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Community Health Care Professionals

March 24, 2004

OPEN LETTER

The Honourable George Smitherman, MPP
Minister of Health
10th Floor, Hepburn Block
80 Grosvenor St.
Toronto, ON M7A 2C4

Dear Minister:

OPSEU represents about 2,000 community health care professionals across the province. Our members include occupational therapists, physiotherapists, speech language pathologists, and other community professionals.

Shortages of such therapeutic professionals are critical. That’s because the managed care model forced on the CCACs by the Conservatives is creating such chaos that our scarce professionals are turning to look for other work. It’s the clients, primarily seniors, who suffer.

Managed competition devalues professionals by awarding contracts to companies that do not have the human resources to provide the services, on the assumption that therapists will have no choice but to go to the winning company. But therapists are choosing to go where they have greater job security and stability, where their skills are valued and where they aren't asked to subsidize the service through sub-standard wages.

In professions where there are already critical shortages, there has to be some incentive to work in the community - right now there are none.

Under this model:

· In Ottawa, the CCAC contracting out process forced the layoff of 70 professionals. Those who chose to work with the new employer took a 30 per cent wage cut and the loss of benefits. Similar chaos has ensued from downloading in Kingston, Grey-Bruce and Huron-Perth.

· Managed competition has also been responsible for a number of non-profit bankruptcies. The bankruptcy of VON in Waterloo, Wellington and Dufferin left 200 staff short $2.3 million in unpaid termination and severance payments, and a pension plan, which is partially wound-up, some $600,000 in deficit.

On March 16 at Ottawa’s Downtown Youth Centre, you announced a long-awaited operational review of the contracting out process for the Community Care Access Centre in Ottawa. OPSEU is asking you to expand this review, and do a full and comprehensive province-wide review of the managed care model.

Our union would be pleased to participate in any such review, and to provide you and your staff with any information you might find useful.

In solidarity,

Leah Casselman
President

 

Ontario Public Service Employees Union, 100 Lesmill Rd. Toronto, ON M3B 3P8  (416) 443-8888  www.opseu.org     

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