In the midst of a municipal election, the question of whether there is a need for two new hospitals in Muskoka has raised its head again and it has been raised by a mayoral candidate in Huntsville.
This came about at the mayoral debate in the Algonquin Theatre last Thursday when the moderator asked the four candidates to outline their plan for funding the municipality’s share for the new hospital in Huntsville that has been committed to by the Government of Ontario.
When he announced his candidacy for mayor of Huntsville in early July, Councillor Tim Withey said this: “The recent announcement by the Premier to build two new hospitals (one in Huntsville and one in Bracebridge) was welcome news. However, the process ahead is far from straightforward.” He went on to say that he understands the planning cycle ahead and firmly believes that his depth of experience “is a necessary asset for Huntsville’s next mayor to have, if we are to succeed in the long run”
This statement of “welcome news” by Tim Withey was happily received by many people who recalled his vigorous opposition to two hospitals, particularly two new hospitals in Muskoka, during the two years of acrimonious debate and concern over the future of acute hospital care in the region.
In October of 2019, in referring to the final recommendation of the Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare Board’s proposal for two new hospitals in Muskoka, Tim Withey told council that the building of two new facilities in Huntsville would be cost prohibitive and doomed for failure when presented to the Ministry of Health for approval. At another time he said, “This plan is designed to fail.”
And so, it is no wonder that many of us felt some relief when Mr. Withey, in announcing his candidacy for mayor, indicated support for the provincial government’s commitment to a new hospital in Huntsville.
But sadly, it was not to be and at the mayoral debate on Thursday, Councillor Withey doubled down and threw cold water on any expectation that he would work wholeheartedly with the Province to achieve their commitment for a new or substantially new hospital in Huntsville.
He stated quite clearly that he was not convinced that the province would actually build a new hospital in Huntsville. “It’s a bit of a stretch this will ever happen, quite frankly,” he said. He repeated his belief that hospitals in Muskoka should be renovated but not rebuilt. He committed to “a bit of money,” if elected as Mayor to keep the ball rolling, but did not have a plan to provide the municipality’s share of funding for the new facility as required by the Province and did not commit to one. At best, Councillor Withey’s support for the Province’s commitment to hospital care in Huntsville was underwhelming.
I know that there are a number of important municipal issues in Huntsville that need to be addressed and a local election is a good time to do just that. But in my view, there is no more important issue in relation to the future sustainability of Huntsville, than ensuring a high quality of hospital care in our community. It is necessary for our well-being, and it is necessary for our economy.
For the past two or more years, there has been a lot of debate about how to achieve that. The final decision for two new hospitals was based, in part, on findings that renovations to bring the facilities up to modern and futuristic standards would cost very close to that of replacements. In Huntsville, it is quite possible that a part of the existing building could be utilized in a new facility, but renovation alone is not a viable option and would put Huntsville at a distinct disadvantage to a new facility that will inevitably be built in Bracebridge.
In its final decision, the Muskoka Algonquin Health Care Board recognized the importance of two equal hospital facilities to serve South and North Muskoka. It was a long road to get them there and after that, a challenge to convince the Province to commit to two new facilities. It is doubtful if this would have been achievable, were it not for the political leadership of Graydon Smith, then Mayor of Bracebridge and Scott Aitchison, then Mayor of Huntsville, and after his departure, Mayor Karin Terziano.
Between them, they tampered down the partisanship between the two municipalities, focused on solutions that benefited both, and worked closely with the Province to bring about a meaningful commitment to make it happen.
Now that a decision and an undertaking by the Province has been made, in my view, it is far more important to talk about how we can get this done than why we can’t. Of course, there will be challenges along the way, but real leadership is about overcoming those challenges and not succumbing to them.
We have experienced candidates running for mayor of Huntsville. It is important to know that whoever gets elected is prepared to fully support the commitment of two new hospitals in Muskoka and to work with the Province to bring it about.
