August 2022

The everyday heroes in our midst continue to be Ontario’s health care workers. 
 
They are truly resilience personified. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic more than 28
months ago, their compassion and dedication to patients have kept our health system functioning under
unprecedented stress.  
 
Halton Healthcare’s Georgetown Hospital continues to be the hub of our local health care. Their staff
and volunteers have earned the thanks of our grateful community. 
 
Through the many years I have been privileged to represent the Town of Halton Hills in the Ontario
Legislature, my office staff and I have worked closely with Cindy McDonell, who has served as Chief
Operating Officer. We sincerely wish Cindy well as she assumes new responsibilities at Halton
Healthcare, and we welcome Monica Bettazzoni as our new Chief Operating Officer at Georgetown
Hospital. I was very pleased to meet them via Teams on July 29 to share updates. 
 
In recent days, Ontario hospitals have been facing enormous health human resources challenges. The
difficult decision to temporarily close some Emergency Departments has been made, simply because
there was not enough staff to keep them open and functioning. Patients have had to be redirected to
other local hospitals, which has placed additional pressure on the Emergency Departments that have
remained open. 
 
I have known the Minister of Health, the Hon. Sylvia Jones, for more than 30 years. She and her staff are
working day and night to address this issue, both in the immediate and the longer terms. The Registered
Nurses’ Association of Ontario has presented thoughtful and practical suggestions to the Government.
And I know Georgetown Hospital views the Emergency Department’s functioning as a top priority. 
 
Georgetown Hospital’s planning for redevelopment continues. We are asking the Ministry of Health for
approval to move to Stage 2 of planning, the functional program stage. We are also requesting a
planning grant of $15 million for the Stage 2 planning work, recognizing that the Stage 1 planning was
done with the hospital’s own funds. On July 26, I reminded senior staff in the Minister’s Office that we
need to get it done.