Doppler’s Hugh Mackenzie and others have been sharing their opinions on matters local and political with you throughout the year. This was some of the commentary that had you equally passionate about the issues:
Listen Up! Peace in our time….but goodbye Huntsville Hospital?
In February, when the Hospital Retention Committee presented their recommendations for hospital care in Muskoka to a joint meeting of the Bracebridge and Huntsville Councils, Hugh Mackenzie was gobsmacked by what he heard.
“If Huntsville loses its acute care hospital, it will have a devastating effect on our economy and our health care,” he wrote. “Doctors and other professionals will gravitate toward the more active hospital centre. We would likely lose the Northern Ontario School of Medicine which came here only through enormous effort by Huntsville people including Dr. Roy Kirkpatrick and former Councillor Fran Coleman… Doctors in our community do not see it the way the Retention Committee sees it and they made that very clear to members of the Retention Committee at a meeting on Thursday night. Some expressed the view that if the Committee’s recommendations went through, there would be no hospital here in five years.”
Listen Up! Supporting a person through addiction and mental illness is really difficult
Image: 1310news
In response to the tragic death of Paul Fenc, a homeless man who died in a burning van while trying to keep warm, Hugh Mackenzie shared his own family experience and pointed out that supporting people with mental illness is a difficult task even for those trained to do it.
“We are far better off, in my view, to confront the realities of mental illness, to bring it out from the shadows, to conquer the shame, than we are to bury the hard issues by pointing fingers somewhere else, where they don’t belong.”
Listen Up! We are getting royally screwed by the Wynne government
Credit: CTV News
With Ontario’s hydro costs among the highest in North America and our provincial government carrying the largest debt of any sub-national government in the world, Hugh Mackenzie thinks its time for all sides to pay closer attention.
“Voters have lost their patience. Honeymoons are short. One need only look across the border to see what happens when they have had enough of the status quo. Too much debt, too much entitlement, too many broken promises and out you go. And then, you may be surprised at what you get!”
Listen Up! What will be this council’s legacy? Let’s hope it’s green space
Among the issues that Hugh Mackenzie would like to see contribute to this term of Council’s legacy are the maintenance and preservation of our town’s trail systems and green spaces.
“Returning River Mill Park to entirely green and recreational space would be a significant expression of leadership for our Mayor and Council for which they would be remembered. It would be welcomed by the thousands of people in our community who cherish outdoor public space and it would recognize that the environment is far more important to our economy and lifestyle than a concrete parking lot.”
Listen Up! Tragic accident and loss of life at Brunel intersection must be catalyst for improvement
When a tragic accident at the intersection of Brunel Road and High Street took the life of Seungah Kim, Hugh Mackenzie called for the District and Town Council to address the problem once and for all.
“Successive Huntsville Councils have been very vocal about the need to improve this intersection and it is well past time that concrete action is taken. Brunel Road and High street is a busy traffic area and the intersection is a dangerous one. We need much better lighting there, perhaps even stoplights and a crossing walk. And we need to improve visibility so that there is a clear view for drivers and pedestrians in both directions.
“District needs to take action on this and Huntsville Council, especially those who are also District Councillors, need to yell and scream until they do. It should have been fixed years ago. We should not have to wait for someone to die. Just fix it.”
Linda Kelly, a 17-year ICU nurse at Huntsville Hospital, shares her insight
While following the local debates about Huntsville’s hospital, ICU nurse Linda Kelly decided to share her personal experience with Huntsville Doppler readers, highlighting how stretched to the limit the hospital’s nursing staff is and wondering what would happen should Huntsville no longer have a hospital.
“I’ve worked in critical care for 35 years with no regrets. But I’m worried now. Will having one hospital in Bracebridge be okay? It appears that might be where this is going. Can the labouring woman make it there in time? Can the asthmatic child hang in for the 40-minute ride? Can a trauma from a car wreck be stabilized in Huntsville, in time for surgery in Bracebridge, after a 40-minute ambulance ride? What about a burst bowel or appendicitis?
“Does the hospital administration think or care about these lives?”
Do you have a favourite piece of commentary from 2016 not mentioned here? Let us know what it is in the comments!
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Back in May, River Mill Park was a contentious issue and Hugh suggested in “Listen Up!” that our Town Council’s decisions about the park would be their legacy. Since then, our Mayor and Council have been faced with a new controversy, and I believe that this is the issue that will define them: the renovations to Hart House.
I just don’t understand their decisions. We travel to Europe and admire the lovely centuries-old homes and architecture that have been preserved for generations. Meanwhile right here at home we have this beautiful Queen Anne-style home that was built by a local master builder for a historically important person, a building that was lovingly restored and maintained for years, a 120-year-old house that would be treasured in any other community, and our Town leaders don’t seem to see its value. This iconic, beloved building, visited and photographed by countless visitors every year, is being “renovated” almost beyond recognition, in clear violation of its heritage designation under Bylaw 84-52, with the full approval of our Mayor and Town Council.
The reasons given for allowing this to happen always circle back to money, to the property tax revenue. But there’s more to a community than the tax base. That shouldn’t be the basis of every decision our Mayor and Council make. We are gradually but inexorably losing Hart House to renovations that are not historically appropriate, to new construction that doesn’t even remotely match the existing style and finishes, and I fear that the Town will continue to approve change after change until Hart House is lost completely and we’re left with just another modern, nondescript home overlooking the Muskoka River. That would be a terrible loss to our community and a tragic legacy for our Mayor and Town Council.
I can remember my dad working hard to get the TD bank’s help in getting funding for the hospital. I’m glad he is now deceased, he would be very upset to know how things are going now.