A Commentary by Doug Draper.
So Mr. Premier, you parachute a new guy in to take over supervision of this Niagara, Ontario region’s ravaged hospital system.
Welland's NDP represnetative demands full disclosure of parachute deals for NHS executives.
Bad enough that we still don’t know how much your government paid off Sevenpifer to leave the system a year ago after her tenure of turning our hospital service system into a train wreck. Now we learn that Smith, your latest minion down her, has dismissed other members of the Sevenpifer crowd and we can’t even find out why they have either left or been fired – let alone what kind of golden parachute your government has granted them at our expense.
In a media release this January 12, Welland Riding MPP Cindy Forster said it right when she put it this way. The McGuinty Liberals (in Ontario have to) come clean and releast the details of the severance packages awarded to departing NHS executives. … Families in the Niagara region feel let down by the healthcare system,” she went on to say and “the public have a right to know where our taxdollars are going and how much money is being diverted from frontline care to pay for secret ‘ golden handshake’ severance payouts.
Indeed, they do.
This is not a private corporation that can do whatever it wants with its executive officers with no public accountability. This is a mulit-hundreds-of-millions-of-dollars-per-year corporation, paid for by we, the taxpayers of this province, and if you are letting go some of the highest paid executives in that mess, we have one bloody right to know who they are and why they were let go. Furthermore, we have a right, as taxpayers, to know what golden deal they have possibly received as part of their passage.
But you aren’t going to do that are you Mr. Premier. You and are just going to sit back and let us be taken to the cleaners by high-priced huckters you appointed here while our hospitals services in Niagara – especially those in the southern tier – turn to rat shit.
The six heads that rolled, by the way, including Bala Kathiresan, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for Corporate,Anne Atkinson, Vice President Patient Services, along with Tracy Davey, director of the Greater Niagara General Hospital, Tracy Fattore, regional director of quality, risk and patient, Jane Cornelius, health program director for critical care and emergency and Dan Belford, clinical manager at the St. Catharines General Hospital .
(Niagara At Large invites you to share your views below.)
Niagara At Large 
Memo to Mr Smith
The recent release of six of the staff ,who may have been responsible for the planning and execution of the disasterous HIP plan, might be a start {in your estimation} towards restoring public confidence.
What will be more meaningful will be restoration of service for the Southern Tier and a reduction of waittimes in all areas.
Closures caused public outrage and only rectifying the systemic problems caused by the HIP will restore that confidence in the NHS.
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AND WE KEEP ELECTING THESE BLOODY IDIOTS
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Doug I compliment you on this post. How can the Premier and the NHS operate with such blatant distain for the people who use, pay for and own the system? Typical political hypocracy without any caring for the people they promised to and are sworn to serve.
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Each party representative we march to the poles to elect, owe nothing to taxpayers and all to the party bosses. MPs and MPPs have but a single minded thought ‘get elected/re-elected’. Until we wisen up this will never change. Independants elected in each riding and having a contract with the people will set us free of the party system and give us an independant government that will be controled by the electorate. Suck it up fellow slaves.
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Thje only answer is to elect non professionel people who do understand that as in their circumstances they can not afford the high salaries and automatic raises that come with the ludicrious positions. Prices for everything are going up,”food” especially. Just where in hell do all these idiots think where the the money comes from. Maybe the answer is to set a basic salary and tax the living hell on the rest of the income at one and only 90% rate. At least the government will receive a good return on our the taxpayer’s monies. Yes this a redicioulas idea but we have to have some relief from these untouchable politicians that have no concience how they spend our money.
A pregnant woman knows exactly when they are going to deliver a baby and then go to St Catharines any way she can. What a crock.
The one rcommendation that I hope they will do is install a trauma center in at least three areas in the Region that is accessable to all people.
We donated to and built our own Hospital in Port Colborne and then it was seized by the Government. Do I get a refund? The operation of the hospitals should be governedd by the munincipalities that built them and answer to its citizens. Maybe another thing we might consider is to have the ability to recall our elected officials. (could this be done by the courts and or ombudsman?) I know that I am ranting and raving but I am fedup with the way we are going to hell in a hand basket.
Dear Mr Draper keep up the good reporting we need more of you down to earth people and good reporters.
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Thank you Doug,
You continue to ask all the right questions. Thanks for your attention and persistence on this critical matter.
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Accountability is the number one key and citizens need to be informed to make the difference at the polls. Unfortunately, all we can do is support and let the voices be heard.
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Six people were let go by the NHS. Their severance packages have not been revealed. Kevin Smith says he favours revealing the packages. Kevin Smith has sole responsibilty for the NHS. So where is the revalation? Where is the openess? Where is the transparency?
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