Daily Archives: March 4, 2010

By Doug Draper 

A friend to the left and Reilly in pink along the shores of Lake Erie

The mother of Reilly Anzovino – the Fort Erie teen who died following an ambulance trip from a traffic accident scene in her hometown to a hospital emergency room in Welland – hopes that an inquest into the circumstances around her death will lead to better health care for all Niagara residents.

Reilly’s mother, Denise Kennedy, was responding to news this March 2 that Ontario’s chief coroner, Dr. Andrew McCallum, will hold an inquest into the 18-year old’s death in the early morning minutes of this past December 27, following a traffic accident on Hwy. 3 before midnight on Boxing Day.

“Although nothing will bring Reilly back,” Denise told Niagara At Large on behalf of herself, Reilly’s father, Tim Anzovino, and other members of the family, “we hope that this inquest will bring recommendations and changes to the health care of our community. …. “I think it is important to have recommendations that are unbiased and made by a competent expert,” she added. Continue reading →

(As part of Niagara At Large’s mission to provide more information than the mainstream media on issues of concern to residents in our greater binational Niagara region, we offer the following for-the-record exchange between Ontario Liberal Premier Dalton McGuinty and NDP leader Andrea Horwath on the issue of hospital services in Niagara)

Ms. Andrea Horwath: This is over to the Premier as well. Ontarians are soon going to have some answers about the terrible tragedy that took place on December 27 in the Niagara region. The coroner’s inquest into the death of Reilly Anzovino will determine whether this young woman’s tragic death may have been prevented had the emergency room of Fort Erie not been forced to shut its doors last year.

Ontario NDP leader Andrea Horwath

In the face of growing health care cuts, Ontarians are looking to the government for assurance. If the coroner’s jury determines that the ER closures in Port Colborne and Fort Erie contributed to Reilly Anzovino’s death, will the Premier commit to reopening them?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: I don’t think it would be appropriate for me to comment on the outcome that my colleague is speculating about.

Let me just say, on behalf of the government, we welcome this review by the coroner’s office. We look forward to receiving the jury’s recommendations, and we look forward to acting on those in any way that serves the interests of the people of Ontario. Continue reading →