A local group of concerned citizens wants to make sure Renfrew County has its say on Bill 60.
Leona Haley, the Chair of the Renfrew County Health Coalition, claims the provincial bill “allows for private companies to arrange healthcare services with less qualified health caregivers, less transparency, and less accountability.”
The Coalition says underfunding has left Ontario’s health care system with the lowest funding for public hospitals and the fewest nurses per patient in Canada. They add that a third of the residents in Renfrew County are without family doctors due in part to this.
Haley says rural communities with less money, like Renfrew County, face the greatest risks of having publicly funded hospitals and clinics lose physicians and staff to their privately funded counterparts.
Haley notes Bill 60 was passed in a short amount of time with little chance for the public to hear exactly what it contains and what it will do, and as such, they’re hosting a one-question referendum at a number of locations across the Ottawa Valley until May 27th.
The local ballot is part of a larger effort by Renfrew County Health Coalition’s provincial counterpart, who have provided a link where you can get more information, volunteer, find the nearest ballot box, or even vote online.
(written by Kasey Egan)