Simcoe-Grey candidates on health care

David Matthews/NDP

1. As Simcoe-Grey’s population ages, what’s the most important health care service you think this segment of society will need and what does your party plan to do to ensure that this health care service is always at the ready?

 

As the population ages in Simcoe-Grey, there will be several important health care services required.  Firstly, we must eliminate the long waiting period for home care support.  For every $12,000 a day spent keeping seniors in a hospital bed, 15 people can be treated in their homes through attendant care.  Secondly, we need readily accessible long-term care units for those seniors with complex medical needs.  We must open more government-run, long-care homes for seniors.  Thirdly, we require more doctors.  We will forgive student debts to doctors who practice in under-serviced communities.

 

2.  How do you feel about the success of the LHINS (Local Health Integration Networks, responsible for the regional administration of health care) and what are your plans – if any – for changes to them?

 

The LHINS have only been moderately successful in the regional administration of health care.  For example, only half of the LHINS are meeting the five-day target for home care.  We must study the cost effectiveness of the LHINS and decide whether there is a more effective way to make health care more accountable to local communities.

 

3.  Local hospitals in Alliston and Collingwood are aging and in need of updates and expansion, what is your plan for these types of infrastructure needs?

 

During the past twenty years we have seen the building of two major hospitals in the region around Simcoe-Grey:  One in Orangeville and one in Barrie.  With the increase of population in Simcoe-Grey our two hospitals must now get the funding, not only to expand, but also to acquire more updated equipment.  I will fight to get the funding for both hospitals to get the upgrades required to better service our population.

 

 

 

Lorne Kenney/Liberal

 

1) As Simcoe-Grey’s population ages, what’s the most important health care service you think this segment of society will need and what does your party plan to do to ensure that this health care service is always at the ready?

 

Ontario Liberals know that the most important health care investment we can make for our aging population is home and community care. The 2014 budget, rejected by the opposition, included a $270 million commitment for community care, which would have helped more seniors receive high quality care in or close to their homes.  Helping our seniors get the best care really is the goal.

 

2.  How do you feel about the success of the LHINS (Local Health Integration Networks, responsible for the regional administration of health care) and what are your plans – if any – for changes to them?

 

Our LHINs have been very successful in bringing health-care decision-making closer to the local level, ensuring that care is reflective of the communities served.  It ensures high quality care is delivered in a sustainable way to communities.  For example, it accounts for the fact Collingwood's hospital is a major regional orthopedic site, important to both seniors and our recreation sector.

 

3.  Local hospitals in Alliston and Collingwood are aging and in need of updates and expansion, what is your plan for these types of infrastructure needs?

 

The Liberal government will be investing over $11.4 billion, precisely targeted for hospital expansions or redevelopment projects over the next 10 years.  I am strongly in favour of major capital expenditures for both Collingwood and Alliston hospitals, my number one priority. Both have received planning support for their renewal/refurbishment and are on the right track.

 

Jesseca Dudun/ Green

1) As Simcoe-Grey’s population ages, what’s the most important health care service you think this segment of society will need and what does your party plan to do to ensure that this health care service is always at the ready?

 

Offering seniors the help they need to stay in their own homes is key. It is fundamental to sustainable health care for our aging population that we keep people out of expensive hospital beds and allow them to be discharged faster, without compromising their well-being. The Green Party will invest additional funds, focusing on home care, assisted living, long-term care services and additional tax credits for family members staying home to care for seniors.

 

2.  How do you feel about the success of the LHINS (Local Health Integration Networks, responsible for the regional administration of health care) and what are your plans – if any – for changes to them?

 

Identifying needs and integration of health care services, at the local level, is important to a well-functioning health care system. Improvements are always possible. We support refocusing our system to prioritize and concentrate on the promotion of good health and the prevention of illness and disease – to focus on true health care, not just sick care.

 

3.  Local hospitals in Alliston and Collingwood are aging and in need of updates and expansion, what is your plan for these types of infrastructure needs?

 

The Green Party will continue to fund the infrastructure needs of community hospitals.  Our platform also prioritizes investments in front line community care, nurse practitioner led clinics and family health teams.  These clinics and practices team doctors with nurses, dieticians, psychologists, counselors, midwives, physiotherapists and others to ease the burden on our larger institutions by focusing on prevention of illness.

 

Jim Wilson/Progressive Conservative

1) As Simcoe-Grey’s population ages, what’s the most important health care service you think this segment of society will need and what does your party plan to do to ensure that this health care service is always at the ready?

 

Aside from redeveloping our Alliston and Collingwood hospitals, we need to support hospices.  I have been relentless in fighting for fair funding for our local hospices, successfully securing funding for Hospice Georgian Triangle in Collingwood. I will continue to fight for Matthews House in Alliston.  We also need to focus on patients, like young Madi Vanstone of Beeton who needs access to essential treatment.

 

2) How do you feel about the success of the LHINS (Local Health Integration Networks, responsible for the regional administration of health care) and what are your plans – if any – for changes to them?

