Session: 38:2
Date: 19-Apr-2007

STEVENSON MEMORIAL HOSPITAL

Ms. Laurie Scott (Haliburton-Victoria-Brock): I'm pleased to stand today to speak to the resolution put forward by my colleague from Simcoe-Grey, and to congratulate him and thank him for all the hard work he has done on behalf of his community on this very important issue.

He has brought it to the Legislature through every means possible-petitions, questions, resolution, debate-a tireless effort he has made on behalf of his community, and I want to thank him for that. He has worked with community organizations, and I want to welcome all the people in the gallery here today. For over 200 people from a community to come forward is just outstanding. I praise Jim for the work he has done to create the plan to have the birthing unit reopened. He was first elected to the Legislature in 1990. It's clear from all the hard work that he has done-he's been re-elected four times-that he is a very strong advocate for his riding.

I'm pleased to support the resolution that was brought forward here-that of the Stevenson Memorial Hospital with the required $1.4 million in new funding over the next three years so that it can reopen its birthing unit-and to emphasize to the government that it is a priority. You should put it in the budget. You should address it.

When you recklessly throw over $20 million away at year-end spending-and here we have a community that only requires $1.4 million in new funding over the next three years for the birthing unit-you should be embarrassed that you have not addressed this situation, because you've heard about it for a long, long time.

I can speak as a registered nurse for over 20 years and the time I spent in hospitals, in my local hospital in Lindsay, how they had worked towards and got a new birthing unit, and how important it is for communities that women can get the care they need close to the communities they live in.

We live in rural ridings-winter conditions, treacherous roads-and you have to bring this down to the safety of people in Ontario. By ignoring this request-which is not over the top, it's practical; it's a member of provincial Parliament repeatedly telling you the needs of his community, something that could be done easily. That you haven't made that a priority is unexplainable.

He's had to come here for private members' public business on Thursday mornings to bring a resolution forward to you to deal with this, when it's a logical thing that you should've done.

I hope the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care does come here and I hope to see how he votes on this resolution today. This is just an embarrassment for this government. You put a health care tax on, an extra $2-billion kitty. Is that money going to health care? Well, we have to question where that money is going. You did a tax grab to the people of Ontario, and the people of Alliston-are they getting better care for paying more money on their health care tax? I think not, when they're here. There are 200 people here today to say to you, the McGuinty government, "We are not getting better health care. You have not put our health care tax dollars, that you have taken out of our pockets, to work."

It is embarrassing. It just is embarrassing. There are over a million people in Ontario alone who don't have a family doctor-130,000 children. Are you addressing those needs? You're taking more money from them for the health care tax. Are you addressing those needs? Those are terrible statistics. The number of underserviced areas has gone up dramatically since you've been in government. They peaked at 143 in June 2005-143 underserviced communities in our province. What have you done to fill that doctor shortage? You could go on and on. I'm glad the member has brought this resolution here today because we need to highlight to the people of Ontario that you are not spending their tax dollars wisely.

1150
According to the piece by the Stevenson Memorial Hospital in the Alliston Herald on April 13, hospitals in small rural communities do not have enough births to provide the income expected by specialists such as obstetricians. The community hospitals have to give the specialists an income guarantee, meaning the hospital has to use operating funds to top up doctors' salaries if their fee-for-service income does not rise to the level of expectation in a certain amount of time. According to the Stevenson Memorial Hospital, this has cost the hospital hundreds of thousands of dollars in recent years.

Like I said, the government could have assisted that community in different means. It is not a large amount of money they are asking for when you look at the huge health care budget the government has and the dollars involved there. They're not asking for a huge amount, and they deserve to have a birthing unit in Alliston. The Women's Health Council-the issues brought forward by the Women's Health Council-is recommending that there be a moratorium on closures, that there be more assistance for women in communities. They shouldn't have to call a cab to go to another community in an emergency or put their family at risk of driving in treacherous conditions to go to a birthing centre. People in Alliston are so extremely upset, and they should be.

The member from Simcoe-Grey was quoted in a local newspaper as saying, "I am not backing down," and today, true to his word, with this huge group of people here from his community supporting this resolution, he said that the residents in the area of Simcoe-Grey deserve to have their babies born in Alliston. He's been a great champion; we all know about it. The member from Beaches-East York also has spoken passionately about it. The critic from our party for the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care has spoken from her experience as minister, but as a mother also, on the importance of having a birthing unit close to home and the security that women need.

I thank the member from Simcoe-Grey for bringing this forward. I thank the member from Burlington for bringing her local health issue forward to the Legislature earlier today to highlight the needs of their communities and to try and force the government to act, and to act now. They should be embarrassed into acting.

I see the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care has come into the room, so I'm sure he's been anxiously listening to the debate. We'll be very interested to see his response to both of these resolutions that have been brought before the Legislature today to increase the level of health care in the communities of Ontario. I thank the member from Simcoe-Grey again for bringing this forward and for the opportunity to speak in support of it this morning.