Tickets still available for Wednesday’s PEC hospital rally at Queen’s Park
Administrator | Apr 13, 2013 | Comments 11
POOCH spokesperson Leo Finnegan and founder Dave Gray received a $200 donation from George Morden, head of the Residents’ Council at the H.J. McFarland Home in Picton; and members Kay Trumble and Reta Turner to help offset the cost of the buses. Morden said most of the residents at the home are too old to travel on the bus, but support the endeavour. “About the farthest we can travel is the washroom,” Morden chuckled with Finnegan. “But this donation is our way of having a voice in what’s going on.
“I was born in Picton,” says Morden. “But that was before there was a hospital.”
Trumble has lived in the County for 99 years – since her parents returned to the area. She has two children living in the County. A birthday in June would count Kay 103-years-old.
Prince Edward County residents will head for Queen’s Park in Toronto Wednesday to rally against service cuts at Prince Edward County Memorial Hospital. Some County councillors plan to be in attendance.
“Four buses will be leaving the arenas in Picton and Wellington at 8am sharp with arrival in Toronto before noon,” says Leo Finnegan, spokesperson for the grassroots POOCH (Patron of our County Hospital) campaign.
“The group expects to meet with Deb Matthews, Minister of Health. The group’s purpose is to voice their displeasure with the service cuts occurring at the Picton hospital. The group’s goal is to take back their hospital and restore the services needed to ensure the health and well-being of the residents of Prince Edward County.”
Tickets to travel on the coach-style buses to Queen’s Park are available at local real estate offices and Books and Company at a cost of $25. Brown bag lunches will be provided.
Tickets for the bus trip are available at local real estate offices. If you cannot afford the price of the ticket ($25) you may call Norma at 476-3166 for help in subsidizing the price. There have been some tickets donated for use by others.
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Hi Daddy, soo Proud of you
Love: your biggest Fan
This afternoon @ 2:54pm I received a phone call from the office of the Minister of Health, Deb Matthews. She is going to meet with members of P.O.O.C.H. at 11:45am just as we arrive at Queen’s Park tomorrow. First goal accomplished……WAHOOooooo !
>>>Just wondering if any county officials will be attending this wonderful event?
Yes. Eight Councilors will be going. Barb Proctor is representing the Mayor. .
One further note to Matt Helm, it would be nice if Todd Smith would reply to his constituents when they hand deliver a letter to his office!
In response to Matt, Todd Smith is just a puppet for the Conservative party of Ontario. If Hudak ever gets elected–there is no doubt that Picton hospital will be history. Hudak has
no interest or concern for the little rural hospitals in Ontario. His agenda is to further amalgamate. QHC will likely be run by a corporation in Ottawa!! Todd Smith has as much say as Kramp does in Ottawa–which is NO SAY!! You are dreaming in technicolour if you think Conservatives are going to help Prince Edward County Hospital! Get your head out of the clouds and come down to earth.
Just wondering if any county officials will be attending this wonderful event? I know that our CAO and I am unsure of who else has headed off to the Trinidad to help them out?
Just had a call from P.O.O.C.H. HQ …..looks like it’s going to be 4 full P.O.O.C.H. buses for sure… now have to decide whether or not to add a 5th… what a sweet dilemma.
Petition has close to 6000 names. WAAHHHhhhooo ! :-)))
I agree Matt Helm. P.O.O.C.H. is politically neutral…
…but, Mr.Smith deserves to be recognized for being helpful in planning our trip to Queen’s Park on Wednesday, the 17th.
His office in Belleville as well, as his Admin. Assistant in Toronto, has guided P.O.O.C.H. through the complex ‘maze’ at Queen’s Park and we thank his office for that.
It’s confirmed… 4 buses will be leaving at 8am SHARP from both the Picton & Wellington arenas and still to be confirmed Wellington on the lake.
This will be a silent but powerful rally. Why? Because it’s important to tell ALL politicians that ” we want to ensure the health and well-being of the residents of the County of Prince Edward “.
Please come by the arena and send us off with a smile and a wave. And if there is an empty seat left on the bus it’s yours. Free. 🙂
Jan,
I’m not that interested in what one of Michael MacMahon’s puppets said at the meeting. She, too, is a partisan with an agenda.
I care about how people deal with us on a personal level. Todd Smith has always dealt a straight hand to the County and he deserves to be heard out.
Buses cost just under $1300 + tax each. This was posted here on CountyLive before.
We have received an email reply from the Premier to our letter, saying that she noted our concerns and had passed the letter on to our Minister of Health, the Hon. Deb Matthews. We hope that someone from her office will be meeting with us.
We will be taking a group of people (because of limited space) into the Public Gallery, next to the Press Gallery wearing our P.O.O.C.H. buttons to put a face to The County so that politicians in the House as well as the media can see that we are real people who care passionately about our hospital and that we want it back.
Since our MPP is Todd Smith we will be delivering our Petition to him so that he can read it on the floor of the House thus ensuring that it is entered officially into Hansard. Doing so requires the legislature to give us a response within 24 days of the Petition being entered.
Hope this gives you some more insight into what is happening on the 17th. Cheers
If they have sold over 1000 buttons at $5 a piece, and people are paying $25 for a seat on the bus, could we know how much these 4 buses are costing? I do hope the Ministry of Health meets with the group. Has there been an confirmation that she will in fact meet
with the concerned POOCH members? I’m sure Todd Smith will be front and centre to inform everyone of all the wonderful things the “Conservatives” will do for our hospital!
Just remember what the Coalition lady stated at the United Church meeting–that the Conservatives have a worse plan for the hospital than the Liberals!! Don’t forget when you are listening to Todd Smith–it was his wonderful party that brought about this amalgamation!! What a mess the Liberals and Conservatives have made of health care in Ontario!