Isabel Mosseler
Tribune
West Nipissing presented a united front at the Rural Ontario Municipalities Association (ROMA) conference in Toronto on January 21-23, with officials from both the town and the WN General Hospital (WNGH) making a joint presentation to Minister of Health Sylvia Jones.
Mayor Kathleen Thorne Rochon and Sue Lebeau, CEO of West Nipissing General Hospital, led the local delegation focused on addressing funding, sustainability, and staffing challenges faced by WNGH. Mayor Rochon emphasized the bilingual nature of the hospital, while Lebeau concentrated on funding, infrastructure and staffing deficits. Municipal Coun. Jamie Restoule, board chair of WNGH, was also part of the delegation.
Mayor Rochon noted that the hospital plays an extremely significant role in the community beyond hospital care, offering lab services, testing, 38 long-term care beds, and a palliative care unit, to name a few. She also pointed out that the hospital serves significant Francophone and Indigenous populations in West Nipissing. She highlighted the need for more bilingual workers, making recruitment pressures heavier on communities like West Nipissing and others in Northern Ontario.
In light of this need, during the plenary zone session for northeastern Ontario, Mayor Rochon advocated for policies supporting francophone immigrants. Her comments received spontaneous applause from her colleagues in the northeast who are feeling the same pinch. “When we were speaking about staffing challenges, the bilingual nature of the hospital and serving a large Indigenous population came to the forefront… For these immigrants, it needs to be sold to them that there are communities in Ontario where you can live in your language, where your children can be well-educated in a French school system, and where you can get services in French in the community, whether shopping at Canadian Tire or the bakery.”
She would like to see more emphasis on making federal and provincial francophone immigration plans work to the advantage of northeastern communities. “I’m absolutely in support of programs attracting francophone immigration, but these programs need to be matched with policies that get immigrants into communities that genuinely need them… Whether you’re an anglophone but bilingual, or francophone but bilingual, it doesn’t matter to me, as long as you’re able to communicate effectively.”
She added that having Sue Lebeau lead the delegation on behalf of the municipality showcased the commitment of West Nipissing council in addressing local healthcare challenges and advocating for policies that cater to the unique needs of this community. She noted that the hospital is a lifeline to the aging population, and that a bilingual staff ensures seamless communication for elderly residents, creating an environment where seniors feel understood and cared for in their own language.
Sue Lebeau shared with Minister Jones the key concerns and challenges faced by the hospital, most notably the continual shortage of healthcare personnel. This shortage has forced the hospital to hire locum staff to fill the gaps, costing much more then regular, permanent staff would cost. “The idea of not having enough people to provide healthcare is a significant challenge. This not only drives up costs through mechanisms like overtime and outside agency use, but also poses a threat to the overall delivery of healthcare services,” the CEO explained.
Another significant issue is the constant struggle for funding to maintain and replace expensive medical equipment. With hospitals often grappling with the financial burden of ensuring their equipment stays up to date, they often turn to fundraising, however this can also be labour intensive, Lebeau emphasized. “It takes time and energy, and we have to be sure that we monitor the returns and make sure that it’s worth doing.” Of course, West Nipissing was not the only community to share this message. Lebeau said the Minister “didn’t seem surprised. Certainly, through many channels, hospitals have been talking about the issues that we’re facing. So, I believe she’s aware.”
