(November 5, 2026) By: Jeffrey Ougler, Sault Ste Marie & Regional News<\/p>\n
At an Ontario Health Coalition town hall meeting in Sault Ste. Marie, retired physician and infectious disease specialist Dr. Dick Zoutman highlighted how private healthcare is diverting resources from an already underfunded public system. He pointed to public hospital MRI machines that sit unused despite growing patient demand, with Ontario’s median MRI wait time increasing from 35 to more than 47 days. The machines are already paid for, what is missing is funding to employ MRI technologists and extend operating hours.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the provinical government directed $155 million in public funds toward developing private MRI clinics, rather than expanding capacity in exisiting public hospitals. Zoutman argues this is ultimately a business opportunity for private investors disguised as a solution to patient wait times. He also highlighted ongoing emergency department closures, staffing shortages, and service disruptions across the 3 sites in the North Shore Health Network and Sault Area Hospital.<\/p>\n
Zoutman emphasized that these shortcomings are not accidental, but reflect deliberate funding decisions that leave public hospitals starved and struggling. Drawing on his 6 years practicing in Alberta, he warned against Alberta’s Bill 11, arguing that privatization is not a solution to healthcare shortages and undermines the Canada Health Act. Steven Staples, Director of Policy at the Canadian Health Coalition, echoed these concerns at the town hall meeting, warning that the model could spread to other provinces and emphasizing the need to defend universal public healthcare as a shared national commitment. Natalie Mehra, Executive Director of the Ontario Health Coalition, also shared concerns about the Alberta government potentially misleading the public about its healthcare agenda. Similarly, Albert Dupuis, co-chair of the Algoma Health Coalition, challenged the framing and packaging of healthcare privatization as an “innovative solution”, when it simply creates greater inequities for Canadians.<\/p>\n