Will Council Give CCH Foundation $500K With Taxes Already Going UP? Post your comment.

andre EOHUCFN – With the budget committee whittling the Fitzy tax down to 2.71 percent this year City Council is facing a $500K funding request from the CCH foundation.

One councilor is vowing to propose a motion to defer that decision.  Councilor Rivette, who was disappointed by the absence of CCH representation at the EOHU/Champlain LHIN meeting last week at council over the sale of the Cornwall General hospital site, has concerns that are holding back his support for the extra loot!

This scribbler also wonders at why CCH would go to the tax payer since their role was to convince the public to donate to the cause.

While our health is a huge consideration obviously the Foundations failure should be examined before taxpayers are burdened further.

If you were on council would you vote to give the CCH Foundation a half a million dollars this year?   You can post your comments below.

And to vote in our petition asking for a 90 Day Moratorium on the sale of the old Cornwall General site click HERE.

Shop in Cornwall for Christmas

24 Comments

  1. I thought the City already gave over 8 million!

    The Centre Culturel de Cornwall is also asking the City for $43,000.00 even though they just got over 50,000 from the Ontario Trillium Fund. The OTF is an agency of the provincial government that just gives out money by the way.

  2. “If you were on council would you vote to give the CCH Foundation a half a million dollars this year?”

    Absolutely not! Are they going to bleed the city for the money that they could not raise do to the poor image they have ?
    They already received $ 8,000,000 from the city.

    Perhaps they can change their hiring policies to that is more reflective of the community ,as many in the community are now aware of the present policy and disagree with it.

    The community has lost faith in this hospital and CHANGE is needed.

    As for the councilors they are voted in by the public and will be held accountable by that same public.

    With donations dwindling and hospital under increasing scrutiny by the public ,it would not be in the interest of councilors if they want to be re-elected to donate this money to the hospital .

    Perhaps this $500,000 will be the councilors noose !

  3. I am with Andre Rivette in deferring this request. A BIG ***NO*** would be my vote and I’d also ask for a recorded vote to see who sides with the clique and sides to screw the voters and taxpayers of Cornwall. It’s nuts to even consider this request in my opinion. If I were a betting man I would bet this deal has already been done.

  4. I would vote No, and my vote shouldn’t surprise anyone.

  5. I vote a big yes!!! It is the only hospital we have to serve Cornwall and the counties.

    adm wrote: This scribbler also wonders at why CCH would go to the tax payer since their role was to convince the public to donate to the cause.

    The LFA by encouraging people not to give certainly didn’t help the CCH’s cause. When people are told to call the hospital and say why they are not donating says it all. SHAMEFUL.

    We should be behind the hospital instead of trying to bring them down every chance we get.

  6. Thinking that some who posted on this subject don’t live in Cornwall which by rights their opinion doesn’t really matter **smile**

  7. NOT A RED CENT !

    As “Highlander” stated “the community has lost faith in this hospital and CHANGE is needed” . I have always been a very firm believer, that the Hospital Board, should be an elected board, as our school boards are ? It is quite obvious, that transparancy is not their forte ? They must have picked that up from City Council ? The “BIG FLUSH” movement is alive & well !

  8. I would really like to show up for tonights council meeting but I cannot because of my work schedule. I will be watching though all the nonsense in this matter going on at city hall on Cogeco tv where I will be able to yell and scream all I want at the screen and not get into any trouble in public view.

  9. Author

    Stella there is a difference between standing behind the hospital and standing behind it’s management. The Foundations failure to hit its goals should be something that they navel gaze at and ponder on as most professional organizations always target about 65% of the amount they really hope for which leaves them a random cushion and opportunity to look good. For a group like this perhaps its their actions like blocking me from the St. Andrews Ball, a fund raiser for them in which I assisted in landing them the events beer sponsor. Besides being utterly retarded it embarrassed those around the event that no idea of what these totally unprofessional cliquests were doing…

    Behavior like that is why they failed. Add in the unfair treatment of hospital staff, and the language issue and that possibly could be why they failed to meet their targets.

