The following is an open letter to the Ontario Minister of Health Sylvia Jones
Dear Minister Jones,
As former Chair, Save South Muskoka Hospital Committee, I submit my great concerns pertaining to the conduct and decisions of Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare Board of Directors. With commencement of 2025, it’s imperative that the hospital concerns within Muskoka region, finally be honestly and openly examined. If need be, I would suggest that an open forum be developed by the Ministry of Health, to examine the powers, procedures and procurement methods currently inappropriately utilized by the Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare .
Please find attached, my letter addressed to The Honourable Sylvia Jones, Minister of Health. This document outlines the serious misconduct of the Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare Board who have failed to disclose matters of extreme importance pertaining to the selection of the new hospital lands within Bracebridge. This situation has the potential to financially waste funding of over 130 million dollars of healthcare monies, simply to level the ground at the inappropriate site chosen for the location of the new Bracebridge Hospital on Pine Street.
I ask that you please read this carefully to grasp the essence of the situation. It’s absurd to believe MAHC contemplates developing a hospital site by obtaining a landfill permit to fill in a pit for the new hospital. This may well utilize over 100 million dollars simple to level lands for the new hospital structure to justify their MAHC Board’s decisions. My attached letter outlines in more detail the gravest concerns I have of the procedures undertaken by Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare as they move forward to build two new hospitals with this region.
As we start this new year, 2025, it’s imperative that Ministerial Intervention take place to quickly and appropriately stop the madness that has taken place within Muskoka involving our Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare organization. It’s time for a complete restructuring of this highly inappropriate organization of MAHC!
This no longer is a fight for bed counts within two new Muskoka hospitals, but rather it is a need for government intervention to stop the insanity of how the decision processes are permitted for hospital development within the Ministry of Health. I urge your assistance as Minister in this matter.
Sincerely,
Bruce C. Kruger
Bracebridge
Find the letter to the Minister below ⬇️
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Pine street is the best location for all of Muskoka
Baysville resident
The Ontario Government has committed to giving 1 billion dollars for the redevelopment of the 2 hospitals in Muskoka, so redevelop them. MAHC has never shown any facts that prove the hospitals can not be renovated or added on to. There has never been a valid reason to build a totally new hospitals
.Other hospitals in Ontario that are older than ours have added on and renovated to bring them up to standard. I’ll bet that the new hotel at the corner of Taylor Road and Cedar Lane could easily have been fit onto the existing hospital property in Bracebridge. THERE IS NO REASON TO MOVE THE HOSPITAL IN BRACEBRIDGE! I fully realize that a hotel isn’t built the same as a hospital, the point is the size of the footprint of the structure.
Mr. Kruger, thank you so so much for articulating the facts, truth as well as leaving the intended ready with a clarity so true to what we as residents have witnessed! Our MPP, District Chair and Mayors need to stand up strong at this juncture to demand the righting from our Ministry and to realign this board in its entirety.
It’s unfortunate this has come to this, but the need for transparency has a price.
The good people of each of the communities of
South Muskoka need this corrected NOW before going any further potentially causing significant damage and unjust costs!
Government is being called upon to act!
Regards
Calvin Hensel
The Pine Street site is the correct site for Bracebridge’s newest hospital. It does not cost $130 million to ‘level the ground’. This is an unserious number. In fact the site as is saves money. Excavation costs are reduced and no need to haul material off site. Service infrastructure is already in place. We own the land already. No need to buy from a developer/speculator and destroy environmentally sensitive land. While the whole plan is still a messy situation the Pine Street site makes 100% sense.