The judicial review of the consultation procedure followed by RVHS in the transfer of the mental health beds from Ajax-Pickering Hospital was heard by the court on Friday July 11.  A decision was deferred.  Results are expected  before September 1.  

Lawyers for OPSEU, which initiated the review, contend that the law requiring prior public consultation before such changes are made was broken. 

The Local Health Services Integration Act requires providers must “engage the communities of diverse persons and entities” when developing plans and setting priorities for the delivery of health services.

The Friends support  the OPSEU case. 

The consultation process, belatedly ordered by the LHIN when the RVHS attempted to rush the move, has been labeled a 'farce'.  The Friends claim that a decision to eliminate beds locally was made before any public consultation ever took place. It is 'abundantly clear that the Central East LHIN never had any intention of reconsidering the transfer of the twenty Mental Health beds, or the restoration of the nine additional promised beds', the Friends wrote recently..

The hearing will be the first test in Ontario's judicial system of the consultation requirement. The ruling may be precedent setting. 

Send David Caplan a Message

Help Save A Full Range of Medical Services in Ajax, Pickering and Whitby.  Demand An End to Amalgamation Agreement. 

"As a tax paying citizen of West Durham, I request that you declare the Amalgamation Agreement signed May 31, 1998 to be null and void so that the Ajax/Pickering Hospital can continue to provide a full range of essential medical services for the residents of Ajax, Pickering and Whitby." (this is portion of the letter only)

How you can act:

1. Read the full letter here.

2. Send it to Health Minister David Caplan via 

• e mail. Highlight the letter (right select, copy) and paste into your e mail programme). Send to
• david.caplan@ontario.ca
• dcaplan.mpp@liberal.ola.org
• fax it to not avaiable at this time
• mail it (address on letter)

July 15, 2008

Region to Decide On Withholding Hospital Expansion Funds in September

A request by the Friends to withhold the balance of Durham's capital funding to expansion of the Ajax-Pickering Hospital will be decided at the September 17th Regional Council meeting.

Ajax mayor Steve Parish pledged to introduce a motion that the promise of full services at A-P be honoured and that mental health beds not be moved to Scarborough before Durham taxpayers funds are transferred out of the Region. At that point the substance of the issue will be decided.

An attempted procedural move to deal with the question on June 18th didn't gain the needed two-thirds votes to set aside the rules and decide the matter at the Council meeting.

At this point, the Region has neither said 'yes' nor 'no' to the funds transfer said Friends co-chair Bill Parish. The issue "hasn't been dealt with". Parish claimed.

The question of suspending the funds transfer arose when the Friends wrote to Regional Chair Anderson and the Regional Councillors on June 3rd.

To read the full text of the letter, go here. 

To read the Dec. 14, 2005 Regional Council resolution re reduction of services at Ajax-Pickering Hospital, go here.

For further background consult the archives.