When people supposedly representing the public’s interests are going behind closed doors, making decisions that not only affect billions of taxpayers’ dollars, but their health and well-being, and in many cases, their lives.
Ontario’s Ombudsman André Marin reported last week after investigating the Hamilton-Niagara-Haldimand-Brant Local Health Integration Network has passed an illegal bylaw that allows them to have secret board meetings or “education sessions” where no minutes are kept, and the public is barred.
News reports are saying that LHIN?held 11 such meetings. The Southwest LHIN, which governs this region maintains they haven’t held any inappropriate closed-door meetings, although they have adopted the illegal bylaw, as have all 14 LHINs.
It’s not surprising to me that such an undemocratic decision was made when the body that made that decision wasn’t born out of democracy.
LHIN boards are unelected, and therefore, unaccountable to the public, answering only to the Minister of Health and, well, to themselves. SWLHIN?CEO?Mike Barrett said that their meetings and “education sessions” are always open to the public, and only go in camera when legislation allows. But before the directive from the Ministry of Health last week to revise the bylaw, by their own rules, they didn’t have to be open and transparent. Lucky, I?guess, that we have a board (according to the CEO) that doesn’t mind sharing with the public.
However, there are eight directors on the SWLHIN board, that are said to represent the public. But the recruitment process says the board members are chosen on merit – they’re expected to have a certain level of expertise and knowledge of local health issues.
Well thank you Mr. Order-in-Council for making that pesky decision for me, so I don’t have to choose for myself who has the level of expertise to represent my area, my hospital, and my health.
If we vote for school board trustees to keep those in charge of our children’s education accountable, why can’t we have the same input to the people in charge of funding the services that our LIVES depend on?
I’d be even angrier if I lived in the HNHB LHIN’s catchment where a board member quipped about conversations on the golf course and the grocery store constituting public consultation. (Good choice on that one Order-In-Council).
When you take the decision-making process out of the hands of the people and give it to unelected “representatives”, bad decisions are made.