Hospice Muskoka left without funding in provincial budget
Hospice Muskoka is pleading for help after being left without additional funding for palliative care beds by the Provincial government.
On Sunday, the executive director of hospice Muskoka found herself at the Cottage Life show in Mississauga, looking to fundraise.
"We were very disappointed with the provincial budget that there was no additional funding for hospices, particularly for hospice Muskoka," said Donna Kearney, Executive Director of Hospice Muskoka.
Hospice Muskoka provides healthcare services to people dying or near the end of life. Andy's House opened up two years ago in Port Carling. It has ten beds. The hospitals in Muskoka rent out five beds, and the province funds $315,000 annually for three beds. That leaves the organization with the challenge of fundraising more than $1 million annually.
"Fundraising in Muskoka is not easy, so to raise $1.1 million to keep our doors open every year is becoming exceedingly difficult," Kearney said. "Why should I have to be spending my weekends here asking people to donate money so that I could care for people who are dying."
Someone Stephen Domnanovits stopped by the information booth at the cottage life show.
"I have just been diagnosed recently with stage four pancreatic cancer. We understand now the importance of it because being diagnosed, we just understand they do need the support," said Domnanovits.
Kearney said her organization is hoping people who cottage in Muskoka understand their challenges and do what they can to help in more ways than just donating.
"We're asking people to advocate to the government for funding for hospices across Ontario," she added. "The hospital in Muskoka is the only reason that Hospice Muskoka is still open."
Kearney said it costs significantly less to care for a patient in hospice than the hospital and hopes the government reconsiders its decision.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.