Read the article here
To the editor of the Sudbury Star,
Published February 29, 2012
So, in addition to the ill thought out vendor area, the new Grace Hartman Amphiteatre does not have enough fixed seating to attract major events? I looked back at a news article in a competing publication from April 1, 2010 and found that " Paul Loewenberg, artistic director for Northern Lights Festival Boreal, said for his festival, a larger amount of seating would be necessary to be able to attract higher quality performers." I also noted that councillor Ted Callaghan " fought for another 400 hard seats since that is what he said user groups wanted".
But architect Paul Castellan indicated that more seating "would compromise the look of the site" and Brian Amott, a senior partner with consultant Novita, said "most user groups, including the larger festivals, were supportive of what seating was proposed"
Where is Novita today, now that larger festivals don't want to rent the venue due to unsatisfactory seating? Why are we once again hung out to dry because the words of an out of town consultant meant more than those of local people who know the issues? What good is a nice looking site if no one wants to use it and we end up funding it out of tax dollars?
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Re: 'It's a bad idea to cut beds' - February 14th, 2012
Read the article here
To the editor of the Sudbury Star,
Published February 15, 2012
It is nice of Health Sciences North to put the statistics regarding Alternative Level Of Care patients in hospital on their website. In six weeks, the Memorial Site (aka Functional Assessment and Outcome Unit) will close half of its sixty beds. Checking the numbers today (February 15), I see that the Memorial Site is almost full with 56 ALC patients while the main hospital has 63. They claim no surgeries have been cancelled so far this week but thirteen patients in the ER are awaiting beds.
Despite all the claims about home care and solutions being put in place, it is obvious that the hospital remains overloaded at this time. And this says nothing about the people who need ALC services but remain on a waiting list. My impression is that our government health care bureaucrats and politicians have lots of talk but no plan. From the quotes I see, they seem to be hoping that these people will just go away. It will be interesting to see what the figures look like on April 1st.
Ontario citizens who supported health care through their taxes during their working lives deserve more than this now that they require an alternative level of care. Moreover, the rest of us should have the full benefit of the downsized hospital those short-sighted moguls of health foisted on us.
To the editor of the Sudbury Star,
Published February 15, 2012
It is nice of Health Sciences North to put the statistics regarding Alternative Level Of Care patients in hospital on their website. In six weeks, the Memorial Site (aka Functional Assessment and Outcome Unit) will close half of its sixty beds. Checking the numbers today (February 15), I see that the Memorial Site is almost full with 56 ALC patients while the main hospital has 63. They claim no surgeries have been cancelled so far this week but thirteen patients in the ER are awaiting beds.
Despite all the claims about home care and solutions being put in place, it is obvious that the hospital remains overloaded at this time. And this says nothing about the people who need ALC services but remain on a waiting list. My impression is that our government health care bureaucrats and politicians have lots of talk but no plan. From the quotes I see, they seem to be hoping that these people will just go away. It will be interesting to see what the figures look like on April 1st.
Ontario citizens who supported health care through their taxes during their working lives deserve more than this now that they require an alternative level of care. Moreover, the rest of us should have the full benefit of the downsized hospital those short-sighted moguls of health foisted on us.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Re: Province ponies up - January 24, 2012
Read the article here
To the editor of the Sudbury Star,
Published January 30, 2012 with minor editing
What kind of perverse game does the province play every year with funding for the municipalities? It seems every budget season that our city fathers and mothers go through the process with a big question mark hanging over their heads regarding what money will be forthcoming from Queen's Park. And the transitional funding might be withdrawn at any time? How do you strategize with something like that hanging over your head.
Sound financial planning requires as few unknowns as possible. In my opinion, the province owes the local governments some level of assurance as to the levels of their ongoing support. But the must like this little tease game because they also do it to the hospitals. It is a sad thing when politics meets bureaucracy.
To the editor of the Sudbury Star,
Published January 30, 2012 with minor editing
What kind of perverse game does the province play every year with funding for the municipalities? It seems every budget season that our city fathers and mothers go through the process with a big question mark hanging over their heads regarding what money will be forthcoming from Queen's Park. And the transitional funding might be withdrawn at any time? How do you strategize with something like that hanging over your head.
Sound financial planning requires as few unknowns as possible. In my opinion, the province owes the local governments some level of assurance as to the levels of their ongoing support. But the must like this little tease game because they also do it to the hospitals. It is a sad thing when politics meets bureaucracy.
Monday, January 16, 2012
Re: Hospital stuck with 100 long-term care patients - January 14, 2012
Read the article here
To the Editor of The Sudbury Star,
Published January 18, 2011 with minor editing
Normally, I find a Yogi Berra quote amusing but, in this context, it is just sad. Why is it that all the high paid help (as evidenced by the annual Sunshine List) in the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care can't predict the needs of our community and act on those needs? Once again, Alternative Level of Care patients are impinging on the operations of our hospital. Then again, they downsized the number of beds in the new facility and couldn't even figure out how many parking spaces were required. I can't imagine where we would be if they had closed the Memorial Site as they wanted to last March.
The provincial government is, as the name of the ministry states, responsible for Health AND Long Term Care. It would be nice if they started acting like it instead of trying to pass the buck around to the alphabet agencies they have created (Local Health Integration Network, Community Care Access Network, etc.) to confuse where the it actually stops. It stops in Queen's Park on the Premier's desk.