We now, after years of deliberation, have a plan. It is approved by the Hospital Board. It is approved by the Town of Huntsville. It is approved by the Town of Bracebridge. It is approved by the District of Muskoka, and most importantly, it is approved by the Government of Ontario.
We don’t need to look backward. We don’t need to re-open a can of worms. We just need the political leadership to make it happen.
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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Thought I had posted on this commentary, but it seems to have gone astray.
Our present facility is mostly clerical offices; short of doctors, nurses and open beds. The ‘two, full service hospital syndrome’ is and was an election carrot, as it will be again.
I agree with Hugh Mackenzie, that if Huntsville is renovated or goes up a story, then the new ‘full service’ will “inevitably be built in Bracebridge.” I think District government will see to that. But, in my opinion, such a facility a half hour away will be better than Toronto or New Market.
I agree with Tim Withey, that commentary on Doppler should be open and honest and not self serving.
I agree with the comment by Anna- Lise Kear. Full disclosure is in order.
I agree with Anna Bertelsen. I too will vote for Tim Withey. I remember when you moved in across the road from our house Anna. And yes, Huntsville sure has changed.
I worked with Tim Withey for many years on our hospital’s future, and I can say with certainty he always advocated strongly for our Huntsville hospital and for a 2 acute care hospital future in Muskoka.
Tim is highly knowledgeable on health care, with extensive experiences serving our local community in many key roles, including recently helping to secure the new Fairvern long-term care facility in Huntsville.
Our hospital’s future has been hotly debated for years, truggered by past governments push for consolidations and closures, mostly in rural areas. It was encouraging to see the Ford government’s announced support for 2 new hospitals in Muskoka. However, that future remains a decade away and as with other hospitals, critical shortages and under funding is here now and getting worse. Our healthcare system is in crisis and given all the rising demands on governments, a lower cost/sooner to implement renovation/expansion option may well be a reality.
Mr. Mackenzie; if you have not done so already, full disclosure of you work/involvement with a rival candidate would add to transparency of your position and commentary. Thank you.
Hugh Mackenzie respectfully, the thrust of your article has the connotation that Tim Withey ‘s position is detrimental to Huntsville Hospital which is blatantly false and reckless.
He is the strongest candidate to keep Huntsville Hospital open and to advocate for progressive healthcare in the area and no other candidate can compete with him on this point. (If you need his CV regarding healthcare in Muskoka, I am sure that he will provide it.)
Additionally, a candidate cannot merely “fully support” the Province’s position regarding Huntsville Hospital. They need to have the critical thinking, financial savvy, historical knowledge, Huntsville healthcare experience and insight to navigate and advocate for Huntsville Hospital.
The devil can be within the details!
To blindly support an initiative could be fatal for Huntsville Hospital. Do you remember “the survey” that was released and people completed it in an effort to support Huntsville Hospital? The survey was skewed and the results were positioned to give a very clear narrative that would not have supported keeping Huntsville Hospital open.
Additionally, I “fully support” that the town of Huntsville needs to attract industry/jobs and address affordable housing, however I do not know how to do get those things done. There is a vast chasm of difference between “support” and being the most informed/best person to get a task completed!
Tim, You only quoted a part of my comment related to your support of two hospitals. The full quote was “many people recalled his vigorous opposition to two hospitals, particularly, two new hospitals.” I withdraw my comment that you have not supported two hospitals in Muskoka and accept your word on this. However, there can be no question that you have consistently and vigorously opposed two new hospitals in Muskoka which is the commitment that has been made by the Government of Ontario. You have in the past advocated for two renovated hospitals and advocated that particularly, for Huntsville, at the recent mayoral debate. The political reality is that Bracebridge is going to get a new hospital. Renovations alone in Huntsville would put this community at a real disadvantage, especially in relation to where specialty medical services are located. I continue to believe that our next mayor, whoever he or she is, must be unreservedly in full support of the province’s commitment to build two new hospitals in Muskoka and willing to comply with whatever needs to be done at the local level, to bring this about.
