By Tara Currie
Ottawa Centre Liberal MPP Richard Patten is making education and health care his priorities for the current sitting of the Ontario legislature.
“These are areas that I think are important and these are areas where the government has weak spots,” Patten says. “Education will be a big focus.”
Patten says he wants the Eves government to negotiate a more equitable situation with the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board that would see administrative and financial power returned to board trustees.
Currently, a government-appointed supervisor has the authority to make financial and administrative decisions for the school board.
“The government had full opportunity to negotiate with the board but they wanted to use Ottawa as an example to show how tough they could be,” Patten says. “Having a supervisor undercuts the power of the trustees who were elected.”
The Tories hired Al Rosen, an accountant, in August to examine the Ottawa board’s $20-million deficit. He recommended Education Minister Elizabeth Witmer appoint a supervisor.
At a news conference in August, Lynn Graham, vice-chair of the Ottawa board, called the appointment of a supervisor “the latest example of the cowardly and callous attitude which the Conservatives have towards education in general and towards Ottawa in particular.”
Patten says a Liberal government would restore the board’s administrative and financial powers and increase funding for education.
The MPP was on hand when provincial Liberal party Leader Dalton McGuinty outlined his plans for education at the Greenboro Daycare Centre Sept. 27.
McGuinty said the plan, entitled “Education for All,” would introduce a cap of 20 students per class from junior kindergarten to Grade 3. The provincial Liberal leader also said the plan would ensure three quarters of households with children under four years of age are eligible for assistance.
Patten says the Liberal education plan would provide school boards with sufficient resources to maintain important teaching staff – like librarians and special education teachers.
As far as health care is concerned, Patten says the Tory government should have a stronger focus on community-based health care.
“I’d like to see a stronger system of primary care which is community-based and not have everything go through the ‘high-tech’ hospitals,” he says. “Our system is too hospital- based.”
Marguarite Keeley is executive director of the Centretown Community Health Centre, which provides medical and social services to Ottawa South, Glebe and Centretown residents. She agrees with Patten and says the Ontario government should focus more on community-based health care.
“We are hoping the Ontario government will look closely at an expansion of the community health centre program,” Keeley says. “We believe we can provide a good, strong community-based service.”
Keeley says community health centres are very beneficial and that there are few private physicians in Centretown who are willing to take on new patients.
Centretown resident Rodney Perry says he has been looking for a doctor for the past few months, but has been unable to find one accepting new patients.
“It’s pretty frustrating,” Perry says. “I’m young and fairly healthy – I can’t imagine what this wait would be like for a senior citizen.”