed housing, especially lower-cost housing, you need to have land that is accessible to workplaces and you need to have fewer administrative costs.
And so, in spite of all the hooting and hollering, I believe the Ford government is thinking outside the box and doing what it can to resolve difficult issues as it promised it would. To me, that is somewhat refreshing.
Doug Ford is not perfect. But given the alternatives, I am quite content to have him as my Premier.
Hugh Mackenzie
Hugh Mackenzie has held elected office as a trustee on the Muskoka Board of Education, a Huntsville councillor, a District councillor, and mayor of Huntsville. He has also served as chairman of the District of Muskoka and as chief of staff to former premier of Ontario, Frank Miller.
Hugh has also served on a number of provincial, federal and local boards, including chair of the Ontario Health Disciplines Board, vice-chair of the Ontario Family Health Network, vice-chair of the Ontario Election Finance Commission, and board member of Roy Thomson Hall, the National Theatre School of Canada, and the Anglican Church of Canada. Locally, he has served as president of the Huntsville Rotary Club, chair of Huntsville District Memorial Hospital, chair of the Huntsville Hospital Foundation, president of Huntsville Festival of the Arts, and board member of Community Living Huntsville.
In business, Hugh Mackenzie has a background in radio and newspaper publishing. He was also a founding partner and CEO of Enterprise Canada, a national public affairs and strategic communications firm established in 1986.
Currently, Hugh is president of C3 Digital Media Inc., the parent company of Doppler Online, and he enjoys writing commentary for Huntsville Doppler.
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When I worked in the health sector (worked in a large, i.e. 500-bed facility), the nursing management structure consisted of: Director of Nursing, Assistant Director of Nursing, and six nursing supervisors (four to cover days, one on evenings and one on nights). The remainder of nursing management was handled by the working head nurse on each division. Each division, had a full staff, consisting of four more RNs, two on days, and one each, “working-in-charge” on evenings and nights. In addition, there would usually be two practical nurses (on days) covering treatments, wound care, etc. and a minimum of two nursing assistants (PSWs) on every shift–perhaps even three or four on day shifts. In the case of absent nurses (flu outbreak, holiday coverage, etc.) the nursing supervisors (who were always RNs) were required to help on the divisions. The head nurses were the absolute authority and bore the responsibility for everything that happened on their respective divisions–even when they weren’t there (evenings, nights, weekends). Any serious problem with other departments was kicked up the line to the Nursing Supervisors, Assistant Director and/or Director of Nursing who would negotiate with the other department heads. That hospital ran like a top.
In my opinion, the biggest problem in healthcare today is too many “chiefs” and not enough “indians”. The management structure has become completely bloated, sucking up resources that could go toward hiring more nursing staff, and needed equipment. Nursing staff are the people who actually do the very hard job of patient care. Putting pressure on the federal government to fund healthcare at the level that was promised (the Canadian government has reduced their percentage of funding over the years) is something that all of the Premiers should be doing instead of hiring possibly predatory, for-profit enterprises.
As for nursing homes, working to keep the elderly healthier and out of them would go a long way toward solving the problem of the “grey tsunami”. Caring for a senior in his/her own home is a much happier alternative to institutional care. My two cents worth.
Mr Carbonari,
The existing system is failing, not as you suggest because it doesn’t suit our INDIVIDUAL preferences, it failing to represent the views of the MAJORITY of Canadians. And as to your remarks that the left doesn’t want electoral reform once they are in power…
“The Liberals on the Procedure and House Affairs Committee joined NDP and Bloc MPs in June 2021 in passing an NDP motion to study a National Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform. (Greens are supportive but not do not sit on this committee).
Endorsed by Kevin Page and Lloyd Axworthy and supported by 80% of Canadians, a National Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform would put the country back on track for a stronger democracy―this time with an independent, non-partisan process that all Canadians can trust.”
Times they are a-changing Mr Carbonari.
My second posting for this article.
Mr. Markle, I appreciate your thoughts and comments.
