Ontario Conservative Leader Slams Health Care Bureaucrats For ‘Spending Abuses” While Hospital Services Slip And Slide

(Niagara At Large is posting the following release on health care, delivered by Ontario Conservative Leader and Niagara area MPP Tim Hudak in Grimsby, Ontario this April 7 in the Niagara municipality of Grimsby. We encourage you to share your views on the Conservative leader’s remarks in the comment boxes at the bottom of this post.)

GRIMSBY – New evidence confirms that Dalton McGuinty’s Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) appointees were involved in many of the same contract and spending abuses that led to the billion dollar eHealth scandal.

Ontario Conservative Leader and Niagara area MPP Tim Hudak

 Ontario PC Leader Tim Hudak today released evidence that confirms that the
Liberal appointees at the Hamilton – Niagara – Haldimand – Brant LHIN handed out a $75,000 contract to a private U.S. health care consultant for undefined “community engagement” products.

Further documentary evidence confirms that Dalton McGuinty’s American health care consultant, despite being based in Michigan, nonetheless proceeded to bill Ontario taxpayers for multiple flights to and from sunny Florida. Adding insult to injury, the same American health care consultant also filed frivolous expenses that included a stop at a Tennessee Starbucks and fast-food meals in Detroit. All expenses were paid out of Ontario health care dollars.

Last week, the release of Ontario’s Sunshine List revealed that, while families in Grimsby and await approvals for their long-overdue new hospital, the amount of money being paid in six-figure salaries to LHIN executives and managers has nearly doubled to more than a million dollars since 2006. This includes the LHIN CEO whose salary has shot up by 24% –from $236,000 to $289,000.

QUOTES
“Every dollar that the McGuinty Government spends on untendered contracts, U.S. consultants and frivolous expenses at the LHINs is a dollar that should be going to frontline patient care. Local families have waited long enough, they deserve better than to see their tax dollars go to waste.” – Ontario PC Leader Tim Hudak
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“Diverting health care dollars away from patients and families and towards high-flying U.S. consultants – is proof that the LHINs are not working. Dalton McGuinty’s LHINs model is broken and has to go. — Ontario PC Leader Tim Hudak

QUICK FACTS

· Dalton McGuinty created a new layer of bureaucracy with his so-called “Local Health Integration Networks” (LHINs). Since 2006-2007, more than $176 million health care dollars have been diverted away from Ontario families and directed towards salaries and administration at these boards.

· In just four years, the number of LHIN appointees making more than $100,000 per year has increased from 40 to 114 — a 185% increase. This includes 19 employees who are making more than $200,000 per year.
· In 2006, three employees at the Hamilton – Niagara – Haldimand – Brant LHIN made six figure salaries and their total compensation totaled $534, 000. Today, six LHIN executives are making $1,007,000. During this time, the salary of the LHIN CEO has shot up from $236,000 to $289,000.

· LHIN appointees handed out a $75,000 untendered contract to private U.S. Health Care consultant Jay Connor for “community engagement projects”.

· Despite being a Michigan – based consultant, Connor nonetheless billed Ontario taxpayers for multiple trips to and from Florida. Connor also billed Ontario taxpayers for frivolous expenses including a stop at a Tennessee Starbucks, bridge and highway tolls at the Canadian border,  and dinners in his hometown of Detroit. All expenses were paid out of Ontario health care dollars.

· The Hamilton – Niagara – Haldimand – Brand LHIN also handed out a $98,000 contract to consultant Dan Banko to do just two months worth of work in “community engagement”.