The Save Minden Ontario Emergency Room group was back at Queen’s Park Oct. 5, continuing to pressure the provincial government to reverse a June 1 closure of the town’s ER
Members converged on the steps of the Ontario Legislature, and were joined by NDP and Liberal members of provincial parliament for a press conference.
They also delivered another 10,000-plus signatures, with Kanata-Carleton MPP Karen McCrimmon presenting them during Question Period and calling on health minister Sylvia Jones to recant the decision
Spokesman Patrick Porzuczek said initiatives had reached a critical milestone with the more than 10,000 signatures from concerned Ontario residents demanding the full restoration of ER services. He reiterated the closure of the ER, with only six weeks’ notice, remained a “glaring issue that demands answers
“This marks a pivotal moment for us, demonstrating the significance of our movement. Through our efforts, our community has uncovered countless stories of unnecessary hardship and negative outcomes following the Minden ER closure,” Porzuczek said.
“The Conservative government has turned their back on us, but we refuse to allow the community to suffer in silence, and vow to continue to do what it takes to get services fully restored.”
Both the NDP and Liberals have vowed to reopen the Minden ER if elected.
NDP leader Marit Stiles told the press conference the new signatures were “just a sign of how much this issue matters to so many people.”
Porzuczek said his group believes Minden is ground zero for the crisis of rural ER closures in the province. He added despite various announcements for hospital funding, ERs in rural communities, such as Chesley, Clinton and Carleton Place, are coping with random and frequent temporary ER closures and, or permanent reduction of operating hours.
Well over 20 ERs in Ontario have been closed frequently throughout the summer. And Haliburton, the nearest hospital to Minden, recently shut down the acute care facility due to COVID.
“These facts underscore the urgency of reopening the Minden ER and addressing the staffing shortages that are responsible for temporary closures across Ontario,” Porzuczek said.
On Sept. 25, Minden residents joined 10,000 to 12,000 people who rallied on the grounds of Queen’s Park to send the message they are not going away, including the Haliburton Highlands Long-Term Care Coalition, which is fighting privatization of health care services in Ontario.
The Save group reiterated the community is “disheartened” by what it has perceived to be lack of accountability by the Haliburton Highlands Health Services executive and board, MPP Laurie Scott, Jones and premier Doug Ford.
“With over 10,000 names on a petition, there comes 10,000 people waiting for a resolution and for us, this is just the beginning. We call on the ministry of health and premier Ford to start making concessions to reopen the Minden ER or face continued pressure and scrutiny about this ill-advised closure. We won’t stop until Ontario’s failing healthcare is back to thriving in public hands where it belongs,” Porzuczek said.
Haliburton Highlands Health Services interim president and CEO Veronica Nelson declined to comment on stories the Save group has gathered, saying, “this is not something HHHS can comment on directly, however, [we] would like to emphasize our priority is to provide safe and high-quality care to our community.”
