Liberal Jim Bradley remains secretive regarding cancelled LHIN investigation

Further to the concerns raised here, let's look at Ontario Premier Liar Dalton McGuinty's sneaky little manoeuvre (buried in the Liberal's March budget) whereby they cancelled [er, postponed indefinitely...] their own promised legislative LHIN review! Another day, another McGuinty Liberal lie...

Did we miss this story in the St.Catharines Standard? Did the Standard bother to report this story? Were any Standard reporters assigned to look at McGuinty's LHIN deception and how it impacts us locally in Niagara - seeing that Ombudsman Andre Marin had a concurrent - and still secret - investigation into the Niagara LHIN? Did the Standard even bother to ask for a response from Niagara MPP's Kim Craitor and Jim Bradley, the local Liberal hacks whose duplicitous government is responsible for this latest example of Liberal healthcare duplicity?

Here's a report that Cathy Dobson wrote in the Sarnia Observer, Mar. 31, 2010:

"Sarnia-Lambton Conservative MPP Bob Bailey attacked the Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) system Tuesday, calling it "nothing but a political slush fund."

The opposition intends to uncover the reasons behind a "quiet cancellation" of a legislative review for the LHINs, Bailey said.

"This is a big story for us. We raised at least five or six questions in the House about it (Tuesday)."

Bailey has repeatedly lambasted the LHINs in recent weeks, saying they lack account a b i l i t y and have awarded numerous untendered consulting contracts to their Liberal friends.

Ontario created 14 integrated networks in 2006 to do regional healthcare planning and distribute healthcare dollars to hospitals, agencies and support services.

The Conservative's latest accusation is that a scheduled review of the health networks was canceled in the recent provincial budget.

"(The cancellation) was buried somewhere in the budget in a nondescript location," Bailey said. "They used a budget bill to strip accountability out of their own legislation."

He said recent revelations that millions of dollars in untendered contracts were awarded by the LHINs convinced the Liberals to cancel the review.

But Liberal MPP Maria VanBommel of Lambton-Kent-Middlesex says the review has not been canceled, just postponed.

"We still say there will be a review but the timeframe has been changed," she said.

There are no specifics about a new review date, however, it must take place within two years, according to VanBommel.

She said the Conservative bashing of the LHIN system is unfounded and that it's a better system than the old district health council bureaucracy, which included regional government offices and far more expense.

"The LHINs bring decision-making closer to the local level," VanBommel said. "They are still new and there's a learning curve for everyone, including the LHINs."

The Opposition's allegation that more than $7 million worth of untendered contracts have been awarded by the LHINs is old news, she added.

"They're really going back in history. The government has changed the rules about all of that and the process is changed." There are now clear guidelines surrounding contracts."

She said the Liberals are happy to answer all questions about Ontario healthcare and have investigated each Conservative accusation about the LHINs.

"There's no dirty little secret. There's no secrets at all, and I think the LHINs are getting better at the delivery of healthcare."

In July, the LHINs take over the added responsibility of longterm care from the Ministry of Health and Longterm Care.

"We don't want to do a review until they've had a chance to get used to all their responsibilities," VanBommel said.

The Liberal's reluctance to reappoint Ontario Ombudsman Andre Marin for a full term is connected to the Opposition's accusations about the LHIN, Bailey added.

"Andre Marin was investigating the LHINs and had given his draft report to the government," he said. "We're wondering what's in that report. We think it's all tied together."

The government gave Marin a six-month extension to his term just this week."

Why had this latest trick by Dalton McGuinty and his government of Liberal serial liars not been given prominence in our local press? The St. Catharines Standard has had about two months since the budget to put together some kind of story on this latest Liberal deception. It has all but ignored it.

... [btw - note carefully how VanBommel above defends her government's LHIN-investigation-cancellation/postponement by lauding the LHIN's "learning curve": why, they're "getting better", dontcha know!! Why, they're still 'getting used to their responsibilities'!!

Pardon?!

'Learning curve'...?

This is now the Liberal's excuse: that the LHIN's are still 'getting used to their responsibilities'?! You mean - all this time, the LHIN's have not really been sure of what they were doing?! Seriously?!]

How's that for re-assurance: VanBommel now openly acknowledges that George Smitherman's LHIN scam was an amateur hack-job from the start: ill-conceived and unprepared. Liberal MPP VanBommel essentially admitted it. How nice to know that our healthcare - while we are trapped in a Liberal-run health monopoly - has been entrusted to a bunch of bureaucratic not-ready-for-primetime greenhorns, who are learnin' healthcare delivery on the job, and by golly-gosh-darn, they're gettin' better at it all the time!!

Frankly, this is a shocking revelation by VanBommel. Deb Matthews should immediately explain this.

And, VanBommel's blabbing that "there's no secrets at all" is laughable Liberal drivel: her Liberals are all about secrecy and deception (just look at Jim Bradley). What audacity - especially in light of the LHIN charade - to even attempt to spin it otherwise!!] ...

Why has the St.Catharines Standard not even reported local Liberal MPP Bradley's reaction to his government's latest broken LHIN-investigation promise? Has Jim Bradley been asked by the Standard to explain why his Liberal government quietly cancelled the LHIN review? Has Jim Bradley answered why the Ombudsman's planned investigation into Niagara's LHIN (as reported on Mar.25, 2009 by the Standard's Grant LaFleche) has since been covered up - and what the links may be between the Liberal-promised/Liberal-cancelled legislative LHIN review, and the separate, still-secret Ombudsman's investigation into the Niagara LHIN?

Why are Niagara's local Liberal MPP's being given an easy ride on this issue?

Has LaFleche (or any other Standard reporter) been assigned to follow-up his own 2009 story - still mysteriously unfinished over a year later?!

Yep - we can't make our golden favourites look bad. Why... it's as if Liberals Bradley and Craitor have nothin' to do with any of this!!!!