Public Meeting Calls For Stop To Hospital Cuts

By: Nick Liard

Over 300 people filled the United Steelworkers Hall last night for a “Save Our Services” public meeting.

Panelists and the community had their say of how pending hospital cuts would effect the community and the province.

Ontario Health Coalition Executive Director, Natalie Mehra says Sudbury has had enough cuts over the past decade and can’t withstand any more.

Mehra says these cuts will effect the entire North East, but Sudbury has stood against health cuts before, and can again.

Hospitals in Cambridge, Sarnia, Sudbury, Ottawa, Timmins and North Bay all plan to cut nursing positions.

Mehra says in just over four months time around 42 positions are expected to be cut at Health Sciences North…equivalent to 87,000 nursing hours a year.

The provincial government says there are 24,000 more nurses working in Ontario today, than when the Liberals were first elected in 2003.

N-D-P Health Critic, Nickel Belt M-P-P France Gelinas has also been very vocal about the problems the cuts will cause and was at last night’s forum in Sudbury.