– New Democrats in Hamilton are dismayed about the closure of the McMaster University Medical Centre Emergency Room to adult care. To make this decision even more difficult to take, full community consultation was not held and the final decision was made in Grimsby without the participation of Hamilton community members.

Last week Hamilton MPPs Paul Miller and Andrea Horwath supported community members at a rally to fight against this emergency room closure. Many residents of Greater Hamilton are concerned about the increased times it will now take to get to emergency room care.

Both MPPs raised this issue in the Legislature this morning insisting that the McGuinty government intervene and reverse this undemocratic decision. One of the LHIN’s Board Members has already resigned to protest the decision to close the McMaster emergency room. Both MPPs committed to continue to fight the controversial hospital restructuring to keep these facilities open for all emergency needs.

“City Council, paramedics, doctors and other health care professionals at the hospital, and citizens who crammed a protest rally last Thursday – virtually no one wants the restructuring to happen. But the LHIN, with the help of the McGuinty Liberals, is determined to ram it through without proper public consultation and the analytical skills required to make good decisions,” said Horwath. “Our fight is far from over.”

“The government must intervene and reverse this dysfunctional LHIN Board’s decision, require that the LHIN implement full community consultation and review the criteria and the current appointments to the Board of the Hamilton Niagara Haldimand Brant LHIN,” said Miller.