Minden businesses take emergency department closure fight to Queen's Park
Business owners will make their case for keeping a rural Ontario community's emergency department open in Queen's Park just days before it closes.
Minden, Ont. residents have been fighting to keep their emergency department open after Haliburton Highlands Health Services (HHHS) announced its closure last month, citing staffing shortages as its reason.
On Tuesday, the town's business owners will plead to the Ford government to grant the community a one-year moratorium on the closure ahead of the June 1 planned closure date.
"My wife and I did research on this, and our 60 plus, 60 or older, they need healthcare, and if they can't get it here, they are going to have to move away," said Dennis Pennie, Co-owner of Minden Auto Care. "So our concern is this is going to make a big impact on us local business people, real estate, all that stuff, not just the healthcare, the whole community will be impacted."
Pennie will be among the business owners attending the question period on Tuesday in Queen's Park, followed by a press conference.
- Download the CTV News app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates sent to your email inbox
Alongside him is Mathew Renda, co-owner for Boshkung Brewery.
"We rely on the summer traffic to get us through the winter, so if people start moving away, cottagers don't come up, our business and our employees especially will suffer year-round," Renda told CTV News. "If we lose our E.R. and now we're forcing people outside of the community into Kawartha, into the Muskoka's, to Haliburton, what you're now going to impact is not only the Minden community, you're impacting all those other communities."
HHHS has said it would consolidate Minden's emergency department into Haliburton's hospital.
"Hospitals are independent corporations who are authorized to direct their own operations, including decisions respecting services that they provide and in what locations, the Ministry of Health is not involved in these decisions, and to suggest so is false," read a statement from the Ministry of Health on Friday.
The campaign 'Save the Minden ER' hopes a court injunction will stop the process but intends to keep fighting to reverse the decision beyond June 1.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Iran fires air defence batteries in provinces as explosions heard near Isfahan
Iran fired air defence batteries early Friday morning as explosions could be heard near a major air base near Isfahan, raising fears of a possible Israeli strike following Tehran's unprecedented drone-and-missile assault on the country.
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer denied bail after being charged with killing Canadian couple
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
Nearly half of China's major cities are sinking, researchers say
Nearly half of China's major cities are suffering 'moderate to severe' levels of subsidence, putting millions at risk of flooding especially as sea levels rise.
Prince Harry formally confirms he is now a U.S. resident
Prince Harry, the son of King Charles III and fifth in line to the British throne, has formally confirmed he is now a U.S. resident.
Judge says 'no evidence fully supports' murder case against Umar Zameer as jury starts deliberations
The judge presiding over the trial of a man accused of fatally running over a Toronto police officer is telling jurors the possible verdicts they may reach based on the evidence in the case.
Health Canada to change sperm donor screening rules for men who have sex with men
Health Canada will change its longstanding policy restricting gay and bisexual men from donating to sperm banks in Canada, CTV News has learned. The federal health agency has adopted a revised directive removing the ban on gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, effective May 8.
Colin Jost names one celebrity who is great at hosting 'Saturday Night Live'
Colin Jost, who co-anchors Saturday Night Live's 'Weekend Update,' revealed who he thinks is one of the best hosts on the show.
Sports columnist apologizes for 'oafish' comments directed at Caitlin Clark. The controversy isn't over
A male columnist has apologized for a cringeworthy moment during former University of Iowa superstar and college basketball's highest scorer Caitlin Clark's first news conference as an Indiana Fever player.
'Shopaholic' author Sophie Kinsella reveals brain cancer diagnosis
Sophie Kinsella, the best-selling author behind the 'Shopaholic' book series, has revealed that she is receiving treatment for brain cancer.