What good is a single source government health care system if that very care is not available to the citizens who need it?
To the Editor of The Sudbury Star,
Published January 18, 2011 with minor editing
Normally, I find a Yogi Berra quote amusing but, in this context, it is just sad. Why is it that all the high paid help (as evidenced by the annual Sunshine List) in the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care can't predict the needs of our community and act on those needs? Once again, Alternative Level of Care patients are impinging on the operations of our hospital. Then again, they downsized the number of beds in the new facility and couldn't even figure out how many parking spaces were required. I can't imagine where we would be if they had closed the Memorial Site as they wanted to last March.
The provincial government is, as the name of the ministry states, responsible for Health AND Long Term Care. It would be nice if they started acting like it instead of trying to pass the buck around to the alphabet agencies they have created (Local Health Integration Network, Community Care Access Network, etc.) to confuse where the it actually stops. It stops in Queen's Park on the Premier's desk.
What good is a single source government health care system if that very care is not available to the citizens who need it?
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Re: Department Legal Battle Expensive - November 2, 2011
To the editor of the Sudbury Star,
Published November 4, 2011 as Letter of the Day
I am dismayed to see the expense run up in this ludicrous legal battle. The auditor general was hired and, after much wrangling, it was decided his department would report directly to council. As such, he is an agent of council and attempts by staff, including the inane arguments by the city solicitor, to shield city documents from the AG amount to shielding those documents from council.
The Mayor and council were elected by us, the citizens of Greater Sudbury, to oversee the operation of our city. The auditor general's role is to review those operations to ensure that staff is managing our tax dollars responsibly. What I expect from my elected representatives is that they issue a simple directive that staff provide the auditor general with anything he requests to further this objective on behalf of council. Or perhaps council has been managed by staff for so long that councillors are afraid to exercise the authority that they legally hold as our representatives.
If the transit fiasco is anything to go by, there is a need to shine a bright light in many dark corners of city management. Let's get on with it.
Published November 4, 2011 as Letter of the Day
I am dismayed to see the expense run up in this ludicrous legal battle. The auditor general was hired and, after much wrangling, it was decided his department would report directly to council. As such, he is an agent of council and attempts by staff, including the inane arguments by the city solicitor, to shield city documents from the AG amount to shielding those documents from council.
The Mayor and council were elected by us, the citizens of Greater Sudbury, to oversee the operation of our city. The auditor general's role is to review those operations to ensure that staff is managing our tax dollars responsibly. What I expect from my elected representatives is that they issue a simple directive that staff provide the auditor general with anything he requests to further this objective on behalf of council. Or perhaps council has been managed by staff for so long that councillors are afraid to exercise the authority that they legally hold as our representatives.
If the transit fiasco is anything to go by, there is a need to shine a bright light in many dark corners of city management. Let's get on with it.
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Re: Auditor general's transit report: Money missing for years - October 1, 2011
Read the article here
To the editor of the Sudbury Star,
Published October 5, 2011 with minor editing
All I can say is thank you for the Auditor General. Without his investigation, there is no way we would have known that this situation has been building since 2004. I can see why Mr. Sauve has been doing his best to avoid responding to the audit report but it appears the collusion at Civic Square goes beyond Sudbury Transit. I would have liked to hear the management response to the findings but those have not been forthcoming, which has prompted special meetings of the audit committee.
What does it take for a member of the high paid City management team to be dismissed for not responsibly managing taxpayer dollars? As one of those taxpayers, this history is totally unacceptable and I will be watching to see how my Councillor and my Mayor deal with what can only be described as a scandal. Staff has been the tail wagging the dog for way too long.
To the editor of the Sudbury Star,
Published October 5, 2011 with minor editing
All I can say is thank you for the Auditor General. Without his investigation, there is no way we would have known that this situation has been building since 2004. I can see why Mr. Sauve has been doing his best to avoid responding to the audit report but it appears the collusion at Civic Square goes beyond Sudbury Transit. I would have liked to hear the management response to the findings but those have not been forthcoming, which has prompted special meetings of the audit committee.
What does it take for a member of the high paid City management team to be dismissed for not responsibly managing taxpayer dollars? As one of those taxpayers, this history is totally unacceptable and I will be watching to see how my Councillor and my Mayor deal with what can only be described as a scandal. Staff has been the tail wagging the dog for way too long.
Monday, August 29, 2011
re: What's Good For The Goose - August 27, 2011
Read the article here
To the editor of the Sudbury Star,
(Published August 29, 2011 with minor editing)
Having been plagued by Canada geese on golf courses and at beaches for years, I read this article with great interest. But I note that, while scaring the geese off City property is beneficial for both the budget and the users, care is being taken not to harm them. Where are these geese going to go? I would be concerned if I were a private property owner with lake frontage not adjacent to a City park. The bottom line is that there are simply too many of these birds.
To the editor of the Sudbury Star,
(Published August 29, 2011 with minor editing)
Having been plagued by Canada geese on golf courses and at beaches for years, I read this article with great interest. But I note that, while scaring the geese off City property is beneficial for both the budget and the users, care is being taken not to harm them. Where are these geese going to go? I would be concerned if I were a private property owner with lake frontage not adjacent to a City park. The bottom line is that there are simply too many of these birds.
It did bring to mind the sacred cows in India during periods of famine. I wonder how many poor and homeless people could be fed by a single Canada goose?
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