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Whitby Free Press, Wednesday, November 23,1994. Page 23 What really happened with petition presentation To the editor. Re: 'Petition organizers bungled,' letter te the edi tor from Grdon Milis, MPP Durham East. It's time te set the record straight. Here's what really happened with the SOGH 30,000-plus-naine petition. What should have been a momentous day for the more than 30,000 WGH supporters who signed the petition, developed inte just another event in a long chain Of frustrations and disappointinents. The concerned citizens of Whitby who attended at the legislature first watched as elected provincial representatives misbehaved through Question Period. We thon watched themn make a mockery of the democratic process designed te give people a voice. - We observed the. Minister of Health moving among the members of the NDP caucus, holding whispered conversations that included frequent glances te the memberes gallery where our contingent set. We watched our MPP sit back while petitions with a couple of hundred signatures were presented before ours. Tins provided ample time for NDP members, including the minister, Ruth Grier, te beave the bouse. When Durham Centre MPP Drummond White finally presented our petition, te an almost empty hous, it was not accepted. Eventually, Mr. White got a small portion of the petition on the public record but flot the significant numbers that the petition. represented. Mr. Milîs was, equally unsuccessful with his portion of the petition (5,200 names). How could this be wh en, following Mr. White's advice,,we had taken steps te, ensure that the petition would meet legisiative guidelines and he accepted in its entirety? Mr. White assured me personally that i t was bis experience if the initial pages olowed prescribed legisiative format, petitions were accepted. This was confirmed by Jim Wilson, the Conservative health critic. This petition represented more than three months of effort by concerned Whitby residents. It was symbolically passed te, Mr. White on Oct. 25 at the candlelight vigil.. Mr. White publicly indicated Ms intention te, present this petition on Our behaif and te affix his signature. I took the petition back that evening te, prepare it for presentation te, the house. At Mr. Whites suggestion, arrangements were made for a portion of the tiion to be presented by ha atMPP Gord Milîs. On Oct. 31, I delivered both sets of petitions te Mr. White's office. What happened between noon and 3 p.m. Tuesday is unclear. I only know that the carefully arranged petition entrusted te, mr. White's care had been rearranged. What had been one bundie securely fastened, had become three emaller ones, and the petitions affixed to the top were ne longer there. To those of us who attended at Queen's Park on Tuesday, Nov. 8, the activity we witnessed appeared te be a ,well-orchestrated effort te diffuse the impact of our presentation. In spite of this, we insisted that we will be heard. We will continue our efforts te bring the plight of our hospital and our community te the attention, of those charged with making decisions on our behaif. It is obvious to us that Mr. White and Mr. Milîs are working for the NDP party, net their constituents. We wil therefore seek other, friendlier allies in future actions. Mr. Milis is clearly flot attuned te health care use in Durham Region if he thinka only Whitby and Brooklin* residents use Whitby General Hospital and therefore only they should aign the petition. The closinLi Of Whitbys General Hospital's acute care and emergency-services will affect everyone in the region. .What is really significant about this whole incident is the Iengthis te which our goverument will go in order net te, listen te, our concerns. If you do not speak their prescribed language, they see it as an opportunity te say you did not speak at ail. How does that make you feel? JoAnne Prout Co-chair Save Our General Hospital Somewhere, the. format changed To the editor: Re: Letter, 'Petition organizers bunglsd," (Frse Press, Nov. 16). Open reply te -Durham East MPP Gord Mills. Dear Mr. Mlse: I arn in ýreceipt of a copy of Surletter sent te the Whitby sePress and I feel that it requires a response te, set the record straight. I was the volunteer who accepted the signature of the Ottawa resident. This petitioner advised me that she was'in the process of moving te Whitby and I suggested that she use her present address. I understood that this was a Durham Region acute care study and ail those in the region would be affected by the closure of acute cars at Whitby General. The out-of-tewn signatures were mainly collected- in the emergency of Whitby General. Your, letter suggests that you must live in Whitby -te, use the hospital or care about its future. Mr. Milis, you are obviously net aware that those responsibls for the petition bad many discussions with MPP Dmummond White and were advised of the changes in the werding, necessary-te, validate the petition. This was the format presented te, Drummond White~s office the day before- the presentation. Unfortunately, somewhere in this tinie frame, the format changsd. After watching al the 'one-on-one' consultation going on in the bouse during question period, the citizens of Durham who attended for the presentation were upset by the apparent orchestration of the exit just prier te the presentation. I amn surprised that the governinent would neqate a petition of this magntude on a goverrimena forsaliI disguste that ifrnister Ruth Grier and the ether three regional MPP9 would insult the 30,000-plus residents who signsd this pet ition 'b leaving the legislature beore the presentatien. Dees the governinent of Ontario really want te Icnow hew we feel about the issues that affect us? They certainly make it very difficult *te do mo I arn aIse surprised that *a member of the governinent would attack, in the press, a citizen expressing their opinions. Ruth Holdsworth Whitby automatically included with the Canadian Surety Personal Property Insurance. 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