Welcome to our first Lifeline Newsletter for 2026!  

As we set course for the year ahead, we want to begin by thanking you—our supporters, neighbours, and advocates—who stood with us through this advocacy journey over the last two years.

Our success is defined by persistence, community engagement, and a shared belief that South Muskoka deserves accessible, equitable, sustainable hospital care, close to home.  Your continued interest, encouragement, and voices make a meaningful difference.

Through 2025, the Save South Muskoka Hospital Committee volunteers worked tirelessly to raise awareness, engage decision-makers, and ensure that the healthcare needs of our communities remain front and centre in public discourse.

We are particularly proud of the ongoing commitment by the community to keep our new signs on display, your engagement with local candidates at our Public Forum during the provincial election, and your poignant questions during our Virtual Town Hall in September and, perhaps most importantly, your friendly encouragement and drop-ins at the Cranberry Festival last October.  

Through our public outreach, meetings with elected officials and the hospital foundation, press releases, and ongoing dialogue with leaders, we have collectively demonstrated that informed, respectful, and determined advocacy matters.

While challenges remain, our collective efforts keep the critical questions concerning the MAHC redevelopment model on the table and reinforce the importance of transparency, equity, and patient-centred planning.

The Save South Muskoka Hospital Committee remains ambitious and resolute.  We will continue our advocacy for hospital redevelopment plans that genuinely serve South Muskoka—plans that reflect population growth, geographic realities, and common sense and ensure support for our local healthcare providers.  We will stay engaged with decision-makers, informed in our efforts by evidence and guided by community values.  With your continued support, we are committed to pushing for positive change and ensuring that South Muskoka’s voice is heard clearly and consistently.

Together, we move forward with our advocacy with renewed determination, hope, and a shared commitment to protecting and strengthening the future for South Muskoka Memorial Hospital.

- The Save South Muskoka Committee

 

In addition to our regular updates, we are pleased to present a new "DID YOU KNOW...?" series where we address healthcare delivery topics in a short awareness-based format.

We are also pleased to provide you with a ready to use email form that can be used to sent to local leaders (below).

MAHC's Stage 1.3 functional plan for the hospital redevelopment project remains under provincial review, with no announced decision or timeline for approval.   MAHC's plan was submitted in November 2024 to the province following MAHC's determination of (1) hospital sites; (2) the local share funding commitment of $225M; and (3) the functional healthcare delivery model, including its proposed 46-bed hospital for South Muskoka. 

While extended review periods are not uncommon for large infrastructure projects, the length of this process may reflect the seriousness of the issues that have been raised by the community and by the Save South Muskoka Hospital Committee. Persistent questions around feasibility, cost, and long-term service delivery appear to be receiving closer scrutiny at the provincial level.

Since January 2024, the Committee, the community and local healthcare workers have identified significant and troubling concerns with MAHC's Stage 1.3 plans:

- significant site remediation costs for 300 Pine Street,

- material oversight with respect to an accessible and reliable transportation model,

- uncertainty about how a reduced hospital in South Muskoka will support a rapidly growing and aging population.

These are not minor details—they go directly to whether the proposed redevelopment can deliver safe, reliable, and sustainable care for Muskoka residents. The continued provincial review may suggest that these concerns are being carefully examined, reinforcing the importance of community advocacy.

We remain hopeful that with your support this provincial review will result in a more transparent, accountable, and ultimately stronger plan that truly serves South Muskoka now and into the future.   

We are pleased to announce that we will be hosting another public forum.  Agenda and sign up details to follow.  Please plan to join us to discuss the latest developments and ask your questions. 

Be counted as a concerned resident and help us make change.

The installation of an MRI in Huntsville expands daytime diagnostic capacity — but it is currently staffed only 9 a.m.–5 p.m., Monday–Friday. With local on-site MRI capacity now available, neighbouring hospitals (e.g. Orillia) that run 24/7 scanners are declining routine transfers from areas served locally. The result: evenings, nights and weekends lack a reliable after-hours imaging option.   This equates to a reduction of available services and a gap that can delay urgent scans, lengthen emergency-department stays, require ambulance transfers, and increase cost and stress for patients and families who need imaging outside the normal business hours.

Call to Action:  Ask MAHC and our MPP to: (1) publish a plan to provide weekend/after-hours MRI coverage, or (2) establish a formal transfer agreement with a 24/7 centre for after-hours imaging.

Specifically ask:  “Please commit to a plan that guarantees timely after-hours MRI access for Muskoka residents.”

The Obstetrics (OB) unit at South Muskoka Memorial Hospital remains closed, with no written public update from the Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare (MAHC) since May and unfulfilled promises for an update this past September. 

This lack of communication is deeply concerning for families, care providers, and the broader community who continue to wait for clarity. We are informed that MAHC is required to get provincial approval to reopen the unit.

The closure was presented as a temporary measure, yet nearly a year later, there is still no clear timeline, no progress update, and no explanation as to what steps—if any—are being taken by MAHC toward reopening the unit to meet provincial requirements or otherwise.  

OB services are not