Newmarket-Aurora MPP, Ontario Deputy Premier and Minister of Health Christine Elliot writes a regular monthly column series for NewmarketToday about provincial initiatives and issues impacting our community.
Our government has been hard at work to keep our community healthy and help local businesses thrive. In 2019, we made significant investments in Aurora and Newmarket that support better access to services and health care, including:
- $150,000 for the York Curling Club in Newmarket through the Ontario Trillium Foundation Grant to help with the cost of repairing the roof of their facility. This will enable our community to continue to enjoy this great space.
- $6.3 million of Quest for Gold funding which directly supports athletes, coaching and training programs. Fourteen constituents from Aurora and Newmarket received a portion of the funding. Our government is proud that this program supports athletes by providing resources that will help them excel nationally and internationally.
- $100,000 for the new Digital Service Squad, consisting of digital marketing professionals who provide guidance, resources and recommendations to businesses on how they can grow their online presence. We are helping local businesses with their competitive edge and keeping Ontario open for business.
As Minister of Health, my priority is keeping our community and all Ontarians healthy as we continue our work to end hallway health care. Over the past year, we have made great progress with the following:
- $3 million for mental health and addictions services in York Region. This funding is directly supporting programs and services right here in our community. The funding will support services such as child and youth mental health, early psychosis intervention and community addictions services. This is just the beginning as our government is committed to investing $3.8 billion over 10 years to develop and implement a comprehensive and connected mental health and addictions strategy. We will continue to work toward creating a York Region and Ontario where everyone is fully supported in their journey toward mental well-being.
- $5 million for Southlake Regional Health Centre to expand home and community care services for the people of York Region. By making these significant investments at Southlake and supporting partnerships between home and community care providers and busy hospitals, patients will experience quicker transitions between receiving hospital care and returning home with the appropriate support they need to properly recover. These investments will also ensure that more hospital beds are available for those who need them. This type of major investment will help end hallway health care and build more capacity in our community.
- $17,510 for the Seniors Community Grant award to the York Region Municipality that will support seniors in our community with innovative opportunities for social engagement, education, and by connecting them to resources and tools that support independence and healthy aging.
- $47,787 to the Newmarket Seniors Meeting place to support their Seniors Active Living Centre Program, helping keep seniors healthy at home and out of the hospital.
Our own local Southlake Community Ontario Health Team as one of the first 24 teams in the province to implement a new model of organizing and delivering health care that better connects patients and providers in their communities to improve patient outcomes. Through this Ontario Health Team, patients will experience easier transitions from one provider to another, including, for example, between hospitals and home care providers, with one patient story, one patient record and one care plan. The enthusiasm of all the local health partners in our community has been incredible. I am confident that our local team will provide the long-awaited connected health services that our community expects and deserves.
I would also like to thank SOYRA (Society of York Region Artists) for providing an art rotation in our community office over the past year. Currently, our office is exhibiting the work of Sandra Murphy. Her still life paintings feature antique or vintage items, children’s toys, old tools and common household items. Her paintings are very peaceful and soothing, and I personally love the shadow effects she uses to capture the true essence of the subject. Please come by our office to view this exhibit.
If you would like to discuss any provincial matters with me, call me at our community office 905-853-9889.
**************************
