SIOUX LOOKOUT – After hearing a presentation from the Douglas Semple, President and CEO of the Sioux Lookout Meno-Ya-Win Health Centre, Sioux Lookout unanimously passes a resolution to support the Meno-Ya-Win Health Centre in petitioning the Ontario government to suspend Bill-7 within the Sioux Lookout Municipal catchment boundary until such time that a satisfactory consultation has occurred and Province of Ontario fulfills its promise to construct the allocated long-term care beds in Sioux Lookout.
Back in Aug., the Ontario government enacted Bill 7, More Beds, Better Care Act, which would allow public hospitals to move seniors from patient care to long-term care faculties without the consent of the patient and within a 150-kilometre radius of their home. Moreover, Bill 7 would allow hospitals to charge $400 a day for senior patients to stay in the hospital.
“We are not attending to comply with legislation,” said Semple to Council. “Mainly because we’ve always said to ourselves and to the community, and also up north, this is where we want our people to be taken care of.”
Semple acknowledges that what he is stating is taking a stance against the provincial government legislation, but he also knows, “when the day comes, when push comes to shove, we may not have the choice, but for the time being, we are saying we don’t want to comply, we want to keep our people here for as long as we can,” said Semple.
Semple addresses that Meno-Ya- Health Centre has the plans laid out to adequately supply long-term care for their seniors, but, at the moment, they are waiting on funding from the Minister of Health to expand their long-term care facility.
Semple explains to the council that the Meno-Ya-Win Health Centre has invested a considerable amount of effort in ensuring their clinic has cultural support for the First Nation community. Semple does not believe that other faculties will have the same kind of support systems in place to provide culturally sensitive care for the Indigenous population.
One of the problems with Bill 7 that Semple addressed, which was later reiterated by Councillor John Bath, is the distance seniors would be relocated if they were to be moved into an LTC outside their community. For the North, Bill 7 limits the relocation to within a 150-kilometre radius, while in Southern Ontario the limit is 75 kilometres. Both Semple and Bath find these limits to be discriminatory.
“This is completely discriminatory and it needs to be addressed,” Bath stated.
In Southern Ontario, their communities are a lot closer and they have adequate transportation routes that make it easier for family members to commute. However, in the North, the commute would mean a lengthy distance travelling down the Highway, which can be treacherous during the winter.
“I just can’t see it happening,” said Semple. “Where we have to let our alternative care patients go to a facility that is far away from their home. People in this town of Sioux Lookout, people that have always lived here, and worked to create this town and to support this town. They need our help to continue to stay in this town if that is their wish.”
Councillor Joyce Timpson, the councillor who moved for the resolution to be put on the agenda, asked Semple what would happen if the Provincial Government is non-compliant with Meno-Ya-Win Health Centre’s request.
Semple responded, “we need some kind of activism if they start to pressure us to comply. We need some kind of activism from the town of Sioux Lookout and even from the Northern communities.”
During the resolution process, the council discussed the resolution put forth by Councillor Timpson.
Councillor Cory Lago was the first to comment. He said, “The province has created both problems with the passing of this bill and they also have not provided us with long-term care to move these people to a proper facility and relieving pressure from the hospital which the Ontario has created also. I would hope that council would support [the resolution].”
Mayor Lawrance shows his support by stating, “I would say that [the Provincial Government] further created [the problem] by not providing adequate home care support.”
Both Lawrance and Lago agreed that home care would be a cheaper option for people.
In the end, all Sioux Lookout Council members raise their hands to unambitiously pass the resolution.
The resolution will now go to Members of Parliament including MP Marcus Powlowski, MPP Sol Mamakwa, and Minister of Health and Long-Term Care, as well as, members of the area municipalities, NOMA, and KDMA to gather support to keep Indigenous seniors from being relocated.
