Sir: What a delightful week it was to read stuff on paper. First the mayor is “pissed off” at the province, then Jane Havens wants only “informed” letters written on the subject of Sydenham District Hospital, and finally there is the 56-page tome written by our presumptive head of municipal EMS services. Great reading! Even better fire starters!!
First our mayor. He is quoted as being “pissed off” at the province because the province blindsided him and other mayors across the province with a leaked plan to abolish use of natural gas for home heating and other uses. Oops, there goes the natural gas fertilizer plant in Wallaceburg, but the good news is C-K can now sell the railway to nowhere assets.
Welcome to the club, Mayor. Now you know how taxpayers feel when you promote C-K as a “willing host” for wind turbines when so many citizens are dead set against them. Now you know how we feel when you grandstand that wind turbines and solar generation are responsible for closing coal-fired generator plants, when nothing could be further from the truth. The coal plants were replaced by natural-gas-fired plants.
How did the Liberal Kool-Aid taste? Are you looking for a Liberal role in the future?
Then there was Jane Havens’ desire for only “informed sources” writing letters to editors. Jane, it is hard to be informed when truth is hidden from the public.
For example, when 2012 wage rates for fire personnel instead of current 2016 rates are used in presenting a business case for additional fire personnel hires, it is hard to be informed.
When Sydenham hospital gets a glowing report from the ministry of health, which just happens to get misplaced and never sees the light of day until ferreted out by an inquiring newspaper editor, it is hard to be informed.
When hospital boards lose a million dollars over four years by an incorrect classification of SDH and just sits on that information, it is hard to be informed. That is until an inquiring newspaper editor makes this information public.
Being informed means being told the truth by administrations, bureaucrats, mayors, councillors and even hospital spokespeople. Over to you, guys. The ball is in your court.
Finally “the tome” – 56 pages of drivel, gobbledygook and acronyms! Bafflegab at its best. It reminds me of a frantic college freshman writing a term paper on some 101 level course who does not know his material, but falls back on the B&B approach. (Baffle them with Bullsh*t) What I take away from the service review is that an empire builder is determined to bring more power under his domain.
The model has not worked in various cities across Canada where it has been tried and failed. A couple of quick questions pop into mind:
- Who will replace all of the existing firefighters for two years while they attend college to get up to the basic level of EMS training that paramedics already have?
- Do patients want a paramedic who has been forced to work a 24 hour shift under the new plan making life and death decisions for them?
- Much of the funding for the existing EMS model (contracted to Medavie) comes from non-taxpayer dollars from Blue Cross. How is it possible for an in-house solution to be even remotely less costly when these Blue Cross funds are only accessible through Medavie?
The solution is simple: Put in place a new five-year contract with Medavie, take the stress of this proposal circus off the backs of the existing, well-qualified and dedicated paramedics and let them get on with their jobs.
Food for thought: Incidences of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder are much higher in paramedics than any other first responder. Statistically, the incident rate is at least two times higher. Yet, who received the most attention relative to PTSD? Firefighters and then the military.
Talk about a need for an informed public.
David Goldsmith
Chatham
