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Qrono Weekly Times - 3 Wednesday, April 20, 2005 Hospital Continued from page 2 service positions that will be cut with the beds. Less beds at LHB will mean more patients admitted to the Emergency Department, resulting in longer waits in the Emergency Department, and more transfers transfers out of Bowmanville for definitive care for patients. This is a direct result of the Ontario government's continual continual lack of fair funding for health care for Clarington, and for Durham region in general. Even with the aggressive layoffs planned (up to 100 positions) to control expenses, LHC will be submitting a deficit budget of $18.7 million to the Ontario government this year. This is reduced from the $23.1 million deficit initially anticipated after the government government announced their funding for LHC in the fall of 2004. Hospital inflationary costs rise approximately 8% every year (roughly $20 million in 2004/05 for LHC). With knowledge of this, and the fact that LHC is a multi-site hospital, which a government sponsored study showed was $9 million more expensive to operate annually, the Ontario government gave LHC a measly 0.8% increase (or $2 million) in funding for 2004/05! This is appalling! Clarington residents, along with the rest in Durham region, are under funded for health care. The real injustice is apparent when you realize that Durham residents receive $871 less health care funding than the average Ontarian (GTA/905 Data), and yet, as a region, we contribute through the new Health Tax $109 million million to improve health care. Where is our fair share of the new Health Tax? The Ontario government will tell you that they already gave LHC $13 million this year. What they won't tell you is that none of these funds went toward operational operational costs which is where the under funding is greatest. The Ontario government has repeatedly ignored the pleas from LHC Administration Administration for fair funding in the face of rising costs and population population growth in Durham. Instead, they forced LHC Administration to attempt to balance their books by maximizing maximizing efficiencies, hence the bed closures at LHB. The next steps may include consolidation consolidation of services at one site, just like what, happened with the Obstetrics program at LHB a few years back. With the financial penalty of unfair funding continuing, sick Clarington patients may need to seek health care outside of the community in the future. This would be disastrous for our community! As a group of physicians who work hard to look after your health care needs, we want to raise the alarm for everyone that now is the time to exert political pressure pressure on our Ontario government government and demand our fair share of health care funding. We must not stand aside while LHB is starved of resources and dies a slow death. We need the Ontario government to feed our hospital with real food, so that we can look after thé health care needs of Clarington residents. As individuals, individuals, we heed to phone, write, or email our Conservative Conservative MPP, John O'Toole, or better yet, contact Premier Dalton McGuinty, or health Minister George Smitherman and tell them how much LHB means to you and how you expect the government to fund our hospital equitably to maintain the health care services services that we need. Let's do what we can to keep our community community strong and healthy! Let's fight for the future of our beloved Bowmanville hospital hospital and demand sustainable fair funding. Letter to the Editor "Freedom of the press not alive and well in Clarington" !l if! HI jiip i I slllll II III Dear Ms. Zwart, It is a pleasure to subscribe to the Orono Times, the only locally owned newspaper in Clarington serving residents in Kendal, Kirby, Leskard, Newcastle, Newtonville, Orono, Orono, Starkville and Tyrone. Your editorials are insightful and offer readers important information about their locally elected government. I was initially amused by your blistering editorials exposing the flaws and faux pas of the municipal government. government. Highlights include the ITER debacle, the outspoken fireman and the 'suspending of the rules' salary raises for the Mayor and Councillors. I am now very concerned about the retaliatory tactics of our locally locally elected officials. It is my understanding that Council passed a resolution in March 2002 stating all municipal municipal ads and announcements should appear on page two of The Canadian Statesman, owned by Metroland. The resolution resolution further stated that the Orono Times would receive advertising and announcements announcements etc. that are of Clarington-wide and/or pertain pertain to Orono-area residents. Council's reasoning of fiscal