CFN – With news leaking all over Cornwall that purports that the Cornwall General Hospital will be sold to a group of doctors including Dr. Dany Tombler, CFN can confirm that CCH has accepted “an” offer, which they have not disclosed, and that this offer has been confirmed to have gone to the LHIN for recommendation to the ministry of health of Ontario for final approval.
It’s been an interesting path and exercise in futility for the community that has spent countless millions in supporting the hospital facility.
Originally when this 4th quarter pitch initiated by members Todd Lalonde & Andre Rivette of the EOHU board and Mark A MacDonald and student Josh Welsh of the Citizens Coalition was started they were told that the LHIN played no role in the future of the facility; that they only funded services.
The Minister of Health made clear points about public consultations, but those consultations never officially occurred and while there has been talk of a task force and not one, but two motions passed at council in Cornwall an offer has been accepted and most likely will be rubber stamped through in something that surely seems to be political expediency instead of truly caring about community needs.
Tonight the Citizens Coalition will be appearing before council. They still have some hope as the Minstry has not officially rubber stamped the offer that it has been asked to. This scribbler has a hunch it will be given on a Friday afternoon in the not too distant future if not this coming Friday.
The real issue for many isn’t this transaction, but the complete and utter lack of community leadership that has allowed this to occur. Even Mark A MacDonald of the Citizens Coalition was a member of council the last term and ran for mayor. This hospital’s demise was never discussed on the campaign trail.
The community does care as it showed in the first meeting Mr. MacDonald called. It cares a lot and its done its share to support the needs of the public.
Where were the leaders voices in the last ten years as they knew the clock was ticking on the future of Cornwall General? Is there a deeper political game to the commercial disposal of this community health asset? One doctor was stating that with the future of Quebec they expected Cornwall’s population to hit the 100K mark within 20 years. Will we have to build another hospital down the road and at what, 20, 30, times the cost of what we sell Cornwall General for?
There is a protest in front of City Hall tonight at 6:30 PM. While many are protesting the issue of Councilor Syd Gardiner not being charged for damaging and taking protest signs that were kept in the Mayor’s office for a week before being turned over to the Chief of Police; quite a few will be protesting over the hospital and there are quite a few that will also be protesting the Whistleblowing cases against City Hall and the secrecy and anti-democratic actions taking by Mayor Bob Kilger, and councilors like Denis Thibault, Denis Carr, Bernadette Clement, and Elaine MacDonald whose support have propped up Mayor Kilger.
Tonight is one of those meetings that if you care about Cornwall you want to be at City Hall.
Will you be there?
I will be there tonight for sure but I will be arriving late for all the protest due to an employment issue that has me working a 12 hour shift today at the General. As soon as I get off work I’ll be heading to city hall. Start the party without me.
Dear viewers,
I strongly encourage you to come to the council meeting and make your presence known.
I will be out front with others protesting the lack of transparency of council and Syd’s abuse of the law.
You are welcome to join us ,if your not comfortable with that,please make the effort and sit in council chambers and observe.
For it is only YOU that represents your beliefs and YOUR voice and presence does matter ,get involved in the interest of your community and how your hard earned money is spent.
Take care my fellow citizens,
Hope to see YOU there
Kind of looks like a precursor to privatized health care. Community funds and participation built this hospital and without an independent study to consider its potential to the community I’d have to say this just isn’t right. Indeed we’ll see what the new Liberal government is all about if they allow this to go through.
My biggest concern Brian has been the entire process from community level to the Minister’s office and frankly I find it lacking consideration for the taxpayers and citizens of this community. It’s political expediency. If the property is valuable enough for multiple bidders it should be valuable enough to the residents of Cornwall who probably in less than a decade or two be asked to pay for a new health facility.
The Cornwall General is a very important facility and I should say “mighty important facility.” Tomorrow morning my husband and I are going to see a very dear friend and possibly for the last time since he is full of cancer throughout his body. He is in one of those facilities and we all cried like babies here today. My daughter hasn’t been the same since we heard the news. She is so lost and doesn’t know what to do. We have the good memories to cling to. We are going to pick up his wife and we will go and see him. Life is so mighty short and you have to live it the best you can.
Good for Dr. Tombler and whoever may be involved in this.
I too thought about the people of Québec and it is a possibility that they could go to Cornwall or anywhere in Ontario. Don’t panic folks nobody knows what is going to happen to Québec – it may mean nothing at all. Québec cannot go alone on its own and if they went no matter which way they will not survive. All Québec is doing is crying for more and more but they cannot survive. Here in Ottawa we would get a huge influx of them as well and they would lose everything in Québec and those who own homes will lose everything. A lot of this can be just talk.
Cornwall needs the General for the elderly badly and we cannot let this very good facility to go to waste. Thank you Dr. Tombler and anyone else who might have helped purchase the building.
Jamie said something right about the changes in health care that can come in a decade or so which is possible. Ontario is broke and the entire world’s economy is collapsing. The bailouts are a temporary bandade to the problem but it will not last and the whole house of cards are going to come tumbling down. I fear very much for what is going to happen – the future doesn’t look good at all. All I hear is talk about WWIII and even in the Bible as well as in books that have predicted this to happen.
The General hospital is vital and needs to be for the people of the community. I hope that it isn’t private since it would only cater to a very few people.
Our closest friend is dying and I don’t know how we are going to handle all of this tomorrow. They live in the back of us so we will pick his wife up and go and see him. We didn’t visit him lately since he is too sick for visitors and now this. We go back over 30 years together and talk about this being hard I don’t know how to describe it – I am lost myself.
Again thank you Dr. Tombler and if anybody else is in this purchase it would be great for the community.
I truly do not have a problem with Dr Tombler and a group of doctors buying this hospital.. Dr Tombler is an excellent Doctor and i am sure whatever he and his colleagues do it will only benefit our community.
Jane Doe there’s nothing wrong with Dr. Tombler or the Doctors. There has been a problem with the community leadership vacuum and the process of how this has happened. No local input. No public consultation. Just a quickie sale in the dark of winter with some questionable practices…