Brampton’s Mayor Linda Jeffrey Has Spoken Up About Overcrowding at Brampton Civic

Brampton | Ontario | Latest News |

Published November 3, 2017 at 4:43 am

It’s no secret that overcrowding at Brampton Civic has continued to reach alarming rates this year, and the issue has become a hot topic in Brampton and beyond.

It’s no secret that overcrowding at Brampton Civic has continued to reach alarming rates this year, and the issue has become a hot topic in Brampton and beyond. After lots of buzz from the public and quite a bit of silence from the municipality in comparison, Mayor Linda Jeffrey has finally released a letter to residents to talk about the issue.

A whopping 4,300 patients were stuck on hallway stretchers at Brampton Civic during Code Gridlock (extreme overcrowding) for 65 days this year, often for anywhere from 40-70 hours at a time, and that’s just the brunt of it. There are not enough funded beds at the hospital, and the guaranteed six more beds that are coming don’t seem like they’ll help. 

With all of that in mind, here’s how Mayor Jeffrey has responded via Facebook: 

“Dear Fellow Residents,

Many of us have either personally experienced or have heard about the overcrowding at Brampton Civic Hospital.

Our health care facilities are currently in crisis.

Our health care infrastructure and operational funding have not kept pace with Brampton’s explosive growth.

That was my primary motivation to run for provincial office back in 2003.

I began fighting for better healthcare in Brampton when our only health care facility was the former Peel Memorial Hospital – a building originally built in 1925 that had always struggled to serve our growing population. 

At the time we had one working elevator, we had experienced fires and floods, and the final straw for me was when the entire facility was evacuated because of a transformer fire. 

I made a commitment then and there that I would do something to improve health care in our City. I ran for MPP, won, and then spent the next decade fighting for better funding and facilities every day I was at Queen’s Park. We eventually succeeded in opening Brampton Civic Hospital in 2007. 

A revitalized first phase of Peel Memorial Centre for Integrated Health and Wellness opened in February 2017, and ErinoakKids will be opening early in 2018. 

I know what it’s like to spend hours in the Emergency Room at Brampton Civic waiting with a frail parent. Brampton Civic is Ontario’s largest community hospital and one of Canada’s busiest Emergency Departments. It is a beautiful and modern facility staffed by a team of truly caring individuals. While our doctors, nurses, staff and volunteers are the absolute best – working around the clock to ensure our residents get the highest quality health care – it is clear to me that they need additional resources. 

Nearly every day our doctors and nurses are struggling to manage the extraordinary volume of patients that come through the door – gridlock is not an occasional situation, it has become routine.

Frankly, I worry about the ability of our health care professionals to continue to sustain this pace without some serious intervention by the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care. 

Brampton has received over $2 billion of Provincial health care investment over the past decade – unfortunately this is still not enough. Brampton continues to be the second fastest growing community in the country.

Our community’s needs are not being met in a timely manner and this will only get worse if nothing changes. 

In the short term the Provincial Government needs to immediately approve and start building phase two of the Peel Memorial Centre for Integrated Health and Wellness. 

Over the long term it is critical we move forward on a third hospital immediately, as by 2041 we will be a city of nearly one million residents.

We at the City of Brampton have initiated the planning in order to protect the lands we will need for our future third hospital. We need a commitment by the Province of Ontario to expedite the funding and planning for this facility.

I have met and lobbied our Provincial Government on improving Brampton’s health care system. My council and I have met and lobbied both provincial opposition leaders and parties alerting them to our local health care concerns. I continue to meet regularly with leaders from the William Osler Health System and Central West Local Health Integration Network to explore solutions to address the current and future health care needs of Brampton residents.

I need your help – your voice is absolutely critical in reaching out to your local Member of Provincial Parliament, the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care, and the Premier of Ontario to ask them what they are doing to improve the health care situation in Brampton.

I will continue to personally reach out to the Provincial Government and to all members of the legislature to alert them of the urgency of this issue and how important it is to every single Bramptonian.

Our voice is powerful, let’s ensure it gets heard. 

Sincerely,

Linda Jeffrey
Mayor of Brampton

Appendix:

If you do not know who your current Provincial representative is, you can go [this link] insert your address to determine who your local member of provincial parliament is in this term.

Please find below the contact information for all local MPPs and the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care as well as the Premier of Ontario:

Premier Kathleen Wynne
Kathleen Wynne, Premier, Legislative Building, Queen’s Park, Toronto, Ontario M7A 1A1
Tel: 416-325-1941
Email: [email protected] 

Minister of Health and Long-Term Care Eric Hoskins 
Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, 10th Floor, Hepburn Block, 80 Grosvenor Street, Toronto, Ontario M7A 2C4
Tel: 416-656-0943, Fax: 416-656-0875
Email: [email protected]

Amrit Mangat, MPP (Mississauga-Brampton South)
Constituency Office: Suite 203, 7045 Edwards Boulevard Mississauga, Ontario L5S 1X2
Tel: 905-696-0367, Fax: 905-696-7545
Email: [email protected]

Vic Dhillon, MPP (Brampton West)
Constituency: Suite 304, 37 George Street North, Brampton, Ontario L6X 1R5
Tel: 905-796-8669, Fax: 905-796-8069
Email: [email protected]

Harinder Malhi, MPP (Brampton—Springdale)
Constituency: Unit 7, 10215 Kennedy Road North, Brampton, Ontario L6Z 0C5
Tel: 905-495-8030, Fax: 905-495-1041
Email: [email protected]”

The general public had mixed emotions on her statement.

While some commenters highlighted all of the empty rooms at Brampton Civic were an issue as they aren’t being used to their full capacity, others agreed that the hospital needs more staff, and several complained that too much money is spent on beautifying the building rather than focusing on its services.

Everyone was on the same page about one thing, though – action must be taken in Brampton. 

In the statement above, Mayor Jeffrey advised that residents reach out to their local MPPs, the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care, and the Premier of Ontario “to ask them what they are doing to improve the health care situation in Brampton.”

What’s more, Mayor Jeffrey said that she will continue to personally reach out to the Provincial Government and to all members of the legislature to alert them of the urgency of this issue and how important it is to every single Bramptonian.”

This is all well and good, but the results of these actions to solve the issue of overcrowding at Brampton Civic remain to be seen. 

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