An update and an opinion

The Northumberland Health Coalition had a meeting with the local MPP, it appears that no-one changed anybody's mind. Here is a report of the meeting that has been released to the media. Meanwhile the other group, Patchett's bunch, have released a progress report, that has been published as a letter to the editor in NToday, and makes interesting reading.
Mr Frank Farago, as the chair of the group which calls itself "the Citizens for Alternative Solutions", expresses frustration with a couple of things. One is that he complains that exclusive access is being denied, he is being told that his group will be meeting with other people, up to 60 of 'em. The other complaint is that he doesn't understand why the CEO and Board Chair doesn't avail themselves of the expertise contained in this group, the members of which are unknown to the general public. The BurdReport has heard rumours that this group is composed of business like Rotarians who think that their very names should open doors - obviously Mr Biron is not as impressed with them as they are with themselves. As a newcomer to the community he obviously does not recognise the social and financial impact of these guys. The BurdReport is impressed with Mr Biron's behaviour in this regard.
But back to the NHC's meeting with the MPP. It was a meeting that had to take place even if only to show just how stubborn he is being and how unresponsive he is to his constituents concerns. Having demonstrated indifference to the situation he now has to defend himself against complaints of his disregard to the situation. Not having answers about the purported new facilities that are going to be in place before any of the cuts take place is scandalous. Taking orders from the LibCentral is even worse especially when it disregards his voters problems.

I am only the enforcer of the orders

One of the disturbing things about these recent hospital cuts is the way that local hospitals have to implement central directives in a local way and make them look like local decisions. But let's be realistic. In an article published today in the TO Sun Christina Blizzard details how ALC patients are being moved from local hospitals by orders from the MoH. The moving of patients has had a terrible effect on family lives and should be stopped, especially when the facilities in local communities, for the transfer don't exist.
"Kenora-Rainy River MPP Howard Hampton says Local Health Integration Networks (LHINs) are being told to get chronically ill patients out of hospitals and into long-term facilities."

So if you want to be heard in this debate get out to a meeting tonight at Trinity United Church in Cobourg at 5.30pm. The next person to be moved, as far away as Kingston, will be your Granny!

But on the flip side this debate has its supporters, a comment from the story is copied for its venom and lack of objectivity but it does show that some people just are not looking at this properly:

April 6th 2010, 11:06pm
This is about Howie Hambone backing Boob Rae when he would not allow the building of private/public nursing homes during his reign. This was felt worse in the north. Hospitals are for active medical care, not carcass storage. If you wanted to be closer, then you should have placed your name on a waiting list for the home of your choice. Everyone wants to go to heaven, yet no one wants to die. The family should take her in and have nursing care done at home, or are they just too busy, or who knows what to help out. Remember at some point, healthcare in ontario is really only about containing feces, vomit, urine, and smells.

Get out for this one

Join the others in our community protesting the hospital cuts.

Victoria Hall 10am on Saturday

Send a message

I bet the Harpercrits have one of these

Today is the first day of the election in the UK and will also be the place of new toys for political junkies. New polls based on real time, instant punditry and one of these - a swingometer - a tool that analyses election results based on swings in public opinion. Play with it for a couple of minutes and you will be hooked. The BurdReport wonders just which website in Canada will have one for us in the next few days.

How do we represent ourselves?

With some difficulty! In this story it is related that the Federal government intends to expand the House of Commons by another 30 MPs - that's just what we need another bunch of trained seals. Eighteen more MPs for Ontario, not all in Tory territory, may yet be another ploy for the Harpercrits to get nearer to the majority they lust for. But think about it just how much common sense is in this. The reason for it is to rebalance large ridings and make smaller ridings more representative. But why do we not establish rules that will allow larger ridings and keep the same number of MPs?

On another front we have municipal councils that, in my mind are too small. Seven councillors to run Northumberland is ridiculous, where is the reasoned debate pondering such weighty County questions? There is none. A small coterie of busy councillors is shortchanging the voters. Too often we have items on the agendas being passed over because of the lack of attention and the desire to placate staff positions, after all if the council directs reports to the staff they cannot then just dismiss the report when it comes back.

So the sad situation is this: we have too many MPs in Ottawa and not enough councillors in Northumberland, each situation producing a frustrated voter base and a contented bureaucracy.

And just when thought all the fun had gone out of politics

In rides a man guaranteed to stir things up in Cramahe Township. In this story it is reported that former Mayor Lee Dekeyser has filed papers to run against Marc Coombs for the Mayor's job. Coombs defeated Dekeyser last time around after some pretty stinky backroom dealings with a majority on Council that made the then Mayor Dekeyser look bad. Perhaps this time because Dekeyser is running from the oustside and public sentiment is against incumbents he will prevail. One thing to bet on this fight will be in the muck at some time during the next six months.

