By Doug Draper
What a difference an election can make.
Niagara Falls Mayor Jim Diodati, standing at back, makes a successful pitch to regional council for support of a resolution for an investigation of the Niagara Health System
Last September, a resolution for an independent investigation of the Niagara Health System and how it is managing our hospitals went down in flames at regional council. This February, with some new voices on the council thanks to last October’s municipal elections, it passed with flying colours. Only three members of council – St. Catharines regional councillors Tim Rigby and Brian Heit and Lincoln councillor Mark Bylsma – voted against it
It was Jim Diodati, the recently elected mayor of Niagara Falls, who successfully led the campaign this February 10 to get the regional council’s approval for a resolution calling on the province to investigate the NHS. Contrast that with his Niagara Falls mayor predecessor, Ted Salci, standing up last September, along with then-Welland mayor Damian Goulborne, and a critical number of others now gone from regional council who said “no” to calling on the province for an investigation.
Niagara residents, in 'Yellow Brigade' shirts, await council decision on NHS resolution. Photo by Doug Draper
“The (NHS’s) ‘hospital improvement plan’ (HIP) was supposed to be better for us,” said Diodati as he urged councillors representing municipalities from across the region to support the resolution. Instead, he added, “It has cost more and divided us (as communities). … Some of your fellow communities are hurting (as a result of the HIP,” he added) and we need to speak out (to the province) with one voice.”
At the end of the February 10 council session on Diodati’s resolution, the essence of it remained intact. A gallery of south Niagara residents in the regional council chambers, including members of a ‘Yellow Shirt Brigade’ that has been fighting for more than two years now against a HIP that has allowed fair and equal access to acute-care hospital services in their part of the region slip away, celebrated the passage of the resolution.
“We are overjoyed,” said Fort Erie resident and Yellow Shirt Brigade leader Sue Salzer after the council meeting. “It was so great to see all but three regional councillors stand up for health care in Niagara,” said Salzer, adding that the next step is to take the resolution, already supported by seven of Niagara’s local municipalities (Fort Erie, Port Colborne, Welland, Wainfleet, Niagara Falls, Thorold and St. Catharines) on to Queen’s Park to get an agreement for an investigation by the provincial government.
“Hope Mayor Diodati will carry the movement forward and arrange to load our councillors, and supportive MPPs on the bus for en masse deliver to Queen’s Park,” Salzer said.
“Ontario Minister of Health Deb Matthews has recently reiterated that she will not investigate the NHS or the HIP. Nevertheless, the resounding support for (the regional) resolution must count for something at Queen’s Park,” added Fiona McMurran, a member of the south Niagara chapter of the Council of Canadians. “For us here in Niagara, it is wonderful to see our Regional Council acting for the good of all the population of the peninsula.”
“If the NHS was a patient, we would probably commit it to the intensive care unit,” said St. Catharines regional councillor Andy Petrowski before joining a majority on the council in supporting Diodati’s resolution.
Doug Martin, the mayor for Fort Erie, said the NHS said his municipality would get better care with the HIP but “it is getting less than better health care.” The HIP the NHS launched three years ago “is full of flaws,” he charged.
Fort Erie regional councillor John Teal, who also supported the resolution for an investigation of NHS management, noted that the NHS said recently, when it dismissed its former CEO Debbie Sevenpifer, that “they are supposed to be at the crossroads. I don’t know where those crossroads are going,” he added
The resolution calls on the province’s Ministry of Health to “immediately conduct an independent investigation into the Niagara Health System’s Hospital Improvement Plan,” its leadership and governance and the way it is managing its finances.
It also asks that “further aspects of the Hospital Improvement Plan outside of the new St. Catharines Hospital be immediately suspended, pending the outcome of the independent investigation, and that the Ministry of Health commit to paying the downloaded costs associated with the Hospital Improvement Plan.”
Among those downloaded costs are those associated with the cost of extra ambulance and paramedic services to make up, in part, for the closing of ERs in Port Colborne and Fort Erie, and the extra police costs associated with emergency medical services.
Now it is time to see if the provincial government will finally respect the call of Niagara municipalities and residents for an investigation of this NHS hospital board. Niagara At Large will be watching.
(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.)
Niagara At Large 
On behalf of the Yellow Shirt Brigade I want to thank Mayor Diodati for his excellent presentation of the resolution to investigate the NHS, all the regional councilors that voted yes for the resolution and their support by doing so.
What a different atmosphere it was in council chambers last night, as it was full of hope and expectation. Mayor Diodati spoke about, and stood up for, the whole region and sited facts about what is happening to all of us because of the HIP brought forth by the NHS. A system we all know is faulty and creating disastrous situations concerning health care.
The Yellow Shirt were there and it was so hard not to stand up and cheer, however a couple of times some of us did, in spite of ourselves.
Thank you Doug for being there and for keeping our health care saga in print where it can be read by all.
Our hard fight is not over by any means, but we are overjoyed by the response of the communities and will continue to fight for all of us.
Joy Russell for the Core Group of the Yellow Shirts.
LikeLike
The most exciting part of this resolution to investigate the NHS and the HIP is the united front formed by the mayors and councillors. Too bad this didn’t happen over two years ago when the HIP was first released. But, it’s not too late to make corrections to this flawed plan. Everybody join us to fight for timely and equitable access to acute and emergency hospital services for all Niagarans.
LikeLike
It took three years and an election for the Council of the City of Welland to finally support the peoples of the Southern tier in their fight to save their hospitals and NOW finally we have a mayor in Niagara Falls who is not in bed with the NHS and has come out fighting for his people and “ALL” the peoples in this area of the Niagara Region. Thank You Sir you are a breath of fresh air
As for the recent Regional Council Meeting: Let it be known
Councilor Rigby’s support of the NHS and the HIP comes as no surprise knowing his past relationship and the ever present rant that it is a St. Catharines Hospital and nothing more.
Mr. Rigby the fact that the southern tier is also paying for “YOUR” Hospital and that we have lost our hospitals so that Your initiative can be fulfilled seems beyond the sphere of your intellect. That you were defeated last evening in your attempts to steer the council down a path that would somehow enhance your inflated ego was wonderful to see plus the fact that the new Chair did such a masterful job in allowing the presentation and steering it through the shoals of deceit and misinformation. Great Presentation and thank you council for your due diligence
LikeLike
We have just marked the second year anniversary of the formation of the Yellow Shirt Brigade . The first order placed was for 100 shirts to welcome Juanita Gledhill when she came to Fort Erie to address the Council of the day. Her story was how wonderful the Hospital “Improvement “Plan would be for all Niagara.
Many miles later and 500 shirts later the real results have surfaced and the fight continues to regain and retain vital health care components for our citizens.
The Thanks today go to the wearers of those yellow shirts. They write letters, travel many miles, attend meetings, rally and protest on behalf of those who cannot. Thanks to them for keeping the deteriorating conditions of health services an issue at the local, regional and Provincial level.
On a cold February night instead of sitting by the fire they travelled to Region in support of the motion to investigate the NHS. To each and every person who proudly wears a Yellow Shirt a sincere THANKYOU.
LikeLike