 

Our plan is focused on making you and your family as healthy as possible. We think nurses, doctors, community care organizations and hospitals know best what care you need, not bureaucrats who never see a patient. We will eliminate the LHIN bureaucracy and change the focus from the needs of administration to the needs of patients.

 

3) Local hospitals in Alliston and Collingwood are aging and in need of updates and expansion, what is your plan for these types of infrastructure needs?

 

I am the guy who has been fighting for the redevelopment of our hospitals.  I secured new dollars to clear the wait list for dialysis in Collingwood and I brought back the birthing unit and helped get the CT scanner in Alliston.  I have the experience to get our hospitals rebuilt and I will get the ball moving.

The Jim Wilson Campaign

Going door-to-door in the early days of this election campaign, the cost of living is one of the main issues incumbent Progressive Conservative Jim Wilson is hearing about.

Along with hydro and affordable living, key components of this election for Wilson are jobs and hospitals. He is also advocating for Matthews House Hospice funding in Alliston, and is against the proposed windmills in Clearview near the Collingwood airport.“In fact, I’m encouraging people to bring them into my office and we show them to the ministry,” he said.

Wilson has been Simcoe-Grey’s voice at Queen’s Park since 1990.

Over the years he has served as Minister of Health, Minister of Energy, Science and Technology, Minister of Development and Mines, and Minister of the Environment. He is also the House Leader of Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition.

“I think I’m well positioned to continue to serve the people, I think I’ve done a good job the last 23 years and I see no reason to stop now,” he said.

Wilson has lived in each part of the riding. He was raised in Alliston, spent a year in Collingwood, and currently lives in Wasaga Beach.

For Wilson, the constituents are behind his decision to keep going.

“I very much enjoy working with people and if you love people this is a great profession, an honourable profession to be in,” he said.

Having been a familiar name on the ballot, he encourages people to vote June 12.

“Complacency is actually a problem for me, so I’m really asking people…let’s send a strong message to the Liberals that what they’ve done is wrong and that the vast majority of people in Simcoe-Grey feel that way,” he said.

Jim Wilson Says.....

I received a very interesting article in my in-box this morning which I would like to share with you. It quotes the PC Candidate, Jim Wilson and it talks about being accountable.

Jim says……..

Should someone in the Ontario Liberal Party be held accountable for the debacle of Ehealth, Ornge and OPG issues. Damn right they should. And they were. The Liberals were pushed into minority territory and the leader left his post. That is accountability, isn't it? Or does the Liberal Party have to die for it's mistakes.

But, if we're going to talk accountability, and the demise of the Liberal Party because of two generating stations being moved, what is proposed to happen to a Party that indirectly caused the deaths of seven people and the illness of 1286 others in Walkerton? How can Mr Wilson, who, along with his present leader, was a minister in the government of the day, show his face in any election campaign? Does he value the lives of seven people and the good health of 1286 to be less than the cost of building generating stations in new locations, or less even than the savings from cutting a couple of inspector's jobs?

A search of Wikipedia shows this.

Polluted water kills four in Walkerton

In May 2000, bacteria seeped into Walkerton's town well. The deadly E. coli then slipped quietly through a maze of pipes and into the homes of Walkerton, Ont. Unsuspecting residents thirstily drank the polluted water and bathed in their bacteria-ridden tubs. But soon after, they began experiencing common symptoms of infection; bloody diarrhea and throbbing cramps. Seven people would eventually die and another 1286 would fall ill. The investigation which followed exposed an alarmingly unstable waterworks system made fragile by government cuts. (Wikipedia)

 And, does he not remember, his Party's commitment to do the same thing with those plants (The costs would likely be the same.)

and this

Mississauga candidates of all three parties openly expressed opposition to the power plant in pre-election debates.

October 5th 2011, asked if he'd scrap the Mississauga plant if he formed the next government, Progressive Conservative leader Tim Hudak replies: "That's right. Done. Done, done, done. (Wikipidea)

That was only three years ago. If accountability is to be applied equally, the Ontario Conservative Party should, long ago, have been buried.

The First Debate

 

The first debate in Simcoe-Grey will take place on May 26th, 2014 starting at 7pm. The debate between the candidates will take place at Banting Memorial High School in Alliston.

This debate should be very interesting and yet very predictable. I suspect that PC candidate Jim Wilson will go after Liberal candidate, Lorne Kenney on the scandal's that have followed the Liberals over the years. If I was advising the Kenney camp I would make a strong point that since Wynne became leader, not one scandal has taken place under her watch.

The NDP will attack the Liberals on all the scandals, and all the broken promises. The Greens will most likely offer themselves up as an alternative to the other parties.

So if you like political theatre, then drop on by, bring some popcorn, and enjoy the show.

It's Jim Wilson Day....

Just to be clear, I'm not picking on Jim Wilson or promoting him in any way. He just seems to be the only candidate who's been in the news the past few days. Another article appeared online this afternoon and the heading is:

Is Jim Wilson beatable?

