I want to be very clear: A hospital is not a home. Hospital leadership, hospital staff, work very closely with patients and their families to match an appropriate and alternative level of bed, and that, in some cases, means in community with home and community care support. In some cases, it means a long-term-care placement.

I want to reinforce, as well, that that individual actually continues to have their first choice there, so that when there is an available bed at their first choice, they can have that option made available to them. But we don’t have the same level of engagement in a hospital, in an acute-care hospital, as we do in a long-term-care home, which is exactly why we brought forward these changes.

My question is to the Premier. A family in Tecumseh received a bill for $8,400 from the hospital, because of Bill 7. Michele Campeau refused to accept the long-term-care placement chosen by the hospital, because it did not meet her mother’s needs. Now the hospital says they will continue to be charged $400 a day. We warned that this would happen. Patients, advocates and workers warned it would impact the most vulnerable people in our communities.

My question is, why did this Conservative government ignore these warnings and continue to charge seniors and their families for care?

In this particular case, when the daughter went to the home that the hospital was trying to send the mom to—not a home that was even in their top five choices—the keypad for the security code to get into the home was taped to the outside of the facility for anybody to be able to get in. Michele wandered around that facility for 15 minutes before even spotting a staff member. The conditions were dirty. There were bugs. There were rodents.

Respectfully, Minister, this is not about getting seniors into appropriate care, this is about pushing them out of hospital as fast as they can and placing an incredible financial burden on these families. The government doesn’t care about the immense pressure on families and caregivers. The Campeau family said the stress and financial burden that families are experiencing is exactly why this legislation needs to be revoked. Michele said it’s time to actually stand up and protect the elderly.

I’m asking the Premier: Will you listen to patients and caregivers and immediately repeal Bill 7?

I would like to thank the 7,600 people from south Muskoka who signed this petition. Basically, what they’re saying is that their hospital, the South Muskoka Memorial Hospital, is under the board of governors of the Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare board. None of the people on the board of directors was actually selected by the people of south Muskoka and, given that they did not have a say as to who sat on that board, the community, all 7,600 of them, strongly disagree with the recommendation that has been made by that board.

The board is recommending that the emergency room not act as an emergency room anymore. The board is recommending a 35% decrease in the number of in-patient beds although the demand for in-patient beds has been going up and they are seeing a 12% admission rate increase.

They would like to make sure that the Ministry of Health does not accept any of the changes to hospital services Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare has made on behalf of the good people that are served by South Muskoka Memorial Hospital because they are not being represented by that board and they disagree.

They want the government to give them a process that would allow the community to elect who will be on their board of directors. By allowing the community to elect who will be on their board of directors, the board of directors will do what it’s supposed to do: be the eyes, ears and conscience of the community when it comes to making decisions about South Muskoka Memorial Hospital.

I support the 7,600 people that have signed this petition and will ask Rhys to bring it to the Clerk.