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www.oakvillebeaver.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday, April 14, 2010 · 6 OPINION & LETTERS The Oakville Beaver 467 Speers Rd., Oakville Ont. L6K 3S4 (905) 845-3824 Fax: 337-5571 Classified Advertising: 632-4440 Circulation: 845-9742 --Open 9-5 weekdays, 5-7 for calls only Wed. to Friday, Closed weekends Editorial and advertising content of the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: Canadian Circulation Audit Board Member THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: Recognized for Excellence by Ontario Community Newspapers Association Suburban Newspapers of America Canadian Community Newspapers Association ATHENA Award NEIL OLIVER Vice ­ President and Group Publisher of Metroland West The Oakville Beaver is a division of Media Group Ltd. DAVID HARVEY Regional General Manager JILL DAVIS Editor in Chief ROD JERRED Managing Editor DANIEL BAIRD Advertising Director RIZIERO VERTOLLI Photography Director SANDY PARE Business Manager MARK DILLS Director of Production MANUEL GARCIA Production Manager CHARLENE HALL Director of Distribution SARAH MCSWEENEY Circ. Manager Time to move forward On Monday, April 19, Town Council is scheduled to vote on whether to accept a request from Halton Healthcare Services (HHS) for $200 million from Oakville property taxpayers to help fund a new hospital. We urge councillors to approve that request. Over the past few months much has been said about the pros and cons of approving this request -- but no one has been able to refute that Oakville needs to replace the aging Oakville-Trafalgar Memorial Hospital on Reynolds Street. Some have been critical of the AFP model (Alternative Financing and Procurement) arguing that it is expensive and leads to costly overruns. We are not completely sold on the model, however, sadly, Oakville doesn't have much choice in this matter. The AFP model is the brainchild of the Ontario provincial government, which is pushing this model for future hospital construction. It's unlikely the government will offer Oakville an alternative if we turn it down. It will just move on to the next community waiting in line for a new hospital. Others have maintained we should keep the existing hospital or build a smaller new hospital and keep the existing hospital open. The existing facility was built more than 50 years ago and has undergone several expensive renovations. The existing hospital is costly to maintain. Money that should be spent on health care has gone towards maintaining a substandard facility. Running two hospitals is neither energy efficient or cost effective. It's time to move forward. Many critics forget the new hospital project is a design, build, finance and maintain agreement. This last component covers maintenance costs for the next 30 years. So if the hospital needs a new roof, floor or simply repainting, it will be covered under the maintenance agreement. While the $200-million request was difficult to accept at first, the Town has devised a plan that includes a $130 million downpayment that softens the burden on existing taxpayers. It is also looking at a payment scheme which would reduce the property tax impact initially by spreading the debt over Oakville's expanding tax base due to future growth. In the end, we have to ask ourselves whether we are willing to pay a hefty price for a brand new state-of-the-art hospital that will serve the community well for years to come, or are we content to pour millions of dollars into an aging substandard facility that is well past its prime? If Council approves the request from HHS, we will be paying for a state-of-the-art hospital we can still be proud of in 30 years when the debt is paid. If we don't, in 30 years we will have an 80-year-old substandard hospital that requires millions of dollars annually to maintain and billions of dollars to replace. We will then be wishing we had seized the opportunity when it was presented to us. The Oakville Beaver is a member of the Ontario Press Council. The council is located at 80 Gould St., Suite 206, Toronto, Ont., M5B 2M7. Phone 416-340-1981. Advertising is accepted on the condition that, in the event of a typographical error, that portion of advertising space occupied by the erroneous item, together with a reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged for, but the balance of the advertisement will be paid for at the applicable rate. The publisher reserves the right to categorize advertisements or decline. Letter to the editor In favour of new hospital We are in favour of the funding for the new Oakville hospital, even though it is going to increase our taxes starting in 2015. I know $200 million is a lot of money, it will be worth it in the long run. If we do not get the funding by the deadline set by the Province we will be going to Hamilton or Toronto to get the services of an up-to-date facility. I am wondering how many of the people who are against the funding for the new hospital have been in the Emergency Department in recent years and had to spend a day or three in the halls because there was no room for them in a room. How many of them have volunteered in the hospital and seen the crowded spaces where people work. If a room is big enough for a desk and chair, it is an office. Has anyone asked how much rent the hospital is spending to rent space for the services it does not have space for in the current hospital? There are seven services outside the hospital in rented space. The patient related services are: foot clinic, cardiac rehab, outpatient mental health and diabetic clinic. The administrative services are: finance department, hospital foundation office and redevelopment services. We think it is time for the mayor and council to forget about getting elected in October and do what is necessary to get our new hospital before it is given to another jurisdiction and we have to make do with a hole in the wall. It is going to be five years before the new hospital is ready, and if we lose it because they are afraid to make the decision to spend the $200 million now, people will remember during the next election and you could be out of office then. We urge the mayor and councillors to think ahead and get the new hospital now when it has been offered to us. GEORGE AND AUDREY CALDWELL, OAKVILLE Letters to the editor The Oakville Beaver welcomes letters from its readers. Letters will be edited for clarity, length, legal considerations and grammar. In order to be published all letters must contain the name, address and phone number of the author. Letters should be addressed to The Editor, Oakville Beaver, 467 Speers Rd., Oakville, ON, L6K 3S4, or via email to editor@oakvillebeaver.com. The Beaver reserves the right to refuse to publish a letter. New hospital is investment Oakville Town Council will be taking a vote on April 19 on whether or not to support funding for the new Oakville Hospital. The hospital was built more than 50 years ago when the population of Oakville was approximately a third of its current size. As the population continues to grow, the hospital will experience further difficulties in supplying space and services appropriate for the expanded Oakville population. Over the past number of years the hospital, in conjunction with the Ministry of Health, has undertaken an extensive assessment and planning process and as a result of this, has recommended the building of a new Oakville hospital. The funding of this is largely from provincial sources with a local contribution required without which the building may not proceed. An expanded and updated hospital facility is an absolute necessity for the town. Cancellation of this project would be a tragedy for the citizens of Oakville. Failure to act now would leave the hospital in a unsustainable long-term position. An investment in a new hospital is an investment in all the citizens of Oakville for generations to come. It is vital that we support this important initiative. R.J. MORROW M.D., OAKVILLE Clock ticking on power plant approval Re: Looking for science behind Flynn's private member's bill, Oakville Beaver, April 1. Tim Douglass asks some excellent questions relating to the impact of the Private Member's Bill to be introduced by Kevin Flynn MPP on April 22. I am sure during the process, answers will arise however, the real question is whether there will be time to get answers to all these and the many other legitimate concerns before a power plant receives final approval. Ann Mulvale, Oakville