My fellow citizens of Cornwall
I am appalled to hear that the Cornwall General Hospital is to be sold from under our nose, with no discussion with the public. The citizens of our city, through our taxes and fund raiser have bought this hospital many times over. Selling this hospital is total disrespect towards the good folks of Cornwall.
Just over a year ago, during the provincial election. I listened to Jim McDonell, Mark MacDonald and Elaine MacDonald state during their debates, answering questions to the public, that health care and seniors is a top priority. Well, is it?
Closing this center down will be a detriment to Cornwall and the elderly who, in our aging society, will require long term care today, and more so in the future. Transporting the elderly to homes outside the the region will cause great anguish to the patient’s and family members.
I feel that discussion must take place with Champlain Local Integrated Health Network (LIHN) CEO Chantal Le Clerc, to look at other alternatives before any sale takes place. Perhaps a co-op could be formed with local investors to keep this facility operating for years to come.
When public resources are sold off quickly and silently, it usually involves a sale that can be looked at suspiciously.
It’s up to us, the citizens of Cornwall to stand up, and stand together to block any sale of the Cornwall General Hospital.
Ian Wilson
Cornwall, ON
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Yes, I remember participating in public debates over health care with Jim McDonell, Mark MacDonald and Elaine MacDonald. All three kept presenting there slightly different view of government owned, operated and rationed health care services. Public health care is a fraud.
Health care is not free. It cost resources and human energy to provide health care. Health care is a private affair and the very best care possible is only made available by buying it directly from the free enterprise market. If you want laser eye surgery, pay for it.
If you want health care delivered to you via room service in a pleasing facility, pay for it. But no. You want the best and you want someone else to pay for your care. Well, you get what you deserve. You get placed on a rationed waiting list.
The problem with socialistic health care services is that you eventually run out of other peoples money. No more money, no more health care. Time to sell the old facilities cause the socialist don’t have any resources of their own to maintain their fraud upon the people.
Darcy I don’t think the whole issue is so much selling the hospital, but the why and how…
Is the Cornwall General Hospital being sold because it is Anglo hospital (non-bilingual)? And, $2 mln looks to me as a fire-sale.
Here’s a little excerpt from a conversation I had recently with Jim Brownell on Facebook…
Jim said,
“Back in 2004, the citizens of our community knew that the day would come for the Cornwall Community Hospital to sell this property. It wasn’t Helene or Jeanette that said so! It was the Ministry of Health in the Harris/Eves days. We’ve worked our butts off to get the single site developed, and I can say that it’s coming along rather nicely by a community working together. Of course, folks will continue to slam two hard-working citizens of our community, -Helene and Jeanette, but I congratulate them”
Well friends according to Jim WE ALL knew this was coming….
The present owners decided to dump the responsibility of maintaining a money loosing pit. So be it their choice.
Funny how so many of the Anglo Protestant community came to have a sense of ownership of the bricks and mortar of the seasoned former Cornwall ‘General’ Hospital.
I the transition all along, since the nuns of the Hotel Dieu conceptualized the smoke and mirrors we were dealt with the switcheroo done on the community hospital when the government toss the ‘General’ to the wolves after first telling the staff they were about to be inundated with major retrofitting as the government chose them as the ‘winners of the bidding challenge at the time……….later to place their faith in the Catholic run hotel known as the ‘DIEU.
What a major disappointment to the management and staff of the day, not realizing the screwing the staff would get in the transitioning to the ‘catholic’ hospital for continuing yet ‘temporary’ employment as their demise would soon come one at a time as they were effectively turfed out to pasture. Few, very few remain employed at the revised CCH.
To follow now will be the transfer of the few remaining departments. rehab on 3rd North and the infamous UNWANTED 3rd South, the Psychic ward.
Watch and see which of these will be part of the negotiations with any new owners of the ‘GENERAL’. Psych sick will be jerked around and NOT likely to find a place for their wellbeing at the new CCH.
Quite dower and sour I realize, yet true to a fault if you were a victim of the jerking round and dumping that went on at their expense you would realize the effective negative feeling these excellent nurses and all these staff had to put up with. Sad really, very sad.
So Ian Wilson, MANY MANY citizens of Cornwall, most all of them ‘ANGLOS’ hear your disparagence loud and clear. I am surprised Quebec hasn’t had a hand in all of this with a raising of their populace flag front and center at the CCH…….or are they yet to honor Canada with the red and white and ONTARIO with the Trillium as their ONLY companion flag. God, I hope so. God willing, they will do something right when it comes to the ONTARIO heritage we owe this community.
@ Darcy Neal
You really seem to hate Canada, don’t you? I agree, the country does have its faults, but no country is perfect, and most of the others are infinitely worse.
So why don’t you quit complaining and move to… let’s see… how about Michigan?
After all, they just passed “right to work” legislation. What that means is that you will have the right to drive a truck for minimum wage and no benefits.
You won’t have to worry about “socialized” healthcare. In fact, you won’t have to worry about getting any kind of healthcare at all with minimum wage and no benefits, unless “Obamacare” saves your ass.
But don’t worry. The governor, Rick Snyder, is a Libertarian too. He’d really like it if you moved there, because then you could support him, and in time, perhaps vote for him. Trouble is, he’s a “one percenter”, so he can afford to be a Libertarian, unlike you, me and the other 99% of this planet.
Save the Montfort had its day on March 22 1997, maybe the General needs its day. March fourth 2013 would be great, because ‘March Forth” sounds like a command and a call to action!
https://www.hopitalmontfort.com/press-releases.cfm?newsID=149
Anyway, just because a decision was made in 2004 ( I love how all these parties blame others) does not mean a new assessment should not be completed, or some kind of consultation with the public now.
This could be a great home for the elderly and anyone even the blind cansee It has everything they need and would require little refurbishment.
Just look at how we care for our elderly in Cornwall or do we.
In the east end hidden in the hamlet Built by Bray we have Kinsmen Community residence. It is primarily home for all former members and supporters of the Kinsmen associations. Maybe somebody should have them audited.
It appears that unless you are blessed with the support of local self proclaimed dignitaries you have little or no chance of a decent living
Is it just me, or is it almost impossible for anyone else to understand what in the hell Dave Windsor is trying to say?
Re:
bedfordst
December 18, 2012 at 11:43 am
Is it just me, or is it almost impossible for anyone else to understand what in the hell Dave Windsor is trying to say?
Thanks bedfordst. I needed that.
Just bittersweet memories on behalf of the former employees who got shafted. You’d have to be one to understand more fully. Its over now. But I think I see where you are coming from…….
Merry Christmas.
I wonder when the building will crumble from spontaneous combustion much cheaper than getting in a demo crew.