SooToday received the following letter about $200-cheques everyone in Ontario is going to receive from the provincial government.
I just read the SooToday article about the new med school dean’s thoughts on increasing the family doctor supply. And I’ve been thinking about how the Ford government is going to spend billions of dollars to send us $200 cheques—regardless of our income. Billionaires and millionaires will get the same amount as disabled people who are barely surviving on ODSP. The postage alone will cost millions.
It's a transparent attempt to bribe us ahead of an election. Meanwhile our health-care and education systems are in crisis.
By 2026, the number of us who don't have a family doctor is expected to rise to 4.4 million. The pay and working conditions for family doctors remain problematic, so too many family doctors are retiring early or moving into other jobs like being a hospitalist. And way too few young doctors are choosing family medicine as their specialty. The Ford government could address this. Instead they're sending us bribes.
Schools are crumbling. About one in 12 Ontario schools has the type of roof panels that caused the province to close the Ontario Science Centre, but it's been reported that boards are being offered no funding to replace or repair.
The teacher shortage is another huge problem. Among the issues: Classroom violence, not enough money for classroom supplies, and a shortage of educational assistants (EAs). The Ontario Teachers Federation estimates that about 48,000 Ontario teachers are not working in the province's education system because being a teacher today is so challenging. Some education staff have to wear Kevlar gear to work due to the risk of violence. There are reports of EA shortages being so bad that disabled kids can't go to school some days. The worse the staff shortages get, the more disrupted the classrooms are, and more staff leave. It's a downward spiral.
The wait list for autism services now tops 70,000 kids, way longer than it was when Ford first took office—both a health issue and an education issue. The list of unmet needs goes on and on.
If you don't believe any of this, Google it. The evidence is out there. Or talk to health care and education workers in our community.
If you feel the urge to blame someone else besides the province, remember this: Health care and education are provincial responsibilities, not federal. Furthermore, the Ford government has failed to spend all the federal cash sent to us for healthcare. And Ford has now been premier for almost two terms. The buck now stops with him.
I urge people to do two things:
- If you can swing it, donate some or all of your $200 cheque to the Sault Area Hospital Foundation, a food bank, or other worthy local cause.
- At election time, remember that the Ford government chose to spend billions mailing out 15 million $200-bribes rather than improve pay and working conditions for family physicians and education staff.
Abigail Obenchain
Sault Ste. Marie