MPP Vijay Thanigasalam
PC government committed to ending hallway health care
Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a wonderful and safe December and I wish you all a healthy 2019.
While the Legislature rose in early December, I nonetheless had a packed month. I managed to attend many holiday events in Scarborough–Rouge Park, including the tree lighting at Highland Creek Village and the Port Union Community Centre, the carol singing at St. Dunstan’s, holiday wreath-making with the Friends of the Rouge Watershed, lunch with the Port Union Community Centre Seniors, an evening with the West Hill Social Activity Club, holiday bazaars at the West Hill – Highland Creek Lions Club and Charlottetown JPS, and lots more!
Additionally, in Scarborough, I had an inspirational evening with the Canadian Tamil Disability Association and attended a Celebration of Life for the late Senator Tobias Enverga – the first Filipino-Canadian elected to office in Toronto and later the first appointed to the Senate of Canada. I also wanted to give special mention to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of St. Anne on Morrish Road that celebrated its 60th anniversary in late November.
I had the opportunity to meet with a number of significant groups and stakeholders that have interest in or affect our riding. I met with representatives from the tourism industry, including two from Centennial College, since we have a few significant tourist destinations in our community as well as Centennial College, which has a top-notch hospitality program that attracts students from around the world. Additionally, I had an informative meeting with Epilepsy Toronto to talk about how the government can support people who have epilepsy and their families. I also met with representatives from real estate associations to discuss potential improvements in their industry and how the government can better protect consumers.
This past month, I had many discussions surrounding health care with constituents and service providers. I realize this is an area of concern for many in our community as there are long wait times at hospitals and for long-term care homes. Our government is committed to ending hallway health care and, as you may already know, we’ve committed the funding for 6,000 new long-term care beds in Ontario of which 353 will be in Scarborough with an additional 129 to be redeveloped. This is just the first step and the government plans for 15,000 total new beds over the next five years and 30,000 over the next 10 years.
In Scarborough, the three hospitals closest to us and their numerous satellite sites have joined into one organization called the Scarborough Health Network. This will allow them to provide better service more efficiently to the community. I had a productive meeting with Liz Buller, the President and CEO, to talk about the needs for SHN and how the government could help them meet the needs of their patients over the coming years. I also had the opportunity to hear from many service providers at a mental health roundtable hosted by my colleague Minister Bethlenfalvy. Additionally, I had an inspirational tour of Providence Healthcare which, while on the other end of Scarborough from us, still provides amazing care for many of our constituents, some of whom I had the pleasure to meet during my tour. I will certainly be advocating for responsible investment in Scarborough’s health-care needs over the coming years.
My staff and I are always here to help. We can be contacted at 416-283-8448 or vijay.thanigasalamco@pc.ola.org and the Constituency Office is located at 105 – 8130 Sheppard Ave. East.