Here's the link to the article: http://www.simcoe.com/news-story/4515844-is-jim-wilson-beatable-/

Here's my take on the question of the day about beating Jim Wilson. I ran against Mr. Wilson in the 2007 Provincial Election, and of course I lost, but it was a great experience. If you look at the financials from that election and other elections in Simcoe-Grey you will see that Wilson's campaign outspends the other campaigns. The reason for this quite clear, he has a very organized team and a strong core of supporters.
In 2007 my team was made up of myself, my wife at the time, and a couple of friends. I had 1 office in Collingwood, and my campaign cost about $ 8000.00 or so. Wilson had 2 offices, one in Collingwood and the other in Alliston. He had about 60 people helping him, and his campaign cost about $ 50,000 or so. 
Some people said I was crazy to run against Jim Wilson, but I did, and got 26% of the vote, or a little over 12,000 people. In the 2011 election the Liberal candidate had a team in place and she got about 4000 less votes then I did, and about 22% of the vote. Political parties tend to put their resources into riding's where they know they will win, or have a good chance of winning. Simcoe-Grey is not one of those riding's. 
Is Jim Wilson beatable? Ye she is provided that the candidate is well known in the riding, has the backing of the party, and can raise the money to compete against the campaign machine of Jim Wilson. Will he be beat in this election? I don't think so, but then again stranger things have happen.

Wilson cut 2 billion in health care funding.

When Jim Wilson was the Minister of Health during the Mike Harris government he cut 2 billion in funding for our health care sector. Now Wilson claims that a Tim Hudak government would increase funding for our health care sector. Interesting given that Tim Hudak wants to cut 100,000 public sector jobs, which does not include nurses or doctors, but support staff for hospitals. So let's cut 100,000 public sector workers so we can have more money for hospitals. But, when you cut support positions who's going to do the work? Maybe Tim Hudak and Jim Wilson could spend their free time going around to hospitals answering the phone.

Anyway here's an interesting article from a local newspaper about this subject which will be a local election issue.

G&M at forefront of provincial campaign, locally

By Morgan Ian Adams, Enterprise-Bulletin Tuesday, May 13, 2014 8:15:22 EDT AM

COLLINGWOOD — The local hospital has been pushed to the front of the provincial campaign, locally, after one candidate used it as the backdrop for a campaign stop, Monday.

Simcoe-Grey’s Progressive Conservative candidate Jim Wilson says he would fight what he claims is the government’s decision to deny the Collingwood General & Marine promised funding to make up an anticipated deficit for this fiscal year.

The long-time incumbent says he’s also advocating for more money for the hospital in Alliston — as well as seeing that the capital expansion plans for both facilities get the OK from the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care.

“Both communities need a new hospital and it’s high time they receive their fair share,” Wilson said while standing in front of the G&M,Monday morning.

However, the Liberal candidate says Wilson “has no monopoly on support for the... hospital.

“There is nobody in Collingwood who does not support the Collingwood General and Marine Hospital and recognize it as a great centre for health care,” said Lorne Kenney. “Funnily enough, Mr. Wilson and I do not disagree on absolutely everything — more money for health care is on everyone’s agenda.

“We would all like to see more money for the Collingwood General and Marine Hospital.”

Both candidates say they would advocate for new hospital facilities in Collingwood, Wilson pointing out the G&M Hospital has had a capital expansion application into the ministry for nearly a decade, with no response.

Alliston’s hospital was recently given the green light to move on to the planning phase.

Wilson said hospital officials need the OK from the ministry to begin its planning phase, and launch what would likely be a decade-long campaign to raise the $20 million or $30 million needed from the community to cover the local share of what could be $200-million project.

He also said a local developer, John DiPoce, who has offered up 14 acres in the south-east corner of town, “is getting a little impatient.”

Wilson said a Progressive Conservative government would step up and OK the hospital for the next phase of what it would need to do to expand.

“If (hospital officials) could get the green light for planning, that would get them out on the road (to start the project),” he said.

The G&M Hospital, said Wilson, is sitting at 105% occupancy, “100% of the time,” in spite of implementing about 90% of the recommendations from a 2012 efficiency report.

Wilson said he’s been told by hospital administration that core services such as obstetrics could be at risk if the hospital can’t find the $700,000 it needs to make up the funding shortfall.

The hospital had received $1.2 million last year to assist with the transition in the funding model for hospitals that, at the end of the day, could put the G&M in good stead financially down the road. However, that new funding model is being phased in over three years, and Wilson said the G&M was promised gap funding for that time period.

“It’s a pretty drastic situation for a small hospital,” said Wilson, who put the blame for the G&M’s current fiscal woes on a Liberal government that had “billions for scandals (such as the gas plants and eHealth), but they don’t have money for hospitals.”

Kenney, however, argued that it’s a “misunderstanding” between the hospital and the North Simcoe/Muskoka Long Health Integration Network over the gap in funding, and for Wilson to suggest that it’s “a deliberate act of government policy is simply preposterous.”

Kenney pointed out Progressive Conservative leader Tim Hudak is promising to chop 100,000 public sector employees, and while nurses won’t be affected, other hospital staffers “will all be feeling their neck if Mr. Hudak gets elected.”