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December 4, 2003 Hon. George Smitherman Dear Minister: When an arbitrator awards health care workers a raise, the proper thing for hospitals is to accept the decision with grace and to pay up promptly. Unfortunately, for the Chatham Kent Health Alliance (CKHA), the Bendel arbitration award for OPSEU hospital professionals served as an excuse for threats of layoffs and bed closures to its Sydenham Hospital site in Wallaceburg. The community could lose three full-time laboratory technologists from a complement of six, a mammography technologist and an ultrasound technologist. Also to be cut are intensive care beds, birthing units, surgical beds at Sydenham; and frontline services at the Chatham hospitals. This would force patients, many elderly, to travel to Chatham, a round-trip 55 extra kilometers on country roads. CKHA has reportedly spent up to $40 million on a computer system that does not fully work. It is allegedly having cost overruns of many millions on construction at its new Chatham hospital. There is even talk of thousands of dollars being spent on a statue of a departing CEO. With such amounts at play, Bendel is not the issue. No wonder the people of Wallaceburg (500 at a public meeting Nov. 26) are asking for a forensic audit of CKHA’s books and a review of the Alliance’s mandate. OPSEU joins the many voices of the Wallaceburg-Sydenham community asking your Ministry for a forensic audit of the books of the Chatham Kent Health Alliance, with particular attention to its construction and computer deals. Your prompt reply to this request is appreciated. Sincerely, Leah Casselman, President
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Ontario Public Service Employees Union, 100 Lesmill Rd. Toronto, ON M3B 3P8 (416) 443-8888 www.opseu.org |
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