Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath made a visit to Thunder Bay, Ont., on Saturday morning to talk about the challenges faced at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre.
"They have seen significant gridlock at this hospital for years now," Horwath said. "In fact, last year, between the months of April and August, the hospital was in gridlock 90 per cent of the time."
Last year, in a 375-bed facility, the hospital had 447 patients in its care, which meant that people were crowded in hallways and unable to receive the quality of care they deserve, she said.
"This is not the fault of the administration or the hard-working front line health-care workers. This is the direct result of Kathleen Wynn's cuts," Horwath said.
She told her constituents and a group of local media that "it doesn't have to be this way."
Commitment to tackling gridlock
She said her platform has already committed to investing $19 billion over the next 10 years into hospital capital expansion in order to meet the growing needs.
"We'll work with the hospital," Horwath continued, "this goes back to the commitment around acknowledging that each hospital is a little bit different and has its unique needs that need to be met."
She also promised to continue to follow through on a previous commitment made by the Ontario Liberal party regarding the cardiovascular surgery unit at the Thunder Bay hospital by making sure service is "up and running, not just for the people of Thunder Bay but for the people across the northwest."
Horwath also committed to opening 2,000 new hospital beds "as soon as we take government."
'Doug Ford or I'
"The people of Ontario seem to have already decided that Kathleen Wynn and the Liberals will not be forming the next government," Horwath said. "So people have a choice. They have a choice between Doug Ford or I."
She said Ford has already promised to cut more than $6 billion and privatize services like health care.
"Mr. Ford says he could easily find four per cent in cuts across government," Horwath continued. "Well, four per cent of cuts in this facility means 112 front-line staff will lose their jobs."
She said she plans to immediately invest $1.2 billion in Ontario's hospitals and will continue to invest every year with funding that surpasses inflation.
"People are saying, 'We're getting to know the NDP for the first time.' The people of northwestern Ontario have been ignored by the Liberals," said Horwath. "It doesn't have to be this way anymore. In these ridings you can choose change for the better."