June 23, 2024

2ND SOUTH MUSKOKA HOSPITAL RALLY SUPPORTERS WET, BUT STILL WILLING TO COME OUT FOR THEIR HOSPITAL TODAY

BRACEBRIDGE — Kim King sat in the middle of Memorial Park this afternoon, with rain drizzling around her — an old umbrella in one hand, a thumbs up in the other and a big grin on her face.

She sat only a few feet from the band shell to hear the speeches at the rally put on by Save South Muskoka Hospital supporters.

King was closest to the stage — defiant in her posture — as several hundred stood behind her in full support. The roughly 800 were a couple hundred more than last month’s rally. So still growing.

It was as if she alone was leading the charge for two equal Muskoka hospitals.

But a supporting cast had her back standing for an hour to hear a half dozen speakers castigate board management of Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare.

**Kim King sat defiantly in from of a South Muskoka hospital supporters who had her back this afternoon at Memorial Park in Bracebridge.**

They re-iterated a lot of what’s been going on the past six months in this tale of two hospitals as the plot thickens weekly now.

Green Party deputy leader Matt Richter was the star of the show, vowing that if he were their MPP he’d do better for them and promising he’d be there with full support for south Muskoka’s hospital.

The province has broken its promise, he said.

He said the Doug Ford government has money for more beer in stories, Hwy. 413 and free licence stickers — all reflected in party signs carried by Green members who first gathered at MPP Graydon Smith’s office a few blocks away before marching down Manitoba Street to the main street park rally.

SSMH group leaders Tom Young and Bruce Kruger led the way charging up the crowd with their “Care for Home,” “Keep the Promise” and “Stop the Money” chants as speaker after speaker rallied the crowd to their side in the second “show of support for doctors” and their concerns about MAHC’s redevelopment plan for its two sites they claim favours Huntsville over south Muskoka (Bracebridge).

**Muskoka paramedics Vince Tremblay, Matt Hickey were on stage to support former EMS dispatcher Katie Peleikis who said MAHC isn’t adequately addressing ambulance concerns.**

Katie Peleikis, a former EMS dispatcher, expressed not-unheard concerns about just eight ambulances covering Muskoka and even slightly beyond. Eight are year-round and two more arrive for summer.

She was accompanied on stage by local paramedics Vince Tremblay and Matt Hickey, president of MPS’s OPSEU union local.

Peleikis said MAHC’s plan doesn’t address transportation challenges and waiting times to hand over patients to hospital services.

Ruth Shaw, an Ontario Nurses Association rep, claimed South Muskoka Memorial Hospital has the worst nurse to patient ratio of one to five in the country. (Huntsville District Memorial Hospital it was said by others is one to four.)

Dr. Rohit Gupta said that’s true.

The crowd, which did include at least some Bracebridge town councillors noted emcee Young, applauded enthusiastically when all the speakers spoke.

For a number of people — but not all — some of the information was new to them as snippets of details continue to creep out.

But most were still dismayed at not having full disclosure and particularly the fact that some hospital staff continue to be admonished for speaking out and participating in the rallies.

Kruger — who opened by addressing “Me Lords and Ladies” — said Sunday’s rally was about allowing people to “speak freely.”

The town crier said MAHC had “failed to provide two equal hospitals.”

He said despite its claims this week of more “advancement” in talks this week with doctors and some local mayors that that was “nonsense.”

Gupta agreed.

Kruger also said it was “nonsense” for MAHC to call its plan “Made in Muskoka.”

He said the hospital board has tried to “pull the wool over our eyes.

“We’ve done our sacrifice in this riding.”

Despite the light rain that fell midway through the rally, everyone stayed and it looked like more than half of them carried a demonstration sign.

Dan Waters — one of the organizers who did a brisk business getting more signatures to the more than 10,000 they have so far — said he was happy with the turnout given the weather.

He said another similar protest is already in the planning stage.

Adding “there is a lack of leadership and guidance” that has left people “angry and frustrated over the divisiveness” the issue has caused.