However, as I wrote to our MPP (last week) a paraphrase of what is quoted today in Toronto Star, “most concerning is the simple fact that for-profit clinics are beholden to shareholders and, under pressure, will find ways to cut costs or increase revenues, often endangering patient care. One need not look too far down the path of history for evidence – have we forgotten already the abysmal performance of for-profit long-term-care homes during the pandemic, compared to not-for-profits?”
It is the Same Old Story. For-profits do not invest in the public system out of the goodness of their hearts – they expect Returns.
For-profits access public taxpayer funds, serve 2 masters, seek a reduction in regulations to increase profits ( i.e. in-depth inspections and oversight), and turn a profit by reduction in wages/staffing. How much more proof is needed? If Long term care performance (as compared with non profit homes) did not expose the limitations, failures, and greed, what will?
Hugh Mckenzie: The line “The highest level of perfection……………… mortals like the rest of us.” seems pretty innocent until I realize we are talking about politicians. Who was the last politician that stood on a dais or street corner or at your door, and stated bluntly to offer you nothing, promise you nothing, and explain that you should expect nothing special from them? I don’t need the name, though it would be interesting, and were they elected?
That is what politicians do. They promise us more, bigger, better. And they do it as a team, touting the same program. The premier does not act alone, unless acting dictatorially, and I grant we’re not there yet. There is also a plethora of high priced help and advisors, who aid in formulating the party’s program. We pay dearly for these people.
There is no single ‘person’ we expect performance of, though the premier is the spokesperson for the party. We want the party to perform.
Why shouldn’t I expect fancy and not just plain?
I do expect performance from the party and it’s platform. We deserve better than we’re getting.
It’s funny how whenever the left loses an election, it becomes imperative that we overhaul the entire electoral system…but yet when they win, there’s no complaints. All we hear is crickets about electoral reform.
Jean Chretien won a majority government in 1993 with 40% of the vote, a majority in 1997 with 38%, a majority in 2000 with 41%. Dalton McGuinty won a large majority with 42% in 2007. He retained the Premier’s Office with 38% in 2011. Kathleen Wynne won a majority government with 38% in 2015.
The left was perfectly fine with the electoral system when it delivered these results.
During the 2015 Canadian election, Justin Trudeau said it would be the last election under the FPTP system. He broke his promise. Why? Because FPTP is extremely beneficial to the federal Liberals.
In 2021, Justin Trudeau received 33% of the popular vote and remained PM. Erin O’Toole received 34%……yet…*crickets* from the left.
It’s time we stop complaining about the electoral system when it delivers a result that doesn’t suit our individual preferences.
Thank you, Lesley Hastie, for the excellent comments on Mr. Mackenzie’s commentary.
I would like to submit my vision of the likely sequence of events following Mr. Ford’s idea to throw public healthcare funds into the pockets of private for-profit healthcare providers.
1. The backlog of surgeries will be temporarily dealt with. Please wait with your applause, because we are now stepping on a very slippery slope.
2. The private clinics will need more staff to deal with the sudden surge of business.
3. Luckily, the private clinics, will have ample funds from the public health care system available to take on more staff. Since there doesn’t seem to be an awful lot of trained medical staff around who would be willing to work ungodly hours for the money paid by the government, the private clinics will entice the same profile of workers from the public sector with more attractive remunerations paid for by public money.
4. The public health system will struggle with depleted funds and a diminished workforce for a while and then fold.
5. Enter Private for-Profits Health Care in full force and following the USA blueprint (to be eventually made available only to the wealthy) to replace universal public health care. Of course, health care will be offered also to those who will be able to afford insurance premiums offered by private for-profit insurance companies.
Mr. Ford and his government would thus accomplish their extreme right capitalist goal, the destruction of any hint of social society where the good of the majority is the priority of all levels of the society. The current government seems to keep forgetting that any country which wishes to be deemed civilized should take care of education and health care above all.
The end of Canada as most of us have known it and loved it is on the horizon.
Hugh Mackenzie (Doppler January 17, 2023) states that
“Doug Ford earned a solid majority …(was) …handed a strong mandate to make tough decisions”.
As Mr. Mackenzie surely knows, only 18%, eighteen per cent, of eligible voters in Ontario voted for Doug Ford*. He did not EARN a “solid Majority”. The first-past-the-post system handed it to him as a gift.
