milton district hospital

Halton MPP Says Provincial Government “evasive” when it comes to MDH

Mike Cluett

Flipping through the online version of the Halton Compass, I came across an article in the November 11th edition about Halton MPP Ted Chudleigh asking the Health Minister Deb Matthews and anyone else involved about answers to Milton’s questions … when are we getting the hospital?

He wasn’t too impressed with the ministers answers during a committee meeting.  The video below the article is of the exchange (courtesy of Ted Chudleighs website)

Chudleigh Says Liberals evasive on Milton Hospital

According to Halton MPP Ted Chudleigh, Minister of Health Deborah Matthews has more moves than a prize-fighting boxer when it comes to dealing with the expansion of Milton District Hospital.

“She bobbed and weaved so much in answering a question (about the hospital) today that she again provided no concrete answer to a legitimate question.” fumed Chudleigh on November 2.

Chudleigh asked why the Ministry has been spending millions on consultants but has been pleading poor when it comes to providing the funds necessary to expand Milton’s small hospital.

“Minister Matthews dodged, went off topic and dodged again.” said Chudleigh.  “Her refusal to answer a legitimate question in the Legislature should anger Miltonians and all Ontarioians.”

Chudleigh explained that Milton’s hospital was built with a population of 30,000 in mind.  The town now boasts more than 90.000 residents and the population keeps rising, and is expected to grow more than 180,000 in another decade.

According to Chudleigh, the people of Milton have waited three years for action to be taken on the expansion of Milton’s hospital.  The money frittered away on consultants, as detailed in the Ontario Auditor’s Report, would have easily paid for the complete and necessary expansion of the Milton facility, he said.

“It’s pretty clear,” Chudleigh said.  “that the health care of Miltonians is less important to a Liberal government than transferring taxpayer’s money into the hands of their friends.”

Ted has spoken out many times over the last few years at the provincial level about the needs of Milton’s healthcare needs.  Here is an example of Ted in action.

During the last municipal campaign, the hospital was obviously one of the big issues.  I had stated, along with pretty much everyone who’s name was on a ballot, that the new Milton Town Council would do what they could to raise this issue with the provincial government.  I used the words “get off their duff” (believe me I wanted to use stronger words than that) when it comes to the expansion of our hospital.  Give us an answer either way so we can start planning at the local level when it comes to funding ideas for our portion.  This inaction isn’t helping Miltonians at all.

We need to put some more pressure on the provincial government.  Sending copies of reports and statements by council to anyone with an “@ontario.ca” email address isnt cutting it.  The provincial government spends its days telling municipalities like Milton and other surrounding communities that we have to grow by “X” amount in the next 10 years…but provides no financial assistance to get it done.  Just do it we’re told.

As this new council gets ready to go, we need to put together a plan that will help raise awareness of this inside the provincial government.  Many thanks to Halton MPP Ted Chudleigh for raising the issue in the provincial legislature on a regular basis.  Mr Chudleighs been known for time to time for ruffling a few feathers in the provincial government and I’m sure this isn’t the last time he’ll speak out about it.

Something has to be done.  A long time ago.  Its starts with a loud voice…then it turns into more. 

Council to Debate Hospital Tax Levy

Mike Cluett

From the Milton Canadian Champion May 20, 2010 By Tim Foran

Councillors to debate hospital tax levy

Milton council will debate whether to provide cash, perhaps through a dedicated tax levy, to assist Halton Healthcare Services Corporation’s as yet unapproved plans to expand Milton District Hospital.

At Monday’s council session, Ward 3 Councillor Cindy Lunau introduced a notice of motion, which Ward 4 Councillor Paul Scherer indicated he would second, stating the Town would “endeavour” to help HHS cover its share of the costs to redevelop the half-century-old hospital, which hasn’t undergone a major expansion since the mid-1980s.

The motion states the Town would research and identify potential funding mechanisms including the possibility of including a special property tax levy beginning next year.  Council will debate and vote on the motion at the June 28 council session. Lunau said she wanted the long lead time for the community to have an opportunity to provide feedback and plan to attend the session.

Under Provincial funding guidelines that began in June, 2006, Ontario pays for all of the planning costs and 90 per cent of the bricks and mortar for hospital capital projects. Previously, most capital cost share rates varied from 50 to 80 per cent depending on the project, the Province stated at the time.

However, the hospital corporation is still responsible for the remaining 10 per cent of construction costs along with covering the full cost of building revenue-generating facilities such as cafeterias, retail areas and parking lots as well as the medical equipment inside the hospital.

In total, depending on the equipment a hospital needs, that means the Province will cover around 70 per cent of the total project costs, with the hospital corporation paying the remaining portion, dubbed the local share.

The hospital has three ways to pay that local share: its own revenues from, for example, parking lot fees or stores; fundraising done by the Milton District Hospital Foundation; and through financial assistance from municipalities.

The problem Milton council tried to wrap its head around Monday is that HHS won’t provide the municipality with an estimate right now of how much money it would need.  “At the end of the day, if we put too much (money) away, that’s fine,” Scherer said to HHS President John Oliver during Monday’s council session.  “But we need a starting point.”

Oliver said he understood council’s frustration but he doesn’t want to float a dollar figure that would inevitably turn out to be wrong years later after more detailed planning has taken place.

