I am writing to you because I am reading in the newspaper that the GGH has asked you to consider a civic contribution of 1.2 million dollars toward an MRI and a mental health unit. I also understand that you have formed a committee.
The Guelph Wellington Health Coalition, through its umbrella, the Ontario Health Coalition, has been following the complexities involved in health care since 2002. We are privy to research done by Polaris and economists like Mackenzie and Yalnizyan and we use Goldblatt etal in Toronto to issue legal opinions on serious matters as they arise. It is us who used the freedom of information act to get the specific details of the building of the Brampton hospital. Everything our economists predicted was true and it was known before the deals were signed. It was our own coalition, through the efforts of our MP, that got the wait times benchmarks moved up two years earlier for the provinces by the Federa; government.
Healthcare is a fundamental service that girds our nation’s strength. We need to create ownership around this issue. There is a need to discern the matter with as much information as you can get to make a responsible and informed decision. Ownership belongs to everyone who pays for or uses the system. However, not everyone is aware of this.
Our committee has had standing before the Ministry of Social Services for the LHIN legislation and currently, the Long Term Care Act. We believe we are a wealthy source of information or resouce to obtain more of it.
Our coalition would appreciate some sort of standing before your committee so that we can offer our evaluation of this request and bring attention to the discrepancies in responsibility between levels of government. This could lead to a creative solution. I hope that you can give us this opportunity to give due service to the public. MM