The electoral system must be changed to better reflect what voters want, to reflect the popular vote.
With 41% of votes cast, Doug Ford won 81 seats. Yet 54% of votes went to the other parties which together won only 41 seats**.
Doug Ford was NOT what most voters wanted, and most of them are arguably aghast at the damage he is doing.
In the public Health care system, he is exacerbating shortages of public sector health care and other workers with Bill 124**, capping pay increases at 1% a year for the next three years, with inflation in 2022 at a 40-year high, *** and staff shortages and COVID stress causing burnout and early retirement. And by opening private profit-making clinics that will attract those scarce nurses, public hospital crises will increase as staff shortages increase.
And in education, **** the average wage of public education support workers was $39,000 a year (less than in 2012, in real terms), but they too did not escape Doug Ford’s knife. He tried to restrict their right to strike, (which the courts declared unconstitutional) cap their pay increases for the next 3 years at 1%, all in the face of higher rates of inflation (Transportation up 10.6%, Food up 8.9%). And he was forced to retract.
Meanwhile, “Ontario is failing to budget in a transparent way by stashing billions in large contingency funds, the province’s independent financial watchdog said Thursday, while releasing a report predicting six years of surpluses. Instead of the multibillion-dollar deficits the government predicted in its budget passed just last month, the FAO is forecasting rising amounts of black ink, starting at $100 million this fiscal year and hitting $8.5 billion in 2027-28^.
So Doug Ford can put into a contingency fund far more than is necessary while restricting pay of such valuable, necessary, public-sector workers. Will the contingency fund be used to buy votes at the next election as he did with $1billion for licence plate rebates at the last?
But there is more…. Destroying forever 2,000 acres of farmland, wetlands, forests, and 400 acres of the Greenbelt by building Highway 413 at huge expense and little public benefit will allow developers to unlock hundreds of millions of dollars for land purchased for very little 20 years ago. It will also unlock over 17 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions by 2050^^.
The “Developers’ Charter”, namely Bill 23, will also damage that formerly protected Green Belt to build unaffordable houses and line developers’ pockets. And by his dispensations to developers in all municipalities, town revenues will fall, and we will all pay more in loss of democratic freedoms, loss of environmental and climate protection, and more in taxes.
He is changing what has been primarily a non-carbon emission electricity system to one that uses Enbridge gas and increases fossil fuel emissions.
This and more has Doug Ford done.
It puzzles me how anyone, anyone who is not one of those developers, can support this government.
Lesley Hastie
*Toronto Star June 3, 2022, 18% of Ontario voters handed Doug Ford a majority government
**CBC NEWS – Ontario Votes 2022
***Statistics Canada Consumer Price Index: Annual review, 2022
****CTV news “CUPE celebrates deal and not backing down to Ford”
^ The Globe and Mail, October 22nd, 202
^^Environmental defence, PROBLEMS WITH HIGHWAY 413
Paul, yes the baby boomers are costing more to the health care system, so is a lot of other things. Our system was broke before covid and its even worse now. Nurses , PSW’s doctors and all those others behind the scenes, retiring, burnt out and many other issues. We need a new approach! Thats what i am saying. You cant keep spending money that you don’t have, or spend and nothing happens. So my opinion is lets look outside the box. Cant hurt, cause what we have done in the past, and i am well aware of it, isn’t working! Safe day to all first responders out there, those making it work! 👍
Mr Beacock:
The current growth in healthcare cost driver is the aging of the baby boomers and their higher health care costs.
This is no surprise. In 2003, the Conference Board of Canada created projected affects of the aging baby boomers. And I quote “The aging of Canada’s baby boomers will trigger labour shortages after 2010, and threaten sustainability of the health care system because of spiralling costs to care for the elderly, warns a report by the Conference Board of Canada.”
With regard to health care costs they projected “Overall provincial/territorial health care spending is expected to increase at an average annual pace of 5.3 per cent (including inflation) from 2003 to 2020, the report indicates. That would effectively boost these costs to 44 per cent of government revenues in 2020 from 32 per cent in 2001”
In spite of this ample warning, neither the Ontario Liberals nor PCs prepared or even acknowledge this well understood phenomenon.
