Polite, specific, and impossible to ignore.
We are not against the new hospitals. We are asking for one decision to be reconsidered. Say that clearly, say where you live, and say what the clinic has meant to you.
Talking points
Say where you live. Representation from north of Huntsville is the whole point.
Be clear you support both new hospitals. This is about one service, not the project.
Name the impact: an extra 30 minutes each way after chemotherapy, and an hour of a caregiver’s unpaid leave per appointment.
Mention Highway 11. There is no alternate route, and it closes.
Ask a direct question: why was service distribution never part of public consultation?
Keep it short and courteous. One page, signed with your name and township.
Letter you can send as-is
Dear [name],
I am writing about the plan to move the cancer clinic from the Huntsville District Memorial site to Bracebridge as part of MAHC’s redevelopment.
I support both new hospitals. I am asking that oncology and infusion services remain in Huntsville. For patients north of Huntsville, the move adds roughly 30 minutes each way, an hour per treatment, on a stretch of Highway 11 with no practical alternate route and regular winter closures. That burden falls on people immediately after chemotherapy, and on the family members who drive them.
MAHC consulted the public on the buildings, but not on how services would be divided between them. Please reconsider this decision while the plan is still in the Ministry of Health’s capital planning stages.
[Your name]
[Your township]
Who to contact
Start with MAHC's President & CEO, this is her decision to revisit, then the province, then your own representatives.
MAHC, start here
Cheryl Harrison
President & CEO, Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare
705-789-2311 ext. 6002
cheryl.harrison@mahc.ca
MAHC
Bobbie Clark
Director, Communications & Stakeholder Relations
705-789-2311 ext. 3336
bobbie.clark@mahc.ca
MAHC board
Dave Uffelmann
Board Chair (reach via the Board Liaison)
705-789-2311 ext. 2342
info@mahc.ca
Province of Ontario
Hon. Sylvia Jones
Deputy Premier and Minister of Health
416-327-4300
sylvia.jones@ontario.ca
Our representatives
Hon. Graydon Smith
MPP, Muskoka–Parry Sound
Bracebridge office
705-645-8538 · toll free 1-888-267-4826
Parry Sound office
705-746-4266 · toll free 1-888-701-1176
graydon.smithco@pc.ola.org
Our representatives
Hon. Scott Aitchison
MP, Parry Sound–Muskoka
Your own council
Your mayor and council
Ask them to pass a resolution, thirteen already have
Your municipal office
Sign the petition
The paper petition is already circulating and has the backing of 13 municipal councils. The online petition supplements it, every name counts once.
SIGN ONLINE