The hospital provided a preliminary cost estimate when it presented its business case for the expansion to the Ministry of Health in September, 2008 but Oliver said after the council meeting that number is already out of date and he doesn’t wish to release it.

“It’s not just inflation, the original size and scope has evolved from the original business case,” he explained. He said he also doesn’t want to jeopardize a competitive bidding process by leaking expected total costs.

However, Oliver did provide council with a benchmark for comparison when he said the redevelopment planned for Milton’s hospital is at least as big as the one proposed for Burlington’s Joseph Brant Memorial Hospital. The first phase of the redevelopment of Jo Brant is projected to cost $312 million, with the local share pegged at $120 million. In December, Burlington’s city council committed to covering half of that cost, or $60 million, and has already started a dedicated property tax levy this year. The City of Vaughan last year committed $80 million to a proposed new hospital for its community. Both projects are also unapproved and are in competition with the Milton hospital expansion to get on the Province’s next 10-year list of infrastructure projects, to be released next year, likely as part of the 2011 budget.

However, the competition is not just among those three hospitals. The Ministry of Health is currently prioritizing at least 50 other proposed hospital projects before submitting its list of requests to the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure, which will ultimately decide on the 10-year capital plan.

Other ministries are also prioritizing their own lists of proposed capital projects, one of which includes the proposed Wilfrid Laurier University campus in Milton. That prioritization is expected to take place over the next three months, said Jason Grier, a professional lobbyist from Hill and Knowlton working on behalf of HHS.

One of the things the Ministry of Health will be looking for during this time when prioritizing projects is whether the hospital corporation has a firm plan to meet its local share commitments, Grier said after council Monday.

“They don’t want to move forward on projects that aren’t going to have that local share commitment because then the project isn’t going to happen,” explained Grier, who served as executive assistant to George Smitherman when he was health minister in the provincial government.

Oliver told council it would help the hospital if the Town made a firm commitment of financial support. “I don’t know if you need to put a dollar figure behind it right now.”

Priorities

Mike Cluett

Over the last few weeks I have talked about the importance of our hospital.  As Milton’s population grows, every level of government needs to make funding our healthcare system a priority.  The economy has been on the front burner now for the last year or so which has put the issue further from Canadians minds.

So far it looks like the province of Ontario will continue to ignore Haltons needs, the Region is doing what it can to pressure other levels of government for funding and now we can include the Town of Milton. 

Every year the Town of Milton uses revenues from the Mohawk Racetrack and they allocate that money through whats known as the Milton Community Fund.  With the election of this new council back in 2006, the Milton Community Fund has been slashed by $ 150,000 and there are a number of organizations left without funding.  Add Milton District Hospital to that list.

Click here for the article in the Champion.

The hospital you say?  Indeed one would think that if the Milton District Hospital applied for funding that, if reasonable, it would be granted.  Nope.  They were denied their funding because they failed to prioritize the equipment.

While the Town seems to be pushing forward its proposal for a FORTY million dollar arts and entertainment centre, which the Town has allocated $100,000 per year from the fund for the centre, is pushing aside the needs of our hospital.  The hospital applied for a $93.000 grant and it was denied.

Where are their priorities?  Arts and Entertainment Centre or the health care system of the town.  While $93,000 isnt a lot of money and the funds were for surgical products and diagnostic tools it shows that the priorities of town council have changed in the last election.

We are facing the toughest economic times due to a global recession.  Jobs are being lost almost daily in all industries.  Citigroup cut 52,000 jobs worldwide in a day; CanWest cut thousands of jobs early in November with CTV and other media groups following suit; not to mention the auto industry which has been hemeraging cash and jobs for the last year. 

Given these facts, everything on the table has to be considered for cuts in order to minimize the financial impact on taxpayers.  In my current position with HSBC Finance, I see on a daily basis more and more people who are dealing with increasing debt loads and its coupled with dwindling real estate values on their homes.  Banks are getting more and more stingy with credit and people are living off their lines of credit.  If governments continue with higher and higher property taxes and continuous spending of much needed reserve funds, it will just add to the problem.

Do we need further transit funding in 2009?  Probably not.  The town has spent MILLIONS of dollars on new buses to drive around town empty (unless its a FREE FARE program) and until they can figure out how to get someone at Main Street and James Snow Parkway to Thompson and Derry Road in less than 1 hour, there will be no further need for buses.  Members of council who have pushed all this funding for a transit system that isnt being utilized properly need to realize the issues and until they are resolved, a hold on funding should be in place.  In the 2009 budget there is close to $500,000 for transit.  That can be allocated to other more essential services the town provides OR can it go towards reducing the proposed rate increase for the year?

What about this arts and entertainment centre or for that matter the second half of the Milton Sports Centre?  There are some other projects that the Town should consider putting on hold or cancelling for that matter until the Town is back in a solid financial position.

Dont get me wrong.  I do support these iniatives and it will bring needed jobs to the region but NOW is the time to get the financial house in order and consider the impact of these decisions on the taxpayers of Milton.  We need to look at the impact on the taxpayer who will be under seige from all levels of government.  Council doesnt see the big picture and it seems to have their priorities in the wrong place.

December 8th will be a big day.  Let your councillors know what you think.