In today’s Question Period, Parry Sound-Muskoka MPP Norm Miller pressed the new Minister of Health and Long-Term Care, Helena Jaczek, to support maintaining two hospitals in Muskoka and to ensure this area’s hospitals get a fair share of funding.
He wasn’t happy with the response he got.
In a media release issued this afternoon, Miller said that Jaczek ‘refused to commit to maintaining two fully functioning hospitals, instead talking generally about planning for hospitals across the province.’ He did acknowledge that the minister said she was awaiting input from the community and that she ‘would listen to the recommendations from the community and municipal councils.’
“The community has been very clear that they support maintaining two hospitals,” said Miller in the release. “I asked this question because residents aren’t confident that the Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare’s Board and Task Force have been listening. I will continue to push the Minister to listen to not just the Board of MAHC but also to the people who rely upon these two hospitals.”
Jaczek’s initial response to Miller’s questioning was to tout the work of the Ontario Hospital Association: “I really do want to commend the way the Ontario Hospital Association has stepped up to the plate in assisting us at looking how we move forward with looking at efficiencies, centres of excellence, and yet providing care as close to home as possible,” she said during Question Period. “All of these pieces are very much in the mix. It’s really quite remarkable how our advisory council, chaired by the Ontario Hospital Association president, has looked at the whole spectrum of hospitals in this province, from academic health science centres, psychiatric hospitals, rehab hospitals, all the services that are provided through small hospitals, large hospitals, etc.”
Miller also asked the Minister about the disparity in increased funding for Muskoka and Parry Sound versus the rest of the province. He said while Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare (MAHC) received a funding increase of 1.4 per cent and West Parry Sound Health Centre has been told they will receive approximately one per cent, in the lead-up to the June election the government has been touting an average increase of 4.6 per cent for Ontario hospitals.
“One of the challenges facing Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare and other small and medium-sized hospitals is that their funding has not kept up with their costs. Many of these costs are not things the hospitals can control. In fact, some, like hydro costs and collective bargaining agreements, are things the province controls. The province has increased hospital costs without increasing funding to cover these costs. As a result, some hospitals have run deficits for many years… Will the minister explain why these hospitals in my riding are not receiving the full 4.6 per cent increase in funding?” questioned Miller.
Jaczek replied that funding was based on need. “We made it very clear that our increase, the $822 million this year, would provide an average of 4.6 per cent overall increase to hospitals in this province. Clearly, in some communities, high-growth communities such as ones that I represent, the need, the increase in population, the increase in acuity is greater than in some other areas of the province,” she said. “This is precisely why we consult with the Ontario Hospital Association, as well as the local health integration network as to the distribution of these funds. It’s based on evidence. It’s based on need.
“In particular, in this situation,” Jaczek continued, “I know that my predecessor, the former Minister of Health, met with the city council and asked them to come back with a unified plan for the hospitals in the member’s riding. We look forward to that. We’re awaiting that kind of community decision to inform us and we’ll move forward in that regard.”
Miller also added in his media release that he is “disappointed that the Minister was not willing to indicate her support for maintaining the two hospitals. Given her answer I encourage concerned residents to sign and send in copies of the petition.”
To get a copy of the petition visit https://www.normmillermpp.ca/ petitions/ and then click on “download petition” to print the formatted version.
You can watch the video of the exchange below or on YouTube here.
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I hope she realizes that an insurmountable number of these people from GTA come up here to cottage and camp, etc and also expect to have hospital privileges…..if they are in Algonquin park how long will that take if they think closing one of our spaces is acceptable. Wait times are already horrendous in the summer here…….
Oh–I’m sure the Health Minister understands–it’s that she doesn’t CARE. We are being punished for being in a Conservative riding–just like the people of Grimsby were in 2012 when Dalton McGuinty scrapped their new hospital (the old one is over 70 years old) along with many other hospital projects in Conservative ridings. Grimsby had already raised $14 million toward the new hospital. It is in the riding whose MPP was opposition leader, Tim Hudak, at the time. Then they were forced to amalgamate under Hamilton Health Sciences–(whose CEO makes $650,000 per year, by the way.) “Revenge is a dish best served cold.” Let’s feed the provincial Liberals cold oatmeal in June.
What the Health Minister doesn’t understand is that the population of Muskoka/Parry Sound is not a stable population. It varies hugely throughout the year due to significant tourism and vacation home properties. The fact that Algonquin Park has over 500,000 visitors in the summer months and most small towns in Muskoka/Parry Sound triple their population in the summer means we have volumes that are equal to small town GTA area hospitals. The government can’t profess to encouraging growth in the north and then not support it with suitable medical teams. And political partisanship when it comes to critical medical spending is not only unethical but criminal if it costs lives.
Tom, it was the federal Liberals who started the “downloading” process (in order to try to look good for the federal election). They downloaded onto the Provinces, which had no choice but to scramble around trying to download some of it onto the backs of the municipal governments. The federal Liberals under Trudeau are spending money like it is water and we will pay the price as they raise taxes to cover their fiscal mismanagement. Every time the federal Liberals get into office, they can only think about buying votes and then either borrowing (and borrowing is a net loss because it has to be paid back–with interest) or raising taxes to service the debt.
You said it, John. We need to get rid of the Liberal autocrats and bureaucrats! We especially need to get rid of the intellectually-challenged Liberal who said that he was “proud” that the Liberal provincial government had TRIPLED the debt. Who does he think is going to be on the hook for paying the bankers back?? We and our children, grandchildren and great grandchildren–that’s who! The bankers ALWAYS get paid–count on it. It always seems that the very highly-paid bureaucrats always get paid as well. Many on the Sunshine list get paid a lot more than our elected representatives (who the bureaucrats ignore when it suits their purposes).
Typical bafflegab from these ministers. Interesting that she noted her riding was one that should get more funding. Another reason to get rid of this bunch.
The Minister actually misrepresented what her predecessor Eric Hoskins had said. In meetings with our elected officials Minister Hoskins had actually said that he was aware of our overwhelming opposition to the one-hospital model and the effect the current funding model was having on two-site hospitals, and said as recently as January that changes were in the works. Is the new Minister of Health overriding all the inroads her predecessor made? Or simply unaware of what’s going on here in Muskoka? Either way … unacceptable!
Norn debate me on the Mike Harris and Ernie Eves Downloads to municipal tax payers and What You and Ford plan next to have municipal taxpayers on the hook for into the no pension plan days thanks to wage increase wages slowdowns and required poverty .This is why I challenge Norm Miller , PC MPP who hides from debate, on this have-and-have-not ideal they have planned for voters.
I wonder if this woman has any idea what she is talking about or the area. Me thinks not at all.
Please stay on it, Norm and thank you
Great questions Norm, very POOR answers from the Minister.Thanks for the news release.