This fall session at Queen’s Park has been a busy one as our government continues to work hard to make life better and more affordable in Flamborough-Glanbrook and across Ontario.
Last week, I had the opportunity of attending the capital funding announcement, alongside Minister Jones and Minister Lumsden, for the Special Care Nursery at St.
Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton. Our government is investing in the redevelopment of the Special Care Nursery to ensure newborns and their families have access to specialized neonatal intensive care and family centred birthing supports. Our government, under the leadership of Premier Ford and Minister of Health Sylvia Jones, understands the need for innovative solutions across the health care sector. Our goal is to make health care more convenient for Ontarians by connecting residents to care closer to home.
Recognizing the need for essential care for our most vulnerable, our government is investing an additional $330 million each year in pediatric health services at hospitals, clinics and community-based health care facilities across Ontario. This includes nearly $578,000 to establish a pediatric ambulatory clinic at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton along with funding for four new NICU bassinets, building on the 17 NICU bassinets St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton operates.
New plan for addiction recovery, prevention
Supporting Ontarians begins at the earliest stage as newborns and continues throughout all stages of life. As crime in the vicinity of supervised consumption is
significantly higher compared to surrounding neighbourhoods, we have banned sites within 200 metres of schools and childcare centres to protect the safety of children and communities. As part of this comprehensive system of care that prioritizes safety and focuses on giving people their lives back through treatment and recovery, as well as upstream investments in prevention, the province is investing $378 million in 19 new Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment (HART) Hubs.
These new hubs are in addition to more than $3.8 billion the province is currently investing through its Roadmap to Wellness and nearly $700 million for supportive housing through the Homelessness Prevention Program and Indigenous Supportive Housing Program each year. Our government’s focus on the health care sector stems from our commitment to making Ontario the best place to live and raise a family, our investments not only prioritize providing convenient care but also investing in our province.
Jobs in health care
Ontario’s life sciences sector is the largest in Canada, employing 72,800 people in high-value jobs and exporting approximately $12.5 billion in goods to markets around the world. Our government acknowledges the importance of strengthening Ontario’s ability to attract further foreign direct investment from the global life sciences industry. In October, our government announced a $40-million investment through Invest Ontario to create a new cell and gene therapy manufacturing facility in Hamilton which will help secure the future of life sciences jobs and innovation in Ontario. OmniaBio Inc. will advance pioneering medicine with the potential to cure many forms of cancer, cardiovascular disease, Parkinson’s and diabetes.
Our government has been committed to increasing the front-line workforce since 2018 and as a result 80,000 new nurses and 12,500 new doctors
have registered to work in Ontario. Health care is the top concern for residents across the province, and you can rest assured it is a top concern for our government as well. We remain committed to making health care more convenient and accessible for Ontarians.
Donna Skelly is MPP for Flamborough-Glanbrook. Her current roles at Queen's Park include Chair of the Committee of the Whole House, Deputy Speaker and Vice-Chair, Standing Committee on Public Accounts.
