LETTER: BRACEBRIDGE COUNCIL MISSED OPPORTUNITY TO CHALLENGE MAHC, SAYS CITIZENS GROUP STILL ADVOCATING FOR ‘EQUAL’ HOSPITALS
LETTER TO EDITOR: MAHC presentation to council ‘insulting’
On September 4, Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare (MAHC) representatives presented to the Town of Bracebridge Council with an update on the hospital redevelopments.
The Save South Muskoka Hospital Committee (SSMHC) is critical that the briefing left the public with more questions than answers.
Significantly, the public remains without concrete information regarding the status of the provincial review of MAHC’s Stage 1.3 submission.
MAHC did not provide information on how the Stage 1.3 plan may have evolved during the ongoing provincial review since the submission nearly a year ago.
The discussion on the ongoing closure of the obstetrics unit at South Muskoka Memorial Hospital — which has not been operational since March — also lacked details.
SSMHC has been calling on MAHC to address this issue as a top priority.
We remain deeply concerned by the danger this situation poses to women and newborn children. South Muskoka Hospital requires an operating obstetrics unit to provide critical and essential care.
This presentation also formed a missed opportunity by those around the council table to ask MAHC pressing questions that the community has been so eager to have addressed.
We had hoped to hear councillors ask for specifics on bed capacity, transportation modelling between sites and service allocation.
Instead, the session devolved into a discussion as to how
to best address the public’s concerns as “misinformation.”
This approach to the public’s concerns is an insult to the intelligence, hard work and good faith of the local residents and members of the SSMHC — many of whom are in the healthcare sector — who have been significantly engaged in seeking changes to MAHC plan since January 2024.
The community needs leadership on this issue that earns the public’s trust, not attempts to baselessly dismiss it as a communications oversight.
The Town of Bracebridge has a significant responsibility on this issue given the large commitment of public funds it has pledged to support the hospital redevelopment and it should be working to address the public interest.
SSMHC commends councillor Barry Hammond for being the sole voice to raise the ongoing strain between physician staff and MAHC leadership — a real and pressing issue largely stemming from widespread discontent with the proposed model.
MAHC’s trajectory on the hospital redevelopments remains misguided and focused on a model that the south Muskoka community has clearly indicated it does not support.
The community’s concerns with MAHC’s plans are well-founded and legitimate.
SSMHC remains deeply engaged and concerned about the model’s impact — especially the reduction of beds and services in a growing region, which will have a significantly older population in the coming decades.
SSMHC’s position is straightforward: south Muskoka needs transparency, meaningful hospital capacity. And a demonstration from MAHC that it is listening to the community’s voice at the planning table.
We call on the Bracebridge Town Council to:
- Request a public, written Stage 1.3 status update from MAHC, detailing specific changes since the original submission and a realistic timeline for next steps.
- Advocate for service distribution and bed counts that reflect growth and seasonal pressures, ensuring patients are not pushed farther from care close to loved ones and supports.
- Commit to regular, open forums where residents can ask questions and receive direct answers from both MAHC and municipal leaders.
- Tie any local financial contribution to transparent milestones and measurable outcomes that keeps healthcare equitable and accessible within South Muskoka.
SSMHC remains ready to work constructively with council, MAHC and provincial leaders.
Our community deserves a hospital model that matches its growing needs.
SSMHC committee
About the Save South Muskoka Hospital Committee: It is a non-profit corporation comprised of local residents, healthcare professionals, and community leaders advocating for the preservation, improvement, and expansion of South Muskoka Hospital. SSMHC advocates for two mid-sized hospitals offering equitable access to care for residents in both South Muskoka and Huntsville. Learn more or connect them:
o Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61559377176594
o Website: www.ssmh.ca
o Email: ssmh@ssmh.ca o Newsletter: www.ssmh.ca/community-membership
