TORONTO – Revelations today that salaries paid to
some of Ontario’s most senior health officials are channeled through
non-accountable hospital networks demonstrates the urgent need to
open up these tax-payer funded institutions to public scrutiny, says
the Ontario Public Service Employees Union.
“It’s scandalous that at a time when the health care
system is being squeezed for every last dime, we now learn that the
Ministry of Health is deflecting public disclosure by spending
millions of dollars in executive salaries and benefits through the
backdoor of publicly-supported hospitals,” said Warren (Smokey)
Thomas.
“This says to me it’s time for real public scrutiny,
including an expanded role for the Ontario auditor and the opening
of hospitals to the Freedom of Information Commissioner and the
Ombudsman.
“This kind of secrecy with the taxpayers’ dollar is
unacceptable and it makes you wonder what else they’re hiding,”
added Thomas.
OPSEU is also asking the government to revive
legislation that would open up the hospital board and committee
meetings to the public. Bill 142 originally contained such
requirements, but was abandoned in the last session of parliament.
Thomas made the remarks following media reports that
the deputy health minister Ron Sapsford earned more than $500,000 in
salary and benefits in 2008 from the Hamilton Health Sciences Centre
– not from the Ministry over which he implements policy. Other
senior health officials cited in the reports earned incomes and
benefits of about $300,000 or more from University Health Network in
Toronto as a means of dodging disclosure through the Ministry.
“Right now, the transparency threshold for Ontario
hospitals is about as clear as mud. For too long our hospitals have
been exempt from a thorough review of their operations. Only by
giving the Auditor, the Ombudsman and the FoI commissioner a wide
berth to review, report and recommend changes, these hospitals will
continue to operate in the shadows, well away from public
oversight.”
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