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The confrontation between Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Whitby Mayor Elizabeth Roy over Durham Area’s subsequent hospital is getting ugly, with Ford accusing the City of attainable improprieties in its advocacy marketing campaign and hinting that constructing the hospital in Whitby might not be a carried out deal in any case.
Roy and Liberal MP Ryan Turnbull had been in Whitby Wednesday morning asserting subsequent steps in getting the Province to financially decide to a $3 million planning grant to get development on the hospital – accredited for a website in Whitby two years in the past – underway as rapidly as attainable.
Ford, in the meantime, was in Vaughan at one other hospital-related information convention when he was requested by a reporter in regards to the delays in getting the Whitby hospital underway. He wasted no time in occurring the assault, questioning the legality of providing prizes for many who responded to an e mail asking for hospital tales for the City’s hospital marketing campaign.
“That’s the mayor who is collecting people’s names and holding a lottery. ‘You give me your name and email address you get a free gym membership or an iPhone watch,’” he mentioned. “I don’t think that’s right.”
The Premier additionally recommended the Integrity Commissioner must be trying into the observe. “Elected officials can’t be pulling these games.”
“I’m not going to be bullied by that mayor out there that’s constantly going out and offering everything under the kitchen sink. Maybe the integrity commissioner should be looking into, ‘are politicians allowed to offer gifts if they get your email?’ It’s really unbelievable.”
Roy was simply as fast in firing again at Ford.
“Standing up for the residents of Whitby is not being a bully. It’s doing my job,” Roy mentioned, accusing Ford of “misdirecting the public with inaccurate allegations that are frankly disrespectful to the thousands of people who took the time to support our campaign and share personal stories.”
Whitby Mayor Elizabeth Roy and Whitby MP Ryan Turnbull
CAO Matt Gaskell additionally chimed in, emphasizing that providing prizes to assist drive participation is “standard practice” utilized by many municipalities. “It’s also important to note that emails are collected only as a means of validating submissions to prevent spam,” he added.
Over the previous eight weeks, nearly 4,000 individuals have supported the marketing campaign by signing a call-to-action letter or sharing a private story about why a brand new hospital issues to them. As a subsequent step, the City might be papering municipal services with orange hearts, with every coronary heart representing a resident who has supported the marketing campaign.
The neighborhood marketing campaign to get the provincial authorities to cease dragging its toes and break floor on the much-needed facility was launched earlier this 12 months after three budgets and two years of inaction from the Province on bringing the already-approved new hospital to Whitby.
Lakeridge Well being chosen Whitby to host its seventh hospital again in January 2022. However provincial funding – a $3 million planning grant to get the venture shifting, for a begin – is required and till lately there was nothing however crickets from Queen’s Park, with budgets handed in 2022 and 2023 (every chock-full of well being care goodies) with no planning grant introduced.
There have been additionally accusations of backdoor shenanigans from Mayor Kevin Ashe in neighbouring Pickering, who wished the hospital in his metropolis limits, regardless of the deliberate location being proper on the Whitby-Pickering border.
These fears got here again at Ford’s press convention, when the Premier, regardless of confirming Whitby could be the positioning for Durham’s subsequent hospital earlier this 12 months, showing to backtrack on that dedication.
“The folks in Durham will be getting a hospital and we’ll be determining the site.”
“I’m very concerned that today the Premier stated that the Province will select the site of the new Durham hospital. This is exactly why Whitby continues to advocate, to support the decision that was made by the independent expert panel more than two years ago,” Roy mentioned. “ Ontario Chronicle continues to say that a hospital for Durham is coming. What I’m asking is, when? I will continue to ask until we get an answer.”
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