Hub Staff

Following Grey Bruce Health Services’s (GBHS) public information session April 5, where GBHS representatives discussed moving day surgeries, with the exception of endoscopies, from the Southampton, Markdale and Meaford Hospitals to the regional hospital in Owen Sound in order to offset an upcoming deficit of $17 million dollars, a motion from Deputy Mayor Luke Charbonneau and Saugeen Shores Councillor John Rich gained Council’s approval to oppose the proposed consolidation.

The opposition will be expressed in the form of a letter and the motion also stated that Council support “efforts of GBHS to lobby for changes to the provincial funding formula to account for the special nature of our regional health care system.” Copies of the resolution will be circulated to the GBHS, the Ontario Minister of Health and Long Term Care and the MPP for Huron Bruce.

Grey Bruce Health Services said that the consolidation of day surgeries would save $550,000 a year and, as of April 5, did not have any further plans to save money.

Vice Deputy Mayor Diane Huber requested that Council also send letters to other surrounding MPPs including MPP Bill Walker as well as the Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) and said that standing up to the province “is something that we should do and we should find other ways to do it.” Huber added that the question of “what’s next” was not answered by GBHS at the April 5 information session.

Councillor Neil Menage said we’re being sold a bad bill of goods and that the Ontario Government is not looking after rural needs. “If we thought the school system is upsetting us, wait until we get this one. This is the first shot and within four years we’ll be closing hospitals.”

He continued, “If we want to keep our emergency department and our emergency rooms functioning properly, then we need to know what the game rules are and we didn't get that from that presentation.” Menage went onto say that he agrees the LHIN needs to be involved and the South West representative need to come to Council so councillors can ask questions.

Councillor John Rich wanted to be clear that he doesn't think there is a problem with what GBHS is doing. “It is the changes in the funding formula that have put them in an awkward position to try and make smaller hospitals less viable. And I think that it’s imperative that we let the province know that we need to have a vibrant and viable hospital.”

Councillor Rich then spoke about the growth of the Saugeen Shores community and said that Saugeen Shores will need a hospital that will support the growth.

Deputy Mayor Luke Charbonneau supported the suggestions made by Vice Deputy Mayor Huber and requested that the motion be amended to reflect circulation to the LHIN as well as MPPs of Simcoe-Grey, and Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound. Charbonneau seconded that this is not a criticism of GBHS but “squarely intended as a criticism of the Province of Ontario and the funding formula that they have in place.”

Charbonneau went on to say that “we need to react strongly to the effects, as small as they are, to the formula change.”