Language protest grows at hospital
McDonell appointed to standing committee
By Greg Kielec
And then there were two. A second person joined registered nurse Christopher Cameron last week on the sidewalk in front of Cornwall Community Hospital’s McConnell Avenue site to protest the hospital’s bilingualism policy. Mary Bray , a retired emergency room as- sistant from the hospital, took her place on the cold concrete to bolster Cameron’s mes- sage that the hospital’s bilingualism policy discriminates against unilingual anglo- phone nurses. Cameron, a casual nurse at the hospital, began his protest yesterday to highlight his inability to acquire full-time employment at the hospital because he is not fluently bilingual. Bray, who came out to show support for “all unilingual people”, wasn’t certain if the small protest could effect any real change. “We can only hope. I think the government needs to get involved,” she said. The two have protesters have also been joined at times by Laurie Iwachniuck-Bran- chaud, who is calling for public to attend a rally at 1 p.m. Saturday in front of the hos- pital. One current hospital employee voiced support for the protesters and signed a pe- tition, but did not want to be identified. Another former employee lamented how divisive the language issue has become since his days at the hospital, but also did not want to be identified. The protest comes on the heels of two let- ters by local surgeon Dany Tombler, the first calling for donations to be withheld from the hospital to protest bilingualism A Grade 7 student from Tagwi Secondary School has been selected to serve as a leg- islative page at Queen’s Park beginning this week. Ryan Haley, 12, is serving as a messenger on the floor of the legislative chamber. He will meet key parliamentary figures and learn about Ontario’s parliamentary system. Haley will serve at Queen’s Park from Feb- ruary 21 to March 8. The son of Bob and Joanne Haley of Mon- kland says he is excited about the opportu- nity. “I just think it’s amazing that I actually got accepted,” said Haley. “There were more than 700 kids who ap- plied and I was lucky enough to get in. “I really want to learnmore about politics.” A legislative page earns their spot in the program by submitting an application that includes a 750-word essay outlining their achievements, contributions and suitability for the program. The A student had to learn the faces, names and location of the 107 MPPs before arriving at Queens Park for his first day. Legislative pages selected from across the province come together at Queen’s Park, meet fellow students with similar interests as they participate in this unique educational program, and develop long-lasting friend- ships. During a typical day in the program, pages arrive at Queen’s Park at 8 a.m., dress in their uniforms and then prepare the legislative chamber for the morning’s debates. The Journal
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Stormont-Dundas-South Glengarry MPP Jim McDonell has been appointed to the provinces standing committee on govern- ment agencies. The committee is tasked with overseeing and reviewing appointments to Crown cor- porations and various government agen- cies, as well as holding those entities to account on administration and policy. “I look forward to working with my col- leagues to ensure transparency and good stewardship of Ontario’s government ma- chine,” McDonell said. “It’s a pity it took the government this long to appoint the committees in the first place”. The new Legislative Assembly sat for the first time on Nov. 21, 2011. “Four bills have been languishing in a leg- islative limbo since before the winter break,” said the MPP with displeasure. “They were referred to Committees that, until today, could not meet, discuss them or return them to the House”. McDonell questioned the Liberal govern- ment’s motive for delaying the appoint- ment of Committee members during a time as delicate as pre-Budget season. “If McGuinty truly believed Ontario’s troubles were common to all of us, why would he not seek sound, thought-out leg- islative input that committees can pro- vide?”
Photo by Greg Kielec Retired nurse Mary Bray and registered nurse Chris Cameron wield their signs in front of Cornwall Community Hospital along McConnnell Avenue last week.
down by United Counties Council. City administration is recommending to council that it continue its financial support to the hospital. Follow @gkielec on Twitter. For breaking news, go to www.editionap.ca and click on The Journal. Email greg.kielec@eap.on.ca
requirements. In a second letter, Tombler said he had made his point and he asked that the community resume donations. In response to Tombler’s initial letter, South Stormont Township council voted to withhold $30,000 in funding to the hospital over the bilingualism issue. A proposal to similarly withhold funding was voted
Tagwi Secondary student serving as legislative page
To the Community: The equipment we use in day-to-day procedures, here at Cornwall Community Hospital are a vital piece to the quality health care the medical staff are committed to providing this community. The provincial government does not give us the funds to purchase this equipment which makes fundraising for it an essential piece to the functioning of CCH. I, along with the Medical Advisory Committee(MAC), support the Cornwall Community Foundation’s fundraising efforts which will allow us to have a premium diagnostic centre in the new construction, including an MRI machine. Withholding donations will only hurt all members of this community, when our turn comes to be cared for at our local hospital. To ensure quality patient care, equipment and staff who operate it, are essential. Communication is a critical piece to patient care, and I, along with the MAC, support and understand the obligations directed by the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care regarding French language services, and we support the efforts to balance these obligations with fair employment opportunities at our hospital. In 2011, there were 217 vacancies of which 57 were filled with qualified French speaking candidates, which demonstrates that the hospital does not only hire bilingual candidates. It is the MAC’s hope that the reputation of the Hospital and its Foundation is not damaged due to the recent media coverage regarding this issue. Quality patient care continues to be our first priority and always will be.
Maxville writer to be honoured
The Journal
As the day progresses, pages are involved in a number of activities including: delivering messages and water for the MPPs in the chamber, taking classes in legislative process and mathematics, and meeting with key leg- islative players such as the party leaders and the Speaker of the House. The Lieutenant Governor's Ontario Heritage Awards are presented for out- standing contributions to the identifica- tion, preservation, protection and promotion of Ontario's heritage. A Maxville resident who for years wrote about his village in the Glen- garry News is being honoured by the province. Gordon Winter, who was nominated by the Township of North Glengarry, will receive a Lieutenants Governor’s of Ontario Heritage Award it was an- nounced last week. Winters a weekly column about his community in the Glengarry News and was principal author of the book, Maxville: Its Centennial Story. He also donated his collection of books by Canadian author and Glengarry na- tive Ralph Connor, to the Glengarry Pi- oneer Museum for the enjoyment of his community.
Sincerely,
Dr. Ashley Cook, Chief of Staff on behalf of the Medical Advisory Committee
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