This year the PC Government will have spent 75 billion on healthcare. This represents 40.5% of revenues not the 44% necessary which forecast 20 years ago. The underfunding then is 7 billion a year.
The good news is the question of sustainability. From current forecasts, the extraordinary pressure will continue through 2031 and then slow. After 2046, the pressures will reverse.
The solution is simple then government revenues need to increase for the next 8 years. Forty four percent of total revenues need to be dedicated to healthcare for the next 8 years. After that point and with accelerated immigration, healthcare funding will be less of a drain on tax payers.
As an aside, contrary the Reganites and their conservative followers, unless you willing determine to provide baby boomers with a substandard and dangerous health care system, Ontario has a revenue problem NOT a spending problem.
Current system isn’t working! Been neglected for many years and parties! Looking outside the box 🤘👍. Pouring money into the system we have now is NOT working. Go for it Doug! You have my vote!
Who woulda thunk given his brother’s struggles, now that he’s into his 2nd term Doug Ford has presented himself well, as has his government, versus Justin Trudeau with the Blackface, Aga Khan, We Charity disgraces. Many people expected the Ford Nation “clown show” that Rob had put on to continue, but instead it’s the Trudeau family that is running the circus. Maggie especially has outdistanced Rob here
Well written article Hugh.I like Doug Ford and apparently a lot of other folks do to be elected a second term.I see a premier who is trying,not perfect.He has my support.
Mike Stevens
Anna-Lise Kear: They can’t run the ball and they can’t pass; time to punt (football speak). Maybe contracting out is the only solution to the mess! People will stand a chance of receiving the care they need. Maybe the private clinics will pay nurses and technicians a decent wage (which will severely diminish the chance of the public hospitals getting help).
But maybe we won’t need these new hospitals! Maybe we can just rent the ones we have to the new guys. Although 10 men with sharp sticks likely couldn’t get them operating north of Barrie. And what chance in Huntsville?
I find it kinda’ curious that we will pay for a new building to house personnel involved in the construction of our future ‘full service’ hospital. Is there no office space left in the present building?
And John Earl: Yes! I worry about our democracy. When enough people fail to vote, it weakens democracy. By imposing the so called ‘strong mayor’, where a majority of votes is not required to carry a program, that alone is an erosion of democratic process.
I have stated that I find our majority governments, both federal and provincial, are much like elected dictatorships, the opposition has negligible input. The house is a lot of booing and hissing and na-na-na-na- naaing. Not much co-operating.
No need to ‘recall’ those comments by me, you can look them up. My opinions may not align with your own, but why does that make me ‘Low’? Your word.
Or maybe you’re talking limbo.
I don’t fault the Premier for Covid organizing since it was something new that we hadn’t experienced before and right or wrong, I do believe he did his best.
BUT, if we are so very short of doctors and nurses for our Health System where on earth is he to get these special people for the private systems? As well, he says that the Government will pay for the private (maybe for now but a few years but down the road ?? I wonder if they will still cover it).
I can see that he is desperate to do something to help the health system, but let’s not jump from the fry pan into the fire. I hear that nurses are leaving to go to the States, etc. because of better pay, well why not raise their pay of our nurses now instead of letting them move to a private facility (in Canada) where they will receive more pay (that in the end will be paid by the Government anyway).
The underlying problem with health care is the baby-boom retirement bubble colliding almost perfectly with the worst pandemic in a century. A large number of people in many professions decided to retire sooner than they would have done without Covid. Many if not most countries are experiencing the same problem. So it is puzzling where the money, staffing, and equipment for the proposed private clinics will suddenly come from if it was not available for the existing health care model. Realistically, it will take months if not a few years to put the new model in place and the pace of work will likely decline somewhat during the transition. Several other initiatives have been proposed that may have faster and cheaper results such as enabling pharmacies to write prescriptions, hiring clerical staff to relieve doctors of up to 1/3rd of their current work, and speeding up accreditation of foreign trained doctors. Doug’s plan gives the appearance of action, and we may know in 3 years if it is working. I sincerely hope it works, but the logic is far from clear.
