A Brief Commentary by Doug Draper
What you have to do to get a little better health care in Ontario – especially if you have an arrogant blockhead like Deb Matthews for a health minister?
Jill Anzarut and her children Laila, 2, and Benjamin, 5. File photo
It was only after Anzarut went public with her plight this past winter, and Matthews and company were buried in thousands of angry email messages from Ontario residents and breast cancer support groups that the minister finally caved it. At one point this winter, following stories about Anzarut on the CBC and in larger newspapers like The Globe and Mail, not to mention all of the smaller media outlets (including Niagara At Large) that reported her story, Matthews quipped, in her own insufferable way, that she was ‘not going to let policy be dictated by a newspaper story.’
Suffice to say, Matthews was not available for comment this May 13 when CBC’s Radio News ran a piece about Anzarut and the province’s decision to pay the $40,000-cost of treating her with a drug called Herceptin. The decision now places Ontario on the same plain as Alberta, British Columbia and Saskatchewan, which cover the cost of the drug for smaller tumors. Other provinces, including Quebec, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland will at least consider paying for the drug treatment on a case-by-case basis.
Matthews may not appreciate Anzarut’s struggle getting the coverage it did in the media but thanks goodness this woman had the courage and energy to speak out or who knows if she’d be covered for this drug until the tumour grew to a size that any kind of intervention might be too late. It probably also didn’t hurt Anzarut’s cause that there is a provincial election coming this October that could cost the Liberal government support if ministers like Matthews are allowed to carry on with a “let-them-eat-cake” approach to public concerns over something as vital as health care.
As Niagara At Large has commented before, Anzarut’s fight with Matthews and her minions would not come as a surprise for thousands of Niagara residents who have found this minister stonewalling them at every term when it comes to concerns over the region’s health services. Her style, up to now, has been to offer some knee-jerk comment that the Niagara Health System, the unelected board responsible for managing most of the region’s hospital services, is doing ‘an excellent job’ and to offer citizen critics a Queen’s Park kiss-off.
(Share your comments on this issue below – and remember we only post comments when the writer also shares there full name – and visit Niagara At Large at www.niagaraatlarge.com for more news and commentary on matters of interest and concern to residents in our greater Niagara region and beyond.)
Niagara At Large 
Make sure we don,t elect this idiot again ever — Smarten up voters – SMARTEN UP – How many slaps on the head do you need !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Block head #1 Dalton McGuinty, Blockhead # 2 George Smitherman and now Blockhead #3 Debbie Mathews, we are the the blockheads for voting for these insufferable people. Go , Go Green Party
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I must agree with Mr Snyder and Mr Jardine — we MUST get rid of the McGuinty Liberals. The problem is that the Conservatives under Hudak have not learned from the Harris mistakes. And much as Andrea Horwath is a good NDP leader, the New Democrats still have the same problem as when Bob Rae became premier – and intelligent leader and no bench strength!
We must find a way to get rid of all the professional politicians and encourage truly civic-minded people to run for election. Perhaps we should establish a two terms and out policy.
I really worry about the future of our province and our country under all the professional politicians.
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So what the hell would you suggest Mr. MacKenzie and have you ever met Andrea Horwath in person, or spoke with any members of her “bench” that you so sarcastically cut up??? Please do not lump Rae with these people now sitting alongside Andrea Horwath. They are the only instrument of truth at Queens Park and having met most I find they are dedicated to a better life for all Ontarians, all Canadians. I once had a father-in-law who I will attempt to quote ” Believe nothing you Hear, about half with you actually See and if it comes from the Corporate Media Believe absolutely NOTHING” So I would suggest you shut down your TV, turn off your radio and cancel your subscription to Sun Medis and their parent “Quebecor”. for the propaganda is stifling you.
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Mr. MacKenzie I owe you a retraction and hope that you will please accept my sincere apology for venturing out of bound in the above letter especially since I do not know you or your feelings concerning such matters.
The Niagara Region has become such a hot bed of “Empire Building” by appointees of governments of all stripes and the losers are the peoples of the southern tier who once again find themselves relegated to have nots in an area that should be the jewel of Ontario.
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Health care cuts in Niagara began with a major force under Harris, when they first suggested axing Hotel Dieu and another hospital in Niagara was cut (in Niagara-in-the-Lake). They created the Niagara Health System, now which seems to be a force of its own, cutting beds, cutting nurses positions, and closing emergency wards and other hospitals. In part this was due to the LHINS, but don’t put it all on their laps. Who is ordering the LHINS to cut costs? Now, that Stephen Harper got his coveted majority in Ottawa, things will only get a lot worse, unless we speak up. They plan to cut $4 billion this year, but have not yet stated where. Over time, I will not be surprised whatsoever, if health care gets a short shrift and send back to the provinces, in a similar way that welfare and housing were sent back to the cities under Harris. These are cuts through stealth, to make it look like the province is doing it. Read about Maxime Bernier’s speech on cutting $50 billion in transfers to the province and replacing them with tax points. That would make medicare cuts look invisible from the federal perspective, but will certainly be felt locally.
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Niagara Region is rapidly joining the third world, our Towns and cities use our waterways to dump raw sewage overflows, or dump into sewage ponds, WHO does not endorse this practise for third world countries, pre- natal care is not happening, senior citizens can’t access public transit or the hospitals , the only way we can get Dalton Mc.Guinty’s attention is to use a twoXfour on the sucker. Kim Craitor is too nice and gentlmanly to stomp on his boss,who is too obtuse to see the writng on the wall.
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Mr Somers:
Apology accepted! I too know what it is like to write something in anger and then realize later that I should have reconsidered.
As a matter of fact, I fully expect to be voting for the New Democrats in the coming provincial election. Here in my riding, Ancaster, Dundas, Flamborough, Westdale, we have an incumbent Liberal MPP (whom I consider to be of little use) running against a TV personality (Donna Skelly of CHCH). As a former broadcast journalist myself, I have a personal policy of trying to avoid voting for former broadcasters – too often they are ego-driven, not service-driven.
I consider myself to be a Red Tory – BUT I cannot support the extreme right wing position of the federal and provincial conservatives.
When it comes to health care, which is the focus of this discussion, I think only the NDP has the interests of the public in mind.
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