Ontario town's emergency room closure could hurt Ford's PCs, say business leaders

Business owners from a community north of Toronto traveled to Queen's Park on Tuesday to plead for the province to save their local emergency room, slated to close in just two days, and calling for a last-minute intervention.

The emergency room in Minden, Ont., approximately 195 kilometres north of Toronto, is set to close on Thursday, at which point the local health board, Haliburton Highlands Health Service (HHHS), will transfer all emergency services to its Haliburton site.

The board says it made the decision because of medical staffing shortages. Minden was given six weeks' notice. For weeks, residents have urged the Doug Ford government to intervene.

The business owners told reporters the closure won't just hurt residents, it will hurt the local economy, driving away seasonal residents in summer and prompting people to think about moving. They also cautioned the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party could lose political support in the area as a result.

"There is going to be blood on the hands of the government. People are going to die because of this decision," said Mark Dracup, co-owner of The Rockcliffe restaurant, bar and hotel in Minden.

"Mr. Ford, who I'm a supporter of, please reconsider this decision. Give it time."

Dracup said residents are concerned about the fallout of the decision. Many moved to the area because of the hospital, he said. He said Health Minister Sylvia Jones seems to be "oblivious to the whole situation." He invited her and Premier Doug Ford to the community to see first hand how the "terrible" decision will affect the community.

"This is health care. This is people's lives," he said.

Unless a moratorium is put on the decision, Dracup said, "I can't see them keeping the riding, frankly."

'A warning shot for communities'

Mathew Renda, general manager of Boshkung Brewery Company, moved to Minden from Oshawa with his wife in October 2020 for work. The two are now looking after his mother-in-law, who has a heart condition.

The family lives near the hospital in case they need health care, but the emergency room is also critical to the community, he said.

"For us, it's super important that the ER stay open. Our business is solely driven by tourism and community. Without the ER, we're going to lose that," Renda said.

Renda said Minden is a sleepy town in winter and a lively town in summer, with summer camps and outdoor activities for tourists. He questioned what people will do if they have an issue while out on nearby lakes.

Dennis Pennie, co-owner of Minden Auto Care, said the closure means that he could lose up to 40 per cent of his business over the next five years. Much of his clientele is 60 and older and in need of health care, he said.

Toronto NDP MPP Chris Glover said the government is undermining public health care infrastructure in the province with its privatization agenda.

"We are here with a very clear message to Ford. Reverse this decision," Glover said.

"Minden is a warning shot for communities across the province. We are already starting to see temporary closures in emergency rooms in many other communities. The communities have no say because they don't have control of their hospital boards," Glover said.

"All rural communities in Ontario should be paying attention to what's happening in Minden because they could be next."

Health minister says decision not hers

In question period on Tuesday, Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles raised the issue of the Minden ER closure with Jones, asking if she would reverse the decision.

Jones said the issue is not up to her.

"I can only imagine how challenging this decision was for the Haliburton Highlands Health Services leadership and board. But I want to reassure the people of Minden and that community that I am confident that this decision was not taken lightly," Jones said.

Later, in response to another question from Stiles, Jones said, "Again, I will remind you that hospitals are independent corporations governed by their own board of directors who are duly elected from their communities that they serve."

Dr. Alan Drummond, of the Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians, said in an interview that staffing crunches and closures are happening across the country. In the case of Minden, he said decision to close the ER was made without adequate consultation.

Drummond said the hospital network in the Minden area now needs to ensure there are ambulances available for rapid transfers to make up for the loss.

"We have to get away from that paradigm that every small community of five or 6,000 people can manage to support an emergency department 365 days a year with fully qualified staff. I just don't think, in this era of a shortage of nurses and physicians, that that's sustainable," he said.

"It's indeed a tough reality."