(Niagara At Large is posting the following media release from Paul Miller, the Hamilton-East, Stoney Creek MPP for the Ontario NDP for your information. It includes references to the undisclosed severance package for recently ousted Niagara Health System CEO Debbie Sevenpifer.)
Queen’s Park – With local frontline healthcare in crisis, Ontario must put an end to exorbitant ‘golden handshakes’ given to fired CEOs, says NDP MPP Paul Miller and make all contracts with CEOs publicly available so people know exactly what they’re paying for.
Ontario MPP Paul Miller
“Windsor is facing a long-term care bed shortage, crowded emergency rooms, and surgeries are being cancelled,” said Miller. “Every public healthcare dollar should go to frontline care, not six-figure golden handshakes.”
News reports indicate Warren Chant, recently fired from Windsor’s Hotel Dieu Grace Hospital, received $300,000 in severance.
The revelation comes less than two months after the Niagara Health System dismissed Debbie Sevenpifer but refused to disclose the details of the severance package.
“Families in the Niagara Region have a right to know the size of Ms. Sevenpifer’s severance package,” said Miller. “But it’s time to go farther, and put an end to these outrageous payouts and packages across the province. Let’s focus on healthcare for families, not luxury lifestyles for executives.”
New Democrats have called on the government to put a cap on CEO salaries, and crack down on lucrative consulting contracts to ensure that health dollars are spent on frontline care.
Niagara At Large posted a call last month for readers to petition the provincial government to demand the cost of Debbie Sevenpifer’s severance package. You can visit that post at niagaraatlarge.com/2011/02/08/a-petition-to-our-ontario-government-%E2%80%93-let%E2%80%99s-demand-to-know-how-much-of-our-hosptial-care-dollars-arpae-being-sucked-up-in-debbie-sevenpifer%E2%80%99s-severance-package/
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Niagara At Large 
Our MPP Peter Kormos’ attempt to have all Boards ELECTED rather than Golden Eggs passed out as patronage “GIFTS” followed by Golden Handshakes.
When the Doctors had enough of Dr. Shragge they insisted the by-laws of the NHS be upheld much to the consternation of Betty Lou Souter the chairperson for the appointed NHS board who threatened legal action knowing full well that the by laws pertaining to tenure were being flaunted.
The doctors won and NOW Dr. Shragge has another “CONTRACT” from this government as The CEO of the ONTARIO HEALTH TECHNOLOGY AND ADVISORY COMMITTEE (whatever the hell they are suppose to do)
NOW Betty Lou Souter has point blankly refused to make public the “SEVERANCE PACKET” paid out to Sevenpifer.
SO again we have this supposed civil servant dictating the rules of a game we the taxpayer pay for and doing so seemingly with an attitude that is disgusting.
Thee Dr. Kitts who was brought here a couple of years ago from Ottawa to rubber stamp the “HIP” has a salary plus taxable benefits that is disclosed at being $725,000 yearly and there are others within the Ontario Health Care who are enjoying a similar a entitlement.
It is NO WONDER the Health Care system in this province is in SERIOUS TROUBLE and the Salaries, Perks, Severance Packets and ah yes the SUNSHINE LIST is the main problem .
Having over the past nine or ten years and having watched the Empirical Data (Sunshine List) associated with the Niagara System grow out of all sane proportion it was self evident that someone was going to take the “Golden” Fall. BUT the board is responsible for all of this and has rubber stamped these excessive salary increase4s even as the NHS debt mounted. In the “REAL” world heads would have been chopped and the mess not allowed to grow. I agree with MPP Kormos as most in this Region do dismiss this board and “ELECT” one that is responsive to the people who pay the bills.
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