October 15, 2026

31 CANDIDATES FAILED TO RESPOND TO SURVEY ON SOUTH MUSKOKA HOSPITAL — INCLUDING 3 RUNNING FOR MAYORS. SEE WHO DID, WHAT THEY SAID ABOUT CARE CLOSE TO HOME

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MUSKOKA — With voting underway yesterday, it seems some candidates are afraid the lingering hospital controversy.

A survey sent out by the Save South Muskoka Hospital Committee south Muskoka elicited a mixed response with — surprising 31 residents opting not to say how they feel about the critical future health priorities of the communities.

Why? This is of vital importantance.

Including Gravenhurst mayor Heidi Lorenz and Jeff Watson. Opponents Jo Morphy and Marc Mantha did.

Peter Kelley, mayor in Muskoka Lakes, also did not reply.

In Bracebridge, Mayor Jeff Maloney and Norm Raynor both responded.

Huntsville candidates weren’t invited to participate.

These south Muskoka candidates either have no opinion on the state of the hospitals or didn’t care enough to reveal how they may vote the next four years on one of the most important items in Muskoka’s history. GRAPHIC SSMHC

Results of the lengthy survey were released by SSMHC Wednesday and included an in-depth break-down of responses.

Questions included most of what has already been discussed openly in public in recent years and what Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare has proposed and submitted to the Ministry of Health for a pending response on whether it will precede. As of yet province hasn’t made comment.

Candidates who did complete the survey, which included single word responses and written replies, were in part predictable and as known by those on councils now.

While those running new this time were pretty much reflected wider community thoughts in favour of a full-service hospital for south Muskoka and against the proposed “unequal” split with the MAHC’s Huntsville site.

Some of the survey, however, included a tricky leading SSMHC questions that put candidates in a negative position if they had to reply “no.”

Including the first question that asked: “Do you believe residents of south Muskoka should have equitable access to acute hospital care comparable to residents elsewhere in Muskoka?”

Well, duh!

What’s a candidate to say? “No.”

And there were more like that.

Alas it was a good, well-done survey that attempted to draw out the feelings of candidates and how they might vote over the next four years should the plight of the hospitals land on their desk regarding local issues connected.

And whether they will fight for that equitable share of hospital services.