Our cause depends on community involvement. Your participation is vital to saving South Muskoka Hospital. Help us protect and advance hospital care in South Muskoka for the future!
Get Involved:
Get informed on our website and read the latest news from SSMHC, then:
- Sign up to become a Community Member in support of SSMHC
- Sign our current petition targeting the $77M local share from the District of Muskoka – See below!
- Contact local municipal and provincial politicians, and the MAHC board indicating your concerns and calling for them to keep the promise of two acute care hospitals in both Huntsville and Bracebridge. A list of contacts can be found here: https://ssmh.ca/government-and-mahc-contacts/
- Donate and be a Friend of our committee
Community Membership: Sign up to be counted in our ranks as a resident actively concerned for the future of South Muskoka Hospital. Receive the latest information and releases from SSMHC by email. Terms and conditions apply.
Lawn Sign Update
- Before December 1, residents are reminded to responsibly remove lawn signs for safe storage through the winter
- Signs can be placed in windows for display or otherwise will be re-used in the spring 2025
- Window Signs are available – please email [email protected] with your request (including name, address and telephone number)
- Sign drop-off for someone else’s use, please email [email protected] for details
A Message From The Save South Muskoka Hospital ( SSMH ) Advocacy Groups regarding Lawn Signs
Dear South Muskoka Residents – Thank you for your amazing support in recent months and for helping us achieve a positive difference. Our plan is to keep advocating strongly and effectively at the Provincial and Ministry of Health levels, and to make more additions to much needed bed allocations. Clearly, there is still strong community opposition to the the very inequitable and flawed model proposed by MAHC of only 46 beds at the future South Muskoka Hospital site and 121 beds allotted to Huntsville. There are many disadvantages to this inequitable Regional Model that simply does not fit the realties and the future health needs of Muskoka and more advocacy is needed. We will also be working on ensuring the District of Muskoka works on creating new Alternative Level of Care ( ALC ) spaces in the community in the future as well.
We are recommending a unified community show of support for South Muskoka residents to take in their lawn signs for the winter commencing Tuesday, November 12th with hopes that all signs are taken in by Sunday, December 1st.
Our intention is to re-use the lawn signs in a continued lawn sign campaign and future phase of advocacy in spring 2025. In the meantime, you are welcome to place the lawn sign in your window for ongoing display or you can request a window sign by emailing [email protected]. At this time, if you would prefer to return your lawn sign for someone else’s use, please email [email protected] and we can provide further direction on drop-off locations.
Thank you, Save South Muskoka Hospital ( SSMH ) – South Muskoka Matters and The Save South Muskoka Hospital Committee ( SSMHC )
Further Recommended Action for the Community (October 2024)
- Residents of Muskoka Lakes, Lake of Bays and Gravenhurst must continue to raise their concerns with municipal councillors and the District Chair. Concerningly, SSMHC is of the view that District councillors from these area municipalities may support MAHC’s Made in Muskoka model despite its many faults.
- Residents in Bracebridge must demand that the Town withhold the $10M local share contribution. Further, residents must also demand that Town Council stop the transfer of land to MAHC for a hospital site that will not properly serve the community.
- South Muskoka must demand advocacy support from our South Muskoka municipalities. SSMHC is aware of other municipalities in the province that have taken on an advocacy role in support of their respective local hospital. There remains opportunity for this to occur in South Muskoka.
- Residents must support and advocate for the Care Close to Home model. SSMHC strongly supports the Care Close to Home model as part of an overall equitable, two acute care hospital solution for Muskoka which would include 60 acute care beds at a future South Muskoka hospital site.
ON YOUR TO-DO LIST: EMAIL THE PREMIER
SSMHC IS ENCOURAGING ALL CONCERNED RESIDENTS TO WRITE DIRECTLY TO THE PREMIER OF ONTARIO, THE HONOURABLE DOUG FORD, TO EXPRESS THEIR CONCERNS, INCLUDING THAT THE MADE IN MUSKOKA MODEL BE STOPPED.
EMAIL: [email protected]
Petitions
Second Petition to District of Muskoka regarding Local Share
This is the current active petition!
