The Small Urban GTHA Mayors met on June 9 at the Alder Recreation Centre in Orangeville, welcoming Deputy Premier and Health Minister Sylvia Jones, MPP for Dufferin-Caledon, and hearing a presentation from the City of Vaughan.
Health Minister Jones
The Health Minister told the Mayors that she has travelled across the province to the frontlines of Ontario’s healthcare system and has seen world-class health care delivered by dedicated health care workers.
She also said that the health care system and workers face significant pressures. That’s why the Province this year introduced a comprehensive strategy to improve health care for Ontarians. Your Health: A Plan for Connected and Convenient Care aims to connect residents to options closer to home, shortening wait times.
Changes include the enhanced role of pharmacists who now prescribe certain medications for 13 ailments at no extra cost to patients. Also, Ontarians can get publicly funded surgeries and diagnostic procedures at community surgical and diagnostic centres.
The Health Minister finished her comments by saying the Province wants to continue to work with its health and community partners on creative and innovative approaches to provide connected and convenient care for patients.
The Mayors asked the Health Minister health care questions and identified health care challenges facing small urban GTHA communities—including access to primary care, such as diabetes care, surgeries and other procedures—as well as the structure of hospital governance and the engagement of local municipalities in health care.
The Mayors thanked Health Minister Jones for her consideration of their comments, questions and suggestions and for her willingness to work collaboratively with the municipalities in serving residents.
City of Vaughan Innovation
A team from the City of Vaughan presented the Mayors with information about an award-winning Innovation program that invites employees to share their ideas. Successes include increasing employee engagement to 70 per cent from 35 per cent through collaboration and successfully using AI to improve roads, parks and winter maintenance.
The Mayors thanked the City of Vaughan for their presentation.
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Contact:
Mayor Steve Pellegrini
mayor@king.ca
905-833-4029
Chair, Small Urban GTHA Mayors