responsibility and redundancy doesn't seem realistic when you review ad rates at the Orono Times and the erratic delivery by Metroland to residents residents in this area. Unfortunately, over the past year the Orono Times did not receive several ads that were Clarington-wide announcements. announcements. And now it seems that your latest barrage of editorials has forced the municipality to punish you, and most importantly area residents residents further, by not giving the Orono Times ads that absolutely do pertain to local residents. Unfortunately it seems 'freedom of the press' is not alive and well, at least not in Clarington. In addition to your paper, I also subscribe to the Toronto Star which is delivered each and every day at the end of my driveway. The Orono Times is delivered each week to my mailbox. Not so with the papers I receive from Metroland. Metroland. Although they publish three times a week for the area, I have yet to receive any of their papers on a consistent basis. Many end up in the gully at the end of my drive-, way as you can see by the attached photo. Unfortunately, that gully is about 50 feet from the Orono Creek and I would hate to have an environmental problem due to their continued continued carelessness. Frankly, I am tired of cleaning up after them. You stated it correctly last week when you pointed out that the Mayor and Members of Council just do not seem to care about the residents in this area and hopefully they will hear about it at the next election. election. It would be in their best interest to make sure all announcements and ads from the municipality appear in local media that reaches its intended audience, especially in a paper that has a confirmed subscriber base and gets delivered delivered properly-- unlèss of course they prefer uninformed voters. They best remember we all are taxpayers and they are elected to serve the public. If they personally do not wish to subscribe to the Orono Times that is their choice, but they have no right to dismiss Orono and surrounding area residents due to their ridiculous ridiculous pettiness. Not to be over-dramatic but wars have been fought over 'freedom of thie press'. Let's not allow Clarington to continue continue to be a community where freedom of thought can be controlled and influenced by the government. It is the public's civic responsibility to make sure our elected officials know where we stand on this important and fundamental issue. Hopefully, the Mayor and Members of Council will rectify this unfortunate situation situation at the next Council meeting. meeting. Sincerely, W. Glen Burnside Orono cc: Mayor John Mutton Members of Council Sincerely yours, Vincent Ho, M.D., C.C.F.P. President, Bowmanville Area Medical Association Main Street, Orono Proprietor»: Gary, Carol & Cory Vreekcr Oda Continued from front offer a new, positive vision for Canada." "I remain committed to building our local economy, supporting our farm families and ensuring valued social systems are accessible to evety resident in Durham," Oda said. • Wedding Cakes • Cakes for a\\ Occasions • Pastries - Donuts- Pies • Bread & Buns 905-983-9779 Closed Sunday and Monday -Happenings ~ F.FÆSoup^A Salai Luncheon - at Hampton United Church - C.E. Wing. Doors open 11:30 a.m. Penny Sale, Draw, Door Prizes. 4T ciub^Annua/xea and Bake Sale - at Durham Senior's Complex, 200 Station St W, Orono in the Mafn Half from 'lam r 2 p . m . Includes silent auction, white elephant table and lunch. Adults $4, Children $2. SeToffnaS- at St. Francis of Assisi Parish, 214 King Ave. K, Newcastle. Prizes, 50/50 Draw, Lunch. $10.00'(Wheelchair Accessible). Tri'clty GospefChorus (Choir of 85 men) - Coming to Newcastle United Church. Join us at 7 p.m. for a wonderful evening. Free will offering. NewtastleUnKed Church UCW Sunday -10:30 a.m. Guest Speaker - Rev. Ann Foster, everyone wel- come. St Andrew's Presbyterian Church welcomes all to celebrate their 171st Anniversary. 11 a.m. featuring featuring Speaker - Noel Gordon "Can You Imagine" & Guest Soloist - Karen Anderson. Wednesday» May 4th . Rllffet Luncheon - Orono United Church from 11:30 Orono Horticultural Society Annual Spri 8 . , . ■ n d ü . v i 905-983-5591 or to 1 p.m. $10 per person. Take-out orders available. Advance tickets only call Beryl 9U0 jn Shelley 905-983-5102. KSSfLs of Clarington ACM & Recognition Evening - 23 Scugog St., Bowmanville at 7 p.m. R.S.V.P. to 905-623-6646 by Wednesday, May 11. Wednesday. Mav 18th Wednesday. May 181k / hnf r et - lV ! e \ n.30 n, m , -1:30 p.m. Salad Supper 3ff si. Lynx**»* a--(W> $5 . -rickets call Charles Gray 905-987-4551 or Charlotte Anderson 205-98^-9506. CluÜ'ugioiitotK^Bnnk Annual Meeting - St. George's Church Hall, Newcastle starting 7:30 p.m. All welcome. Sf SttvlouUnchurch Yard Sale - Main Street, Orono starting 8 a.m.