    The city giving them any money when it doesn’t have any money to give and has to raise taxes to cover Mr. Fitzpatrick’s antics would be even more bizarre….

  10. stellabystarlight
    January 14, 2013 at 2:46 pm

    “The LFA by encouraging people not to give certainly didn’t help the CCH’s cause. When people are told to call the hospital and say why they are not donating says it all. SHAMEFUL.”

    Shameful is you Stella misinforming people
    LFA said simply this “If you do not donate make them aware why!”

    In no way has LFA ever said not to donate ,that’s up to the donors to decide what they wish to do .

    So once again you are lying,habitual for you isn’t it?

    This is our hospital too,we hope for a positive change in it!

  11. I concur, that the city do NOT donate any monies from the city to the CCH until there is a complete change in the board, executives and a change in thier mode of hiring practice.

  12. I would vote “Yes”!

    You wouldn’t be hurting anyone in Administration but rather the patients who require the service!

    Voting “No” to protest the sale of the General Hospital is immature and petty!

    I would want to make sure the citizens are taken care of and, despite personal opinions; voting “No” would make this a clear case of “Two Wrongs Don’t Make a Right!”

    The meeting held regarding the sale of the General Hospital (CCH Second Street Site) to propose a 90 day delay was held to ensure we are doing everything we can to provide exceptional health care to our citizens!

    Was it not? Then why do something that could cause the same outcome in a different form!

    Wouldn’t this be just a little hypocritical!

    It’s time for real leadership to step up and for these elected officials to look beyond personal gain and stop acting like children!

    Thank You,
    Mike Bedard

  13. No more money donated or given until some of these problems get sorted out such as:

    A) Locals can get full-time jobs there.
    B) Administrative higher-ups get the boot.
    C) Agree with BigFellow = about hiring practices and change in Board/Adminstration big time!

  14. I think all this money for outside organizations is ridiculous. These organizations should do their own fundraising, after all our city is in no position to be giving away money, when itself needs to buckle financially and run a more efficient ship.

  15. No, no and no. They spent that amount or more on Taj Mahal administrative tower. Does the CCH French administration think I’ll give them my hard earned money to feed their pomposity?

  16. I’m happy that common sense prevailed & that the city not give away money that they cannot afford.

    Corey, I totally agree with your comments,
    No more money donated or given until some of these problems get sorted out such as:

    A) Locals can get full-time jobs there.
    B) Administrative higher-ups get the boot.
    C) Agree with BigFellow = about hiring practices and change in Board/Adminstration big time!

    AMEN

  17. The cost for Oakville to build a new hospital and including maintenance costs over the next 30 years is predicted to cost 2 billion dollars, 2.7 with inflation.

    They have implemented an alternative financial plan which aids in minimizing cost and schedule overruns better coordination between design, construction and long-term maintenance and building services, more accountability throughout the planning, construction and maintenance phases of each project; and all processes must be fair, transparent and efficient.
    They are governed by the guidelines set out by set out in the government’s Building a Better Tomorrow Framework for planning, financing and procuring public infrastructure. It also uses private sector expertise and ingenuity to the process of managing the infrastructure.

    Why does Cornwall look like such an incompetent group once again? How much more do they want and why haven’t they applied a alternative funding plan?

    Are the two spinster sisters, yet again working above their pay grade and experience level? I know it is far passed the ability of local council and professionals to fathom. It is so unfortunate Cornwall will soon once again end up with another, Transport training center or Civic complex…aka white elephant. If we look closely it is and has been the same people involved at one level or another

  18. Mike Bedard,
    A couple questions I have been unable to find the answer to

    Who owns the General Hospital?

    Is the amount quoted for sale including any remaining equipment that could and should be liquidated?

    How much is in their to be liquidated and what is the worth?

    How does the sale of the hospital aid in our health care?

    Will theselling price be iverted to the new facility?

