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in si de ha lto n. co m O ak vi lle B ea ve r | T hu rs da y, F eb ru ar y 14 ,2 01 9 | 6 ABOUT US This newspaper, published every Thursday, is a division of the Metroland Media Group Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Torstar Corporation. The Metroland family of newspapers is comprised family of newspapers is comprised f of more than 80 community publications across Ontario. This newspaper is a member of the National NewsMedia Council. Complainants are urged to bring their concerns to the attention of the news- paper and, if not satisfied, write The National NewsMedia Council, Suite 200, 890 Yonge St., Toronto, ON M4W 2H2. 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OPINION TO LEARN HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR OWN CONTENT VISIT INSIDEHALTON.COM EDITORIAL Pundits on all sides of the debate about health-care reform in Ontario tend to speak in absolutes. The sys- tem is broken and we will fix it, says Doug Ford. The government plans to privatize large chunks of the sys- tem and that's absolutely wrong says NDP Leader An- drea Horwath. Health-care unions warn of absolute disaster. Health Minister Christine Elliott is on the record promising, absolutely, that no "Ontarians will fall through the cracks" of the reformed system.fall through the cracks" of the reformed system.f Why this absolutism, this refusal to acknowledge shades of grey? It's because the discussion and debate has become so politicized, there's no room for anything other than black or white. But the truth is, as anyone with even a basic knowl- edge of the system knows very well, speaking in abso- lutes risks simplistic solutions to complex problems. The reality is more like this: The system isn't bro- ken. It works remarkably well for thousands of Ontari- ans every day. But, from a financial and infrastructure perspective, it is not sustainable. Health care is only beginning to feel the weight of an aging population, and already cracks and fissures are causing problems for too many health-care consumers as well as the people who work in the system. We would agree with Horwath and other critics whoWe would agree with Horwath and other critics whoW worry about the extent to which the Ford government's free market leanings will drive reform down a roadfree market leanings will drive reform down a roadf toward two-tier health care. We're already seeing signs of centralization - the province's planned "super agen- cy" to oversee most aspects of the system, including primary and hospital care, is just one example. But let's keep this in mind, too. The previous Liberal government had 15 years to make measurable progress in major health-care challenges - hospital overcrowd- ing, inadequate community-based care and insufficient long-term care infrastructure are examples - and while it had some success, we're far from there yet. We need to see what the current government's solu-We need to see what the current government's solu-W tions look like, and we should not get bogged down in partisan hyperbole. Let's take privatization, for ex- ample. The NDP and others insist more privatization will be the end of universal health care. But the reality is sig- nificant aspects of the system are already private and, in some cases, are working as well or better than the public aspects of the system. Have you used a lab for blood or other testing? Chances are it was private. Your dental work? Physiotherapy? Some ultrasound testing? The truth is that complete public universality hasn't been the reality for many years now. That doesn't mean we should endorse radical privatization holus bolus. But nor does it mean the private sector cannot be an important, perhaps the most important, partner in reform. Consider the example of a fully-integrated, secure, real-time online system for medical record portability. The Liberals largely failed at this. Is it so hard to envi- sion private sector innovation and agility being key ingredients to finally getting a system we should have had years ago? Here's an absolute: Reforming health care breeds anxiety. It's that important. The opposition and media, but especially citizens, have a crucial rule to play as the government rolls out its plans. One thing we know for sure about the Ford govern- ment is that while it doesn't always listen, it sometimes does - think about successive attempts to open the Greenbelt for development stymied by solid public op- position. We have to remain alert, to listen, set aside precon-We have to remain alert, to listen, set aside precon-W ceived and partisan notions. What other choice is there? TIME FOR AN ADULT CONVERSATION ABOUT HEALTH-CARE REFORM I know exactly when my clients have had all the good times they can stand for one day. for one day. f It doesn't matter how many hours someone has booked, I go by when they start to emanate that wea- riness one gets when the mind starts to drift away from difficult things. I callfrom difficult things. I callf it letting-go-of-the-bal- loon. People say they are game to do a full day's work but many are often drained after about three to four hours in. I don't want them to lose their motivation. The emo- tional nature of the declut- tering process sneaks up and can sap energy and en- thusiasm. Many are un- prepared for it. There is a rebound ef- fect of all that hidden emo-fect of all that hidden emo-f tional energy people at- tach to their stuff. It doesn't become obvious until letting go of some- thing like a toy, for exam- ple, suddenly reveals to a mother that she has impli- cated an innocuous piece of plastic in with precious memories and occasions when things were happy. It is a subconscious linking and it makes letting go of things that much harder. And since parents are often the de facto archi- vists of the family there is a pain and a strain to mak- ing decisions about ob- jects. So the child or other family member must befamily member must bef consulted. Rarely does the family member share thefamily member share thef same outlook and only then can things be donated out the door safely and guilt free. So when clients begin to drift into the soft-focus, weary look or need to go check emails or divert to other escapist tasks, I pick up on it real fast. I am very empathetic that way. I lis- ten with my eyes as well as my ears. In the rush to downsize the fear of losing a part of one's moments in time can be acute, never more so when family is involved. It is my job to listen to a cli- ent more than tell them what to do. Then we can circumvent the fear of be- ing rushed into losing im- portant family memories. Listen, it'll bring a little therapy to your home. Stephen Ilott is a pro- fessional home organizer with decluttering.ca and author of "The Domestic Archaeologist." For more information, visit www.decluttering.ca or contact him at info@de- cluttering.ca or 416-460- 8098. TO BE A GOOD HOME ORGANIZER, BE A GOOD LISTENER DECLUTTERING CAN SAP ENERGY, WRITES ILOTT STEPHEN ILOTT Column SIGN UP FOR OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER AT INSIDEHALTON.COM