Instructions for the Petition
We are asking the District and the towns and townships to hold any commitment for money for the “local share” by petitioning them with the following:
1. Copy The petition below
2. Sign: YOUR NAME, YOUR MUSKOKA ADDRESS
3. Go to the District email portal and put in your name and email address for a response. click the box that says “not a robot”
4. Let them know you are behind the doctors and the “Care Close to Home” plan. The email portal is linked here: The District Municipality of Muskoka
5. Hit send. (There will be paper copies as well, but this gets it to them faster.)
Petition Below
To The District Municipality of Muskoka:
WHEREAS, A resolution by the District Council that was Moved, Seconded and Carried on September 21, 2015 ENDORSING Resolutions by the towns of Huntsville and Bracebridge to petition the Province of Ontario to ensure that a full range of core hospital services, including acute care inpatient, emergency, diagnostic and surgical services, are MAINTAINED on a multi-site basis at BOTH the South Muskoka Memorial Hospital and the Huntsville District Memorial Hospital;
AND WHEREAS MAHC has received a commitment for funding based on that Resolution
We the undersigned Petition the District Municipality of Muskoka and their Townships / Towns to pass a motion that they will not vary from the Resolution #158/2015 ENDORSED AND PASSED on September 21, 2015 and will hold any funding commitment until that Resolution is fulfilled.
Physical copies of the petition can be found in the following locations:
Port Carling
Apothecary
Food Land
Bala
Pharmasave
Pizza Nova
Hook and Ladder Restaurant
Foodland
Torrance
Clear Lake Brewing
Gravenhurst
Terry’s Your Independent Grocer
Currie’s Music
Bethune Variety
Seniors Centre
South Muskoka Healthcare
Rombos Restaurant
Home Hardware
Anne’s Variety
Mighty Mary
Chamberlain Timber Mart
Bracebridge
Big River Bakery
Anglican Church
Classy Cuts
Seniors Centre
Cottage Winery
Natural Food Store
Rene’s Barber Shop
Majestic Hair style
Annex
Owl & Pen Book Store
Independent Grocers
Mark’s Work Warehouse
Medical Arts Building
Fabricare
Bracebridge Medical
Laundromat
Muskoka Lumber
Dr. Stuart Robson, Dentist
Homestyle Cafe
Kurtz Restaurant
Muskoka Chrysler
Greavette GM
Hammond Transportation
Kabota North
Baysville
The Fuel Emporium XTR gas
Groovys Cannabis
Port Sydney
Fresh Mart
Dean’s Home Hardware
Windermere
Windermere Corners Gas Station
Bent River
Bent River General Store
Rosseau
Rosseau General Store
First Petition to Ontario Legislature regarding MAHC Board – Completed
This petition is completed/closed.
Please note the Ontario government only accepts petitions in paper copy. Thanks to the efforts of Dan and Cindy Waters, this petition was presented in the Legislature on April 12, 2024. Thank you to the 7500+ that participated in this petition.
The language of this petition reads as follows:
To The Legislative Assembly of Ontario:
WHEREAS, Muskoka Algonquin Health Care Board of Directors appoints all members of their Board of Directors and since there is no democratic selection to the Board by our local communities, and
WHERAS Muskoka Algonquin Health Care Board has decided to change South Muskoka Hospital into what we see as a temporary Emergency Rest Stop with reduced general hospital beds and services in South Muskoka despite that South Muskoka Memorial Hospital has had 35% more inpatient days and 12% more admissions over the past 5 years than Huntsville District Memorial Hospital, the Board suggests that Huntsville’s hospital should increase in beds and services by more than 153% despite greater demand in South Muskoka and
WHEREAS a move to make such a change will cause health, economic and social strife for South Muskoka’s communities,
WE the undersigned petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to unanimously agree to:
1. disregard any suggestion or applications by the current Board of Directors to the Ministry of Health for any changes to hospital services at Muskoka Algonquin Health Care and
2. allow the community to choose their Board of Directors in a democratic fashion or dissolve Muskoka Algonquin Health Care and return to 2 Boards chosen by residents that will work toward sharing services to reduce costs of having 2 hospitals.
