2 CANDIDATES SQUARE OFF ON HOSPITALS AS SSMHG MAY GET HEARING WITH MINISTRY OF HEALTH

Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com

BRACEBRIDGE — In a cinema on a Saturday morning it was a re-run of last spring’s rally next door at Memorial Park.

The billboard below the marquee bore two ominous — possibly portent — posters for this week’s Norwood Theatre movies: ‘Last Breath’ and ‘Captain America.’

Only this time the crowd of 80 was about a quarter the number outside that last rainy day, but with twice as many candidates on hand running to be MPP.

With five days to the Feb. 27 election, most were measuring the man many hoped will represent the riding a week from now.

Not all — but seemingly most.

It was billed as a “candidates forum” to address questions about the state of health care and Muskoka hospitals in particular. But as could be expected it was a gang-up on the government.

Hosted by the Save South Muskoka Hospital Group, they invited all the provincial elections candidates.

However only two answered the bell to respond to 13 submitted questions.

PC candidate Graydon’s Smith office sought “some concessions” and ultimately chose another event. Others in the race declined.

Matt Richter walked across Manitoba Street from his Greens campaign office and New Democrat Jim Ronholm drove down from his home in Sundridge at almost the northern most post of the riding.

It was emceed by a former NDP candidate Tom Young and co-organized by Dan Waters, who in 1990 was elected the New Democrat MPP.

Both swore neutrality.

“It’s hard for me to be non-partisan,” said Waters. “I have so many opinions.”

Nothing new really came out of the back-and-forth between Richter and Ronholm in terms of their respective left and centre parties and policies.

It was a relaxed, layback feel. An OK 10 a.m. start to the weekend.

Nothing stat.

The biggest and best things that came out was first news that the SSMHG may get a meeting with the Ministry of Health after the election; and assurance from both candidates that they believe the promised billion-dollar hospital funding is money in the bank.

Richter called it “fear-mongering” to imply that not returning Smith would endanger that funding.

“The two hospitals are here,” he said. “And anything else is fear-mongering by politicians. That Bracebridge isn’t going to get the hospital they deserve. But we have to be assured that the money and financing are there.”

Ronholm said that he has been assured it won’t be lost if the NDP were to win.

Oh, for sure there were several pokes at Smith and jabs at Doug Ford. None aimed at the candidate sitting beside them.

Yet it gave voters in the plush seats who had — or hadn’t — already begun voting a look at two basically flat liners.

Neither with the spark needed and seen in other provincial candidates like Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie.

Ronholm was monotonous at times, droning on and even dittoed some of Richter’s equally stay calm calculated teacher-like answers.

Richter didn’t blame the hospitals board for the fiasco at hand.

“I don’t put on MAHC. I put it back on the government.”

Ronholm also deferred to doctors to make the right determination on the number of beds

in south Muskoka.

But the Strong Township councillor did wake up when speaking about the Burk’s Falls Health Centre — once a “third” tiny hospital in Muskoka. Now relegated to large health hub.

He said it needs a $600,000 x-ray machine, which when factoring in infrastructure would cost $1 million.

And he perked up late on the topic of primary care physicians saying the province isn’t providing doctor recruitment funding for one Parry Sound-Muskoka community to service another that doesn’t have a doctor.

Richter, the morning’s main attraction, railed about being “hoodwinked” over hospitals.

And Smith’s no-show at Memorial Park and today.

“You can’t represent the people if you’re not here.”

People need hospitals, he said.

It’s not just the 65,000 permanent residents here now he said, but the 200,000 in summer and the shoulder seasons “May to the Cranberry Festival.”

He claimed that the riding in 30-50 years will be populated with 250,000 seasonal and permanent residents.

“Hospitals are paramount,” he said.

“We are not a typical riding, but we’re a riding that has typical expectations of fairness.”

And quality and quantity of care due it being “unique and eclectic” and in need of a “revival,” he told the 99 per cent older audience who applauded appropriately at the right times.

“What we deserve is fairness” in the division of services, said Richter in accusing Doug Ford and Smith of providing smaller communities with full-service hospitals north and on either side of Muskoka.

Richter also said he’ll push for mental health care to be added to OHIP coverage.

Ronholm received applause when he noted thousands of nurses could be hired and 26,316 doctors could be trained for the $3 billion the Conservatives wasted handing out $200 cheques this month.

“And how many hospitals could that build?”

He said his party and Leader Marta Stiles have promised 3,500 new doctors “as soon as they can,” including 350 here in Northern Ontario.

Ronholm asked: “So why has it taken seven years for Doug Ford and Graydon Smith to decide to do that?”

Richter replied in kind.

“I agree. We could do a whole forum on the reckless spending of the Doug Ford and Graydon Smith’s PC government and where those funds could appropriately go to no doubt, no doubt.

“I want to add is how do we support doctors and nurses and health care staff who stay here?” noting many have left their professions.

He said he spoke to a PSW in Gravenhurst who was a foreign trained doctor.

And he said he spoke with a business owner in Almaguin who employs 120 people and is in desperate need of doctors and hospitals in the northern part of the riding especially Burk’s Falls.

Richter pointed out that Almaguin and Gravenhurst are both trying to build health hubs that depend on the Ministry of Health for funding.

Both candidates appealed for peace not war in the “divisive” north-south hospital battle.

“Division doesn’t do any good,” Ronholm said.

Richter said: “I am not pretending I have some magic wand that can save everything. I’m saying to you I am ready to be a strong independent voice down at Queen’s Park. That will go to go to bat for you day-in and day-out.

“And it’s up to the people power behind me to share what vision this is going to be moving forward. I will be there hand-in-hand with you at all the meetings at the different forums we host sharing information all along the way.

“It is so vital that we get this correct. But we do it at an unbiased fair, respectful, but at the same time demanding way that brings fairness to our riding. So we can move forward with what we deserve once and for all.”

There was no talk of a capital city spa, Science Centre, Greenbelt, the environment or education that crept in to the conversation.

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