When I read Mackenzie’s article about Tim Whitey and his opinion of hospitals in Muskoka, I thought, wait a minute I don’t remember Whitey ever mentioning that he was against having two hospitals. Because if that was so, I would have to rethink voting for him. However I don’t think I need to worry about that. He will have my vote.
Good luck, if will be an uphill battle to achieve all of the issues we have in our continual growing town.
We moved here in 1960, what a difference 62 years have made.
Anna Bertelsen
I would have thought that Hugh MacKenzie would have learn something from the Covid experience. But no, here he is demanding a two site solution to the critical health issues facing Muskoka (and he wants someone else to pay for it). The Premier has alluded (indeed campaigned on) $1 billion for an additional 50 hospital beds in Muskoka. That works out to $20 million per bed. The next closest cost per bed in Southern Ontario is $13 million per bed. Certainly if Huntsville/Bracebridge want a two site solution that is fine but the citizens need to pay for the excess cost of a two site solution…….No Mr MacKenzie, learn from Covid and let the experts plan the necessary improvement to Muskoka’s hospital needs.
Small town politics. No wonder people are reluctant to run. Obviously Mr. McKenzie reports for his own purposes and making sure his candidate wins is on the agenda. It’s disappointing that good people need to defend and justify themselves.
Mr. Hernen making absurd comments, like getting a shovel in the ground in five years is a good sound-bite but shows his lack of understanding of political processes.
Over time, without an acute care hospital, we won’t need much in the way of attainable housing for families and young people because they won’t move here and they won’t stay here; the town will shrink and the need for all types of health services will decline.
We will once again be a sleepy, little village whose residents travel to obtain most health care services.
I have to take issue with much of what Mr. Mackenzie writes as much of it is inaccurate. I’m also surprised that as the owner of a media outlet, he fails to disclose that he is working on the campaign for one of my rivals. So much for unbiased reporting. Write what you want, but the public should know that ‘you have a dog in this fight’. So firstly, he states “many people have recalled his vigorous opposition to two hospitals” – completely untrue. I have always supported that there should be a hospital in both Bracebridge and Huntsville. As a former Director on the North Simcoe Muskoka LHIN, I do have important experience in how this process works. I have seen applications from other hospitals who were looking for renewal, notably Orillia and Collingwood. MAHC has taken almost 10 years to get to stage 1.3 with another 7 stages to go. With this math it could take another to 10 to 15 years to have anything started. Believing there will be a shovel in the ground in 5 years, as Mr. Hernen stated last Thursday night is just not possible. The numbers quoted in 2019 dollars speaks to $74 million dollars as the local share. 10 to 15 years from now that number will be a lot higher and the build itself will probably reach a billion dollars This doesn’t include the beds and equipment and most importantly staff – who need better pay now – needed to fill the building.
What I’m wondering is if a new hospital is built in Huntsville will it be on the same ground as it is now, When it was built where it is now that was supposed to be enough land for any future expansion or renovations whatever was needed going into the future. Well the future is here and in my opinion there is not a better location for a hospital than where it is. I do think a new entrance from 60 hwy is needed especially for ambulances if not the general public . There will be issues that come up from time to time and that happens with any major building. I remember there was a few when the current hospital was built but they were all overcome and any with a new hospital will be as well.
Totally agree with you Hugh!! So much work has been done. Let’s move forward!
All your comments are correct Hugh.
Why Withey is not enthusiastically on board is a question to be answered before the election.
So much progress has been made and anyone unsupportive of the present agreements among the parties should not IMHO be mayor.
Attainable housing is needed today not talked about for the next five years.
We have current needs for primary health care, mental health services, homecare that the provincial government continues to ignore.
Sure, we will commit to raising our ” local share” for a new Huntsville Hospital, but we really need homes for families and young people so Huntsville can be a thriving growing community. Hopefully sustainable too.