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Health care funding to increase By Gary Carr PROGRESSIVE CONSERVATIVE CANDI­ DATE Making sure every person in Ontario has access to the best quality health care is a top priority for the government. A growing and aging population will increase pressures on health care and that is why I have worked hard to make sure the government is spending more on health care than has ever been spent before. We have increased government By Sean Cain NDP CANDIDATE It was almost 40 years ago that the provincial NDP government of Saskatchewan founded public health care. It provided such a strong example of the superiority of socialized medi­ cine over the American-style, corporate model that the federal government was soon to follow with their own plan under the Canada Health Act. Yet, today in Ontario, this system is under heavy attack from the Harris spending on health care by $1.5 billion to $18.9 billion. This is by far the high­ est level of health care spending in Ontario's history. This, despite the feder­ al government's cut of $2.8 billion in health care money to Ontario. The Liberals refuse to acknowledge that the only government cutting health care spending is the federal Liberal gov­ ernment. The provincial Liberals' plan to stifle the economy through high taxes and wasteful spending would mean that we would not have the resources neces­ sary to provide the health care we need. Conservatives. On a per capita basis, they have cut almost $2-billion from our health care system since 1995, cre­ ating longer waiting lists, poorer quali­ ty care, and a slew of new user fees on everything from drugs to basic ser­ vices, opening the door toward an American-style, two-tiered system of health - one for the very wealthy and another for everyone else. We have all heard the stories on tele­ vision and in the newspapers - people dying in hospital hallways because of (See 'NDP' page 5) We have also taken the tough deci­ sions necessary to end wasteful spend­ ing, like paying for half empty hospitals and to redirect the money to home care, long-term care and other services that were neglected under the Liberals and the New Democrats. Our $1.2 billion reinvestment into long-term care will mean 1,500 new long-term care beds for Halton. We have reinvested $5.3 million for a new emer­ gency ward at the Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital. New dollars were provided to purchase Halton's first MRI machine. We have set up the Community Care Access Centres. The new investments in community care were particularly necessary given the shifting trend of care away from institu­ tions and into the community. We will: -- Introduce a 'Patients Bill of Rights'; -- Measure patient satisfaction, with patient surveys; -- Randomly test and audit hospitals to see how ell our hospitals are doing -- hospital report cards will be published in local newspapers; -- Fast-track the new smart card technology to add drug information, medical records, allergies and other health records to your OHIP card; Introduce incentives such as free tuition for doctors willing to practice in underserviced areas; -- Create a Chief Nursing Officer position at each hospital; -- Implement the nursing task force report to spend $375 million over three years and hire 12,000 nurses to hospitals and home care; -- Increase funding for nurse practi­ tioners. The Liberals and the NDP closed 11,000 hospital beds, the equivalent of 33 mid-sized hospitals. In th e w e e k s le a d in g u p to th e J u n e 3 rd p ro v in c ia l e le c tio n , th e O a k v ille B e a v e r w ill b e ru n n in g v ie w p o in ts b y th e O a k v ille r id in g c a n d id a te s o n c u rre n t is s u e s .. .to d a y th e y re s p o n d to ... HEALTH We have made the tough decisions to reform health care and increase spend­ ing in areas such as Oakville. Our spend­ ing is now directed in areas with greater impact on quality care. I am committed to our plan to increase health care funding by at least 20%. Only our plan for a strong econo­ my will guarantee that the resources will be there for a growing and aging popula­ tion. It 's A Smart M ove N D P w ould restore health care m andate N eeds o f p a tie n ts #1 p r io r ity By Kevin Flynn LIBERAL PARTY CANDIDATE Quality Health Care We Can All Count On! Campaigning is an interesting process. As I move from door to door, I have a unique opportunity to hear exactly what is on the minds of the voters of Oakville. The crisis in our health care system is the number one concern. There is a general agreement among voters that the Harris Conservative Agenda has dam­ aged patient care in this province. People have grown tired of four years of cuts, closures, and chaos in the Health Care Field. Creating a crisis in health care wasn't the tough thing for Mike Harris to do. It was the wrong thing to do! You work hard; you pay your taxes, and you deserve your government's support in times of need. Investing in Health Care is the number one priority of a Liberal Government. In order to ensure a quality health care system, the Liberal Party and I will establish standards for Health Care guaranteeing: • No one will wait more than 15 minutes to be assessed in an emergency room. • Patients admitted to hospital will be assigned a room. Abandoning patients on stretchers in hallways will not be an option. • No cancer patient will wait more than four weeks for radi­ ation treatment. Forcing Ontario taxpayers to go to Buffalo for treatment is unacceptable. • New mothers will have the right to stay in hospital for 48 hours and provided with home visits from nurses. • The passage of a Family Leave Act whereby employees will be provided with up to 12 weeks of job-protected unpaid leave to care for aging parents or seriously ill family members. • The establishment of a Women's Health and Research Network at Women's College Hospital in order to make the lat­ est research and leading professionals available to the women of Ontario. • Establishing, in consultation with hospitals, appropriate funding levels for the next five years. • Hiring 10,200 nurses in Ontario to ensure proper medical attention for all patients. • The hiring of an independent Health Quality Auditor who will report directly to the people about a government's perfor­ mance in the health care field. I never fully realized the problems faced by our health care professionals until last year, when a relative of mine was admit­ ted to an Ontario hospital. The Harris cuts were no longer fig­ ures on a page; they now had a human dimension. I saw a group of overworked medical professionals trying to carry out their duties in an impossible situation. Cutting funding to health care has jeopardized the well-being and safety of the citizens of Ontario. As Canadians, we do not see access to health care as a luxury for those who can afford it, and we do not wish to have an American-style two-tier medical system. It's time to reinvest in Health Care! Let's make the needs of patients our number one priority, and let's provide our medical professionals with the resources they need to provide quality health care for all citizens of Ontario! Planning for your financial fu ture is one o f the sm artest m oves you can m ake. N esbitt B um s is one o f C anada's largest full-service investm ent firm s. W e have been helping C anadians plan for their futures for over 80 years. F rom equities and bonds to R R SPs, w e provide the investm ent advice and expertise necessary to invest successfully. To find out m ore about how to plan for your financial future, call today. Paul H artford I n v e s t m e n t A d v i s o r Tel: (905) 337-2030 Fax: (905) 337-2033 M e m b e r I IT NESBITT BURNS Mambar of the Bank o f Montreal Group of Companies $ 1 I § Rebecca Street closure Rebecca Street will be partially closed starting Tuesday to com­ plete work on the wastewater stor­ age tank being constructed in Trafalgar Park. In order to excavate a large diversion cham­ ber under the road, Rebecca will be reduced to a single eastbound lane. Westbound traffic will be detoured via Ken- Street to Lakeshore Road to Margaret Drive. The construc­ tion of the cham­ ber also requires bypassing the wastewater main on Rebecca, so local and regional public works staff have determined that due to the magnitude of the work, traffic flow in both directions is impossible. In order to minimize disrup­ tion to the down­ town area during the Waterfront Festival, the work will be carried out in two phases: May 25th to June 14th and from June 28 to Aug. 13th. The project will be shut down between the two phases and all lanes will be open from June 15th to 27th. If an emer­ gency or danger­ ous situation aris­ es at the site, staff have been cleared to close Rebecca completely as needed. 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