The Town of Bracebridge is seeking a second opinion on the prescription for Muskoka’s healthcare.
During today’s general committee meeting, Bracebridge councillors voted to potentially withhold funding for a new hospital and to hire their own consultant to look at Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare’s Capital (MAHC) redevelopment submission to the province.
“We find ourselves in a situation where the community is upset and the entire medical community in south Muskoka is begging us to intervene,” said Coun. Tatiana Sutherland while “wholeheartedly” supporting the motion.
In September of 2023, Bracebridge council voted to contribute $10 million to MAHC’s plans to develop two new hospitals in Muskoka. That figure includes the value of contributing a property at 300 Pine Street for the new hospital in Bracebridge.
However, when MAHC’s plan was unveiled earlier this year it met with strong opposition from residents and healthcare workers in south Muskoka, who claimed it would result in significant loss of services for the region.
The local share of the redevelopment project (expected to cost a minimum of $1 billion) includes contributions for the District Municipality of Muskoka ($77.3 million), Town of Huntsville ($10 million), municipalities of Almaguin Highlands ($9.5 million), and the Town of Gravenhurst ($1 million). However, since MAHC’s redevelopment plan was unveiled the District of Muskoka and Gravenhurst have applied conditions to their funding commitment.
The general committee also approved health care consulting services from Medcura Health Care for $10,000 to provide the Town with a third-party review of Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare’s Stage 1.3 capital redevelopment submission.
Staff cautioned the committee that some information from MAHC is confidential due to Ministry regulations and the consultants will be operating under extremely tight timelines, as the submission is expected to be given to the province in November.
In voicing her support for the motion, Coun. Brenda Rhodes said she’s already heard positive feedback from the community and even members of the MAHC board on the decision to conduct a third-party review.
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Taxpayers are not spending a billion dollars to go backwards in health care in Muskoka.
Backwards at both Huntsville and Bracebridge hospitals.
The MAHC plan requires Huntsville residents to travel to Bracebridge for short term care.
Spend far less money and add wings to the existing sites to improve both as suggested by the last commenter here: https://doppleronline.ca/huntsville/mahc/
Having just moved into the area from Northwestern Ontario, I find this situation very interesting. If the local residents only knew the barriers folks face in the North, and how good they have it here in Muskoka. The entire situation reeks of selfish grandstanding, with little to no understanding of limitations public healthcare.
It may seem unfortunate to have to travel some 45mins, but being committed to unrealistic expectations, will only cause division and further this carrying on.
Sad to see in a new community
This sounds like the perfect solution to an obvious impasse, providing MAHC releases the necessary information. It’s hard to imagine a government imposing regulations that would impede a hired consulting firm from getting the information needed to render a fair and comprehensive opinion!
Why the secrecy? The province can allow this ‘confidential’ information to be released so that the consultant can do a proper study having a complete set of information.
This is a billion dollar cost to the taxpayer. Transparency is needed. Now not before the election or whatever the politics says.
Where do you stand on this MPP Graydon Smith? Should our tax paying community have full access and transparency? If not, why not?
Welcome move indeed, Norm. Would be interested to know who/what entity (and their credentials) is conducting the independent review.
A welcome move , that is overdue. Good luck getting any info out of MAHC even though there should be little to no info that is confidential in a tax payer funded program.