One for the lawyers

I am perplexed, Never being able to sort out weighty problems without help I am throwing this one open.
In a recent trial of two youths accused of murderering a schoolboy the key witnesses recant, on the stand, their previous and critical to the crown, evidence. This caused doubts about the evidence and the jury could not agree on a verdict. The judge declared a mistrial and the youths went back to gaol. But here is my point - why is there going to be another trial and if the evidence still fails to hold up in court, will there be another trial.
So the question is, how many times can one be tried for the same offence?

Sunshine List Fascinating Reading

My eyes are bugged out from scrolling through the Province's annual Sunshine List of public sector employees who earn more than $100,000. Of interest locally is the Northumberland Hills Hospital, whose CEO is already in the daily paper assuring us again just how lean a machine their management team has become.

I guess when you took home $230,969 last year, the value of money takes on a different perspective from the rest of us, given the median wage in our area was only about $27,000 and change. According to the Sunshine List, when you leave out the one registered nurse who worked a lot of overtime, the management team pocketed about $950,000 between the seven of them, not including taxable benefits. How many others linger just below the cut-off is unknown, there could be a few, there could be many more amongst the 38 administrative positions the union counted. Reading newspaper archives I learned that management costs, as a percentage of the paid workforce, has risen from 4.4% two years ago to 6% now. Tell me how that represents cuts to management as claimed by the CEO recently, because I don't understand.

Having decided to check out the List for the Central East LHIN, I found just 4 names at the top of the heap, earning $710,508 between them. Who knows how many lower paid employees there are, hanging around looking for hospital services to eliminate in our region? If their pay scale is anything like the senior staff, the costs must be enough to run a few diabetes clinics.

How about the Community Care Access Centres, those co-ordinating, home care service providing people? You know, the ones who have to come up with the long term care beds the hospital wants to eliminate. Well, our Central East region employs a total of 30 of them who made the Sunshine List, and together they earn a whopping $3,432.882! Again, the lower tier employees aren't listed here, and who knows how much they take home for their efforts.

Finally, we have the Haliburton Kawartha Great Pine Ridge District Health Unit, who also provide health care services and programs in our neck of the woods. The Medical Officer of Health takes home $212,418, followed by the Director of Oral Care at $157,851. The Director of Communicable Disease Control and her Assistant together made $223,563, leaving four others on the Sunshine List at about $105,000 each for a grand total of just over a million dollars.

That is one giant pile of taxpayer money going to top executives; money that isn't spent on actually providing health care directly. If our region is indicative of the rest of Ontario, and I suspect our high end wages are lower here, it's no wonder health care costs have gotten out of hand. If doctor's wages were included, I might just have a heart attack, although at least a doctor can treat me for it, unlike the coffee slurping, kiwi eating folks at the top.

I can hardly wait to see the numbers for the County, Children's Aid, and school boards. That will truly be the icing on the cake.

I don't care why but I'm glad

That Mr Rinaldi has changed his mind. Whatever Lou was drinking yesterday morning worked he has now allowed himself to talk to his constituents.
After all isn't that what MPPs have to do - meet with all kinds of objectionable people because they are constituents. I once had a relative (nice man that disappeared when the first wife was gone) who often said that if you received a gift that you didn't like, thank the giver profusely and then toss it after they have gone. Much like the MPP meeting people they don't like - receive them graciously, speak to them nicely and then thank your lucky stars that they have left the building.
I just hope that when he talks to the representatives of the opponents of the hospital cuts that he realises the gravity of the situation and that they represent a lot more people than he can imagine, all of them willing not to vote for him again, if he disses them.
In the meantime "it may not be the end of the world" for him but it is for those who cannot afford the ride to out of town rehab centres, if they can find one open after the round of cutbacks. What he should be concentrating on is to get OHIP funding to stay with rehab services.
As a footnote Mr Rinaldi, says in an interview, "I don't care what Ben Burd thinks" that's good I don't expect him to but I care what Mr Rinaldi thinks and when he thinks "It is not the end of the world" that services are being cut I care very much as it displays a great ignorance of the impact on his constituents lives, and that should be important to him, but obviously isn't. Shades of Marie Antoinette.

What is the role of an MP, MPP?

Why to represent the people of course. But who are the people that the MP, MPP should represent? Why all of the people in the riding, silly! But if that's the case why do we allow our representatives to pick and choose who they meet with?
In this story here Lou Rinaldi, the MPP for this riding, explains that he will not meet with members of a citizens group, formed to protest the recent hospital cuts, because they are associated with an organisation called the Ontario Health Coalition (OHC).

Well the question now is just who gets access to the MPP? Is it a bunch of moneyed backroom elitists or is going to be normal hardworking citizens who, in the main, have never heard of the OHC. Because if that is the case then Mr Rinaldi should publish a list of his "banned" groups, so those who fall into the category won't waste their time in asking for an audience with the esteemed MPP.

Of course this tactic of demonizing citizens has been going on for a long time and this particular MPP, as well as the MP have long histories of deciding who wears the black hats. Nothing wrong with that but if these black hatted people ever get into the MPP's office don't blame them if the place gets trashed. Just remember it wasn't until Jim Flaherty's sofa got tossed onto the pavement that the group doing the tossing had its concern's addressed.