Health

November 29, 2006 - Long-term care act – Seniors deserve better

The Ontario Government is receiving unprecedented opposition to the proposed Long-Term Care Homes Act.

After meeting with various stakeholders, I’ve realized the proposed long-term care act is fundamentally flawed. It creates separate tiers of seniors’ care, and represents another broken promise by Premier McGuinty.[Read more]

November 02, 2006 - Ontario’s seniors want long-term care results
Over the past decade, we’ve seen two different approaches to health care in the Province of Ontario. The present government focuses on higher taxes and bloated bureaucracy, while the former government, in my view, focused on results and strategic investment.[Read more]

November 01, 2006 - Barrett condemns government health care mismanagement
Queen’s Park—MPP Toby Barrett offered constructive alternatives to wasteful government spending, today at the Ontario Legislature..[Read more]

October 27, 2006 - Long-Term Care Homes Bill Short on Solutions
Queen’s Park— Haldimand-Norfolk-Brant MPP Toby Barrett says the government’s proposed Long-Term Care Homes Act lacks dedication to funding and support for Ontario’s most vulnerable residents..[Read more]

October 11, 2006 - Doctor shortage exposes old thinking on health
In the past month, several hospitals have gone through ‘emergency-room emergencies’, due to their inability to find doctors.

A week ago, a Kitchener hospital came within hours of closing its emergency room because it was unable to find doctors to staff it. [Read more]

February 23, 2006 - Barrett concerned about new health bureaucracies
Says bill 36 would centralize decisions with unelected government appointees

Queen’s Park—MPP Toby Barrett spoke out against the Ontario government’s Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) scheme to create large regionalized health bureaucracies yesterday in the Legislature. [Read more]

February 23, 2006 - Barrett questions impact of LHINs on First Nations
Says Ontario has not consulted aboriginal leadership

Queen’s Park—MPP Toby Barrett underlined First Nations’ concerns about the McGuinty government’s proposed Local Health Integration Networks (LHIN) scheme yesterday in the Legislature.

“I have also received communications from the First Nations community, and one of their very important concerns is that the legislation would inadvertently undermine their existing and any future health care programs they may negotiate with either the provincial government or the federal government,” Barrett informed the Legislature. “Has this been discussed with the Minister responsible for aboriginal affairs?” [Read more]

Sept 23, 2004 - Legislation will undermine hospital boards

“The potential for the micro-management of Ontario hospitals by government raises the concern of a loss of local accountability.”
- McMillan Binch report: Moving from Accountability to Government Control in Health Care

Despite months of hearings, and criticism from the health-care sector, the Ontario Government now has all the pieces in place to begin implementing legislation that gives the Minister of Health sweeping powers over local hospitals and their boards. [Read more]

Sept 20, 2004 - Barrett joins call on government to re-think health tax in wake of new health-care deal

Moosonee – Now that the federal government has agreed to provide more healthcare money to the provinces, it’s time for the McGuinty government to take its hands out of taxpayers pockets according to Haldimand-Norfolk-Brant MPP Toby Barrett. [Read more]

June 9, 2004 - Paying more for health care and getting less

With the introduction of the 2004 Ontario budget, Liberals have turned their back on their much publicized commitment to universal health care  – not only with their regressive, two-tier health tax (remember the McGuinty promise of no new taxes) but also with their regressive, two-tier delisting of vital health services. [Read more.]

June 2, 2004 - People in Ontario did not vote for a health tax

Despite this promise, Premier McGuinty is fraudulently raising taxes and imposing new ones; all without any mention of getting the consent of Ontario voters through a referendum.  As though increased electricity bills and gas prices aren’t enough for taxpayers, the Ontario Liberals have introduced a budget that will ensure you and I have little money left after paying bills, putting food on the table and lining government coffers. Quite simply, Dalton McGuinty is breaking faith with the people of Ontario by hiking taxes when he promised he wouldn’t. [Read more.]

August 15, 2003 - A shot in the arm for health and long-term-care

After months of meetings, discussions and sometimes heated debate, it gave me great satisfaction to put the issue of long-term-care distribution in Haldimand to bed with the announcement of 64 new beds at Parkview Meadows in Townsend. [Read more.]

March 5, 2003 - A hospital is key to the health of any community

Recent announcements by Ontario’s Minister of Health underline your government’s understanding that a hospital is key to the health of any community- especially in rural Ontario. [Read more.]

Feds put in ‘two-cents’ worth to health and little more

Last week, after months of asking the federal government to step up to the plate and fulfill its commitment to health care in Canada, Ottawa has finally contributed its ‘two cents worth’ – and little more. [Read more.]

Brantford General – a growing and healthy hospital

A hospital is the heart of a community, especially in rural Ontario. You have told me time and time again, as I go from door-to-door, ‘if you are going to spend tax dollars on anything – spend it on health care.’

You and I both know that area hospitals like Brantford General, Norfolk General, West Haldimand and Paris Willett are invaluable. However, we also know that health delivery service in rural Ontario is a different breed of animal compared to the city. [Read more.]

Without federal health dollars, the prognosis isn’t good

Unless Ottawa pays its fair share for health care, the prognosis isn’t good.  Plainly put, if our healthcare system is to meet the demands of a population that’s growing and aging – and if it is to offer us the life-saving advances we deserve – the federal government must start paying its fair share.  If it doesn’t, the provinces will have difficult choices to make. [Read more.]

Health spending is growing faster than Ontario’s economy

If healthcare spending were to continue increasing at the current rate,  in five years health spending would consume 60 per cent of the Ontario Government’s operating budget -- up from 44 per cent today and 38 per cent since the Harris team was first elected. By simply throwing more money at our healthcare system, we are unable to provide the necessary funds to other priorities such as job creation, education and tax relief. [Read more.]

Four key pillars that sustain an effective health system

Our government’s vision of health care includes affordable, accessible and quality services for all Ontarians at every stage of their life and as close to home as possible.  Through programs such as the flu vaccine, we must strive to provide more preventative health and health promotion services.  We can achieve this vision by strengthening the four key pillars that sustain an effective health system. [Read more.]