At the risk of being eviscerated by the DF fan club, I have to agree with all Anna Lise’s points; her’s is a realistic view of DF (and said promises and policies) and his cronies. After all the “misrepresentations” and bait and switch tactics used by our Premiere, this rah-rah viewpoint is really quite naive. Doug Ford is in power only for his friends and power partners..he doesn’t give a wit about the regular “folks” except at election time. He’s also no friend of conservation efforts. I believe he will set this province back decades. Doug Ford is no Bill Davis (the last time I voted Conservative)!
Keep up the great work Doug! Much appreciated, thanks!
Thank You Mr. Mackenzie,
Your article is a good one, I especially liked the Quote ” We hold them to the highest level of perfection and then Yell like Hell when they turn out to be mere Mortals, like the rest of us.” Unquote.
I honestly thought that after reading this the flood gate would open up with many of Doppler’s previous submitters that have very little good to say about Doug Ford, Doug Ford’s Government , and Graydon Smith.
One comment I recall even made reference to Dictator and Dictatorship, like , how Low can one go !
Also as You have reminded us that Last June , Doug Ford’s Conservative party earned a very solid majority.
Hopefully all those people opposing can put forward any constructive suggestions to make Ontario an even Better Place to be proud of. People try to Dwell on the Positive .
Final posting.
Mr. Mackenzie, I wouldn’t worry if I were you about Mr. Ford. He is receiving plenty of praise and kudos from his backroom, Conservative hard-line strategists (cabal/ideological tribe, if one prefers). I suggest that Mike Harris has Ford’s back with the for-profit interests.
Look at what the second iteration of Mike Harris has achieved in healthcare:
• Opportunistic pushing of the Conservative agenda while the chaos of a pandemic runs its course
• Landing a choke-hold on those pesky unions with Bill C 124, denying the collective bargaining rights of public healthcare bedside hospital nurses to bargain for better working conditions and wages
• More kudos for delaying (a la Trump) having to address Bill C124 by appealing the Ontario Court ruling that the bill was an unnecessary contravention of that collective bargaining right
• Supplementing non-profit Public Health sector with for-profit pharmacies administering Covid testing and Covid immunization (transfer of prescribing from Doctors to Pharmacists)
• Opening for-profit surgical clinics for “back-log” of certain surgeries (a back-log welcomed for just such a solution). If you think this will go back to “normal” any time soon, guess again.
• Opening these clinics draws on public hospital, bedside nursing, etc.
My suggestions are two-fold:
• There is more than enough evidence to not trust Doug Ford Conservatives with healthcare; difficult to undo the damage.
• Attend the Green Party Town Hall coming to Muskoka-Parry Sound in early February.
From a local perspective, Doug Ford has always been a strong supporter of non-urban areas, like Muskoka. This was reflected again in his Healthcare/hospital commitments, including here in Muskoka. Having Graydon Smith in his cabinet is a big win for Muskoka too. In these challenging times, with so many competing interests and needs, we will need strong voices of support in Queens Park.
Once again – a pragmatic viewpoint Hugh. Refreshing. Thx
The only people who will benefit from new build housing are developers & builders and those who already own homes and want to move away from built areas . They will be able to afford new build but those who can’t afford homes now will be no closer to ownership , in fact those who recently purchased overpriced houses are in danger of losing them due to the sudden rise in interest rates . The Banks will be the biggest sellers…..Note…$400,000.00 new built homes Are Not ” Affordable “.
Treat existing Green Space like Provincial Parks…Hands Off Doug !
All well said Hugh.
Certainly Premier Ford is a bit of a rough cut gem and as you have pointed out, who among the premiers of the recent past didn’t have their faults ? He is however, a gentleman.
All the critics who are piling on now don’t have workable ideas of their own. So IMO they have nothing worthwhile to say.
The OPP investigation resulting from activist pressure is a good thing. Let’s find out if there is anything to the allegations. If not let the accusers and innuendo mongers step up and appologize. Fat chance!
Jim Boyes