Keeping up the fight

Dear Mr. Editor:
Thanks to the outrageous closed-door policy and hidden agendas of our elected town council, every taxpayer reading this is in serious trouble.
The action of a few councillors to ram the purchase of the old Fort Frances Clinic, and asking the Ministry of Health to impose rostering and a Family Health Team approach to health care in Fort Frances, is without question the greatest disservice any council could ever inflict on its constituents.
Privatization is just beginning—and I want you to know who is to blame. Look no further than Fort Frances town council.
This council has excluded all its taxpayers, hidden all the documents, denied public input even after it was promised, and admitted it made mistakes but never corrected them.
To date, council has not released one set of minutes, not one document, on this subject. Everything is hidden and secretive. Why?
To further compound this arrogance of power, Fort Frances filed an application that not only affects the town, but every municipality and First Nation in the entire district.
Yet not one document, not one shred of information, not one meeting requesting their participation was held. It’s fair to say these district municipal councils and First Nations were treated like sheep.
More than 1,800 signatures couldn’t get this council to open up.
We were told twice—once at the public forum held at the Memorial Sports Centre last October and recently at a regular council meeting—that the public would be informed and allowed input into this critical decision.
After all, public health care was meant to be public.
They simply lied to us, without conscience or remorse.
In closing, council said they made a few mistakes. We agreed, however, council did nothing to correct any of their misgivings.
We now are committed to action and promise this council we will not go away. The fight for public health care, and not private care, is one we can’t afford to lose.
Thank you,
Allan Bedard
Chairman,
Concerned
Taxpayers,
Fort Frances, Ont.