    I think you are missing too much to comment at this time

  19. I totally agree with
    Cory Cameron January 14, 2013 at 7:06 pm

    No more money donated or given until some of these problems get sorted out such as:

    A) Locals can get full-time jobs there.
    B) Administrative higher-ups get the boot.
    C) Agree with Big Fellow = about hiring practices and change in Board/Administration big time!

    With added:

    Hailey Brown January 15, 2013 at 5:50 pm

    “A couple questions I have been unable to find the answer to

    Who owns the General Hospital?

    Is the amount quoted for sale including any remaining equipment that could and should be liquidated?

    How much is in their to be liquidated and what is the worth?

    How does the sale of the hospital aid in our health care?

    Will the selling price be inverted to the new facility?”

    My added concern is a question to the ‘elite’ board of directors…

    ‘Are you yes men and women, afraid to speak up to Helen and Pauline (Gordon rings his bells here too) or otherwise have a sense of loyalty to them…too many staff parties with council perhaps, that you can not make a decision to fire them like you allowed them cart blank to ruin, yes ruin perfectly good careers of others for the SOLE SAKE OF THEIR FRENCHIFICATION PROGRAMS that recently caused so much stress that at least one person with years and years of dedication had a heat attack over it…just 2 years before his retirement plans? How much more damage to the people of this community are you going to allow?’

    Do all those career staff you have had a psyco-pathic negligence of, our own community people over the recent past years, not matter to you? This divide and conquer attitude of your personnel department, For a hospital employer you have allowed far too much stress to tear this community apart.

    Time to shake up the foundations of the problems here isn’t it?
    Someone earlier said they felt some of your senior staff members are working too far above their pay grade. Seems right to me.
    Time for you to take action to right this indifference to ‘YOUR community too’. They had NO tears for those they turfed I assure you, very few would have tears to see Helen and Pauline go either. Today seems about right for timing.

  20. Dukers1 no truer words have been said.
    Like I said, trade in the horses and the cowboys at the top of the hospital, we are now in the future of doing things.
    It’s time for the hospital committee to say goodby and let a younger group who have the “balls” to make these hospital(s) the best in the east.
    We can’t entertain “the best or specialist/ doctors and nurses to be approached for employment in a hospital where hiring practices are concerned only with language and realestate problems.

  21. I was not aware that the corporation of the city of Cornwall was empowered by the taxpayer to collect monies for the purpose of charitable giving . Some council members apparently with like to give even more of taxpayers money to charity . I have always surmissed that gifting my money was solely my decision to make . If in fact council is acting within their capacity and we have sanctioned the corporation to collect from the taxpayer and give our money away two questions arise…Is there a limit that they (City of Cornwall) can collect from us to give away at their discretion and where is my charitable tax receipt for my income tax filing ?

  22. Author

    Awesome David!

  23. David Oldham
    January 18, 2013 at 9:33 am

    Well said David.

  24. Davis Oldman, thank you for your poignant reminder. I doubt that any ‘charity giveaway’, certainly of such a large magnitude, is a line item in the cities bottom line item budget.

    The audacity of any organization to double dip in the citizens pockets for any charity decisions seems excessive, insulting and repugnant.

    THE ADDED INSULT is for any of them to presuppose that there be no problem to just take it out of an already over committed progress fund….not the interest portion as others have accessed but the principle itself, is bloody infuriating. You’d think by now all would realize how important it is to the future growth of the city to maintain the commitments already made for this fund.

    The other issue then becomes a hold on any and all community funds until this damn hospital gets the message……..

    !) Rescind the frenchification policy to allow highering by merit/marks an acceptable of English only’s, promote on merit, excluding French unless merit w/f warrants.

    2) Have a changing of the top 2 to 3 administrators of this hospital..

    3) Provide the board of directors with the gonads to make, not just rubberstamp important decision “acceptable to the overall community”.

    Then, peace will be made, quality doctors will come and we will all settled down. Lord knows we all want this project to finally work.

    Failed policies are not the answer.

    Doing the right thing here will get all of this community on board and participation in charity would certainly follow.

Leave a Reply