By Doug Draper
Ontario’s Health Minister Deb Matthews is apparently willing to consider an independent review of the Niagara Health System and its ‘Hospital Improvement Plan,’ according to Niagara Falls MPP Kim Craitor, who joined Niagara regional chair Gary Burroughs, and the mayors of Niagara Falls, Port Colborne and Fort Erie during a meeting with the minister today.
“It went well,” said Craitor of the meeting with the minister attended by Burroughs and Niagara Falls Mayor Jim Diodati, Port Colborne Mayor Vance Badawey and Fort Erie Mayor Doug Martin.
“She is prepared to look at … an independent review,” Craitor said, although a decision on moving forward with a review or a more full investigation, which was what the Niagara region’s council and seven local councils across the region asked for, remains in the air.
”I thought is was a very good meeting,” said the region’s chair, Gary Burroughs, during an interview with Niagara At Large. She is at least considering a review of the Niagara Health System’s ‘hospital improvement plan’ and “she will get back to us,” said Burroughs, addin that he is “extremely hopeful” that the meeting with Matthews will lead to an independent review.
The region’s council called for a full and independent investigation of the NHS and the way it has been managing Niagara’s hospital services more than a month ago. That call fell in the wake of motions by seven of Niagara’s 12 local municipalities for a similar investigation.
More on this story later, obviously. But before that, here is an exchange in the provincial legislature this April 12 between Health Minister Deb Matthews and NDP leader Andrea Horwath.
Ms. Andrea Horwath: My question is to the Acting Premier. Families in the Niagara region are frustrated with their health care system, for good reason. They’ve seen emergency rooms closed in Fort Erie and Port Colborne, health services disappear and life-changing decisions being made without transparency or accountability.
Local governments are listening to the concerns of their constituents. Last month, the Niagara regional council approved a resolution calling for an independent investigation of the Niagara Health System, following on the footsteps of seven municipal resolutions. Why has the McGuinty government blocked this vital investigation?
Hon. Dwight Duncan: The Minister of Health.
Hon. Deborah Matthews: As the member opposite knows, this afternoon I’m meeting with several community leaders from the Niagara area to better understand their concerns. What I can tell you is that this is a government that is committed to improving health care for all Ontarians, and that includes people in the Niagara region. You know, Niagara’s hospitals are a very important part of our health care system. Of course, it goes without saying that they are made stronger because local people care about what happens there and local people advocate for them. So I am absolutely looking forward to this afternoon’s meeting. I want to hear what they have to say, and I want to talk about how we can continue to improve—
The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Thank you. Supplementary.
Ms. Andrea Horwath: It is the case. Today the mayors are meeting with the Minister of Health to talk about the Niagara Health System’s possible investigation. This is not news to the Minister of Health. This issue has been raised by myself and others in this House many times. She knows very well. She shouldn’t be waiting to hear what they have to say; she should already know what’s happening in the Niagara region and the frustration people are having there.
So her nice little words about this lovely meeting don’t really make much sense. It’s clear the people of Niagara have lost faith in the Niagara Health System and that something needs to be done about that. Something needs to be done about that right away, to bring back their support for their Niagara Health System. Can the people of Niagara count on this minister to do the right thing and actually call the investigation?
Hon. Deborah Matthews: If the member opposite is suggesting that I not talk to anyone, well, I fundamentally disagree with that. We always learn when we sit down and talk to people. I’m looking forward to learning more this afternoon.
But I can tell you that health care is measurably better in Niagara than it was when we took office. We’ve increased hospital funding by over 55%. That is more than $113 million more on hospitals. We’ve also worked very hard to bring down wait times. The people in Niagara are benefiting from those investments. We’ve been able to cut 200 days off the wait time for hip replacement, 127 days off knee replacement, and we’re building a wonderful new hospital in St. Catharines that will provide cancer care—
(Visit Niagara At Large at www.niagaraatlarge.com for more news and commentary on matters of interest and concern to our greater Niagara region and beyond.)
Niagara At Large 
I wonder if Deb Matthews ever gets bored with herself. She is not now, nor has ever been, in the slightest bit credible. She’s doing a worse job of lying through her teeth these days, perhaps because she actually knows a bit about her portfolio…But she still doesn’t know much.
I challenge Ms. Matthews to come down here for herself, as a patient, and see how much “better” Niagara’s hospital system is under her watch. For her to make such a claim is an insult to every single person in this region who has suffered needlessly due to the HIP.
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It is elating to realize we finally have a “Regional Chairman” who channels his energy in a constructive manner as this is indicated by his participation in dialogue that represents the ideals of “ALL” peoples in the Region of Niagara. not just the would be “Empire Builders” Thank You Sir!
This Health Minister is politic-ing which is why she is agreed to speak with the Niagara Region delegation, will she listen? Can fish climb the falls? da da
Much or maybe even most of the blame for our Health Service debacle falls at thr doorstep of the Board and Board Chairperson .
(1)First its an appointed group who know they owe their appointment and role to the Chairperson
(2) In Business the Board is the watchdog for the stakeholders and owe their allegiance to the stakeholders.
(3) Since the beginning the debt load has risen dramatically year after year yet this Board has rubber stamped raises to administrative personnel as if it were an entitlement.
(4) The death of Health Care could be from within with piss poor management heightened by faulty corporate structuring and a Board that is too busy to perform or maybe even knowthe duty they were elec…oops sorry NOT ELECTED appointed uphold.
BOARD and COMMISSIONS in this province are in most cases patronage appointment which soon become little Empires to be built upon at the taxpayers expense, Ex eHealth, OLG and aso many others of which most LHINS fall under.
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I would be very surprised if this agreement to LOOK at a review was not a stall tactic to assure that nothing if anything gets out to the public until after the provincial election is over !! Count on it !!!!!!! Otherwise why could the decision not have been made at the meeting ?????? We pay these people enough that they should be able to make decisions like this one without days or weeks of LOOKING at it !!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is another joke on the public !!!!
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Health minister Matthews commented that it was “unusual” for the delegation to request a review of the disasterous Hospital No Improvement Plan. Well Minister, the only thing “unusual” is for your
Government to gut two functioning Community Hospitals.
Its “unusual” to close medical beds, operating rooms,and leave the Southern Tier with no access to local Emergency Care.
Whats not “unusual” is for you to issue platitudes and “I’ll get back to you later boys”.,,,,,and my donation cheque to the Liberal Party is in the mail.
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After using the local hospital system a couple of times, i got to see first hand some of the problems with it. Aside from that, if it wasn’t for this website I wouldn’t know what the causes were or about the political struggle between the province and the region.
I regret saying this but I think part of the problem is that the Ontario government made some key decisions about health care in the Niagara Region a long time ago and the NHS has simply been following it. Its good to see that the region is taking the discussion directly to the province.
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