TORONTO – After months of delay, the Government of Ontario has finally released the list of hospital project proposals from across the province. In May, after receiving no answers from the provincial government, Wellington-Halton Hills MPP Ted Arnott filed a Freedom of Information request.
“Finally we have lifted at least some of the secrecy surrounding Ontario’s hospital proposals,” said Arnott.
“But there’s no excuse for delaying the release of this list, which it appears they had all along.”
The list shows 130 hospital proposals from across Ontario. However, it fails to provide all the information Arnott requested, including the status of the proposals and their estimated cost. “Many of our questions remain unanswered,” he said.
Arnott initially requested the list of all Ontario hospitals with construction and redevelopment proposals, the status of the proposals, including estimated completion dates, the estimated value and the date on which the proposals were submitted.
Groves Memorial Community Hospital in Fergus appears to be represented amongst the 130 proposals on the list. It shows a proposal as submitted in January 2008, with an estimated completion date of September 2012. The list gives no indication as to whether the Ministry is actually prepared to support the hospital in order to move forward with planning or when actual construction might commence.
Arnott intends to appeal to Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario in an effort to compel the government to release all the information he requested.
“We need Liberal MPPs John Wilkinson, Liz Sandals, and Kevin Flynn to speak up in support of the Groves and Georgetown projects,” said Arnott. “Each of them has good reason to give constructive support, and our communities need their advocacy as well.” Speaking in the Legislature on the need for good government, Arnott again called attention to the Groves and Georgetown hospital proposals and the need for the Minister of Health to move ahead on those proposals.
