WE CAN AFFORD TWO EQUAL HOSPITALS IN MUSKOKA: A TAX HIKE WORTH PAYING

Lois Cooper | MuskokaTODAY.com

MUSKOKA — You can’t afford it! You can’t afford it! You can’t afford it!

That is the mantra of the Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare board to the people attending the “chat” in Gravenhurst on Tuesday night.

Well, yes, we can afford it, I say!

The “it” being great health care and two full-service hospitals.

The board clearly has drunk the Kool-Aid provided by the Doug Ford Conservatives at Queen’s Park.

Those being the very same people who say we can afford free licence plate stickers for our vehicles.

And the very same people who wanted us to enjoy “buck-a-beer.”

Was that in hopes that we would not notice the de-funding of our health care, our long-term care homes, our home care and our end-of-life care?

We live in one of the richest countries in the world — Canada.

We live in the richest province — Ontario.

We can afford any type of health care we want.

Currently those of us with a taxable income between $25,000 and $36,000 pay $300 in an Ontario Health Premium to the province yearly.

It graduates up to all those with a taxable income of more than $200,600 paying $900.

People with huge incomes such as Galen Weston pay only $900.

What do we need to pay to have the health care of our desires?

$10 more each, $100 more each?

Fix the tax system.

We can pay our taxes and get the services we deserve!

We can do it.

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If every one at last night’s fight for “equal” hospital services were to ante up a few dollars more each year province-wide on their Ontario health care contribution, both South Muskoka and Huntsville hospitals would have what they originally wanted and were told was possible, writes columnist Lois Cooper.
“We live in one of the richest countries in the world — Canada. We live in the richest province — Ontario. We can afford any type of health care we want.”
What price health care? Muskoka is finding out this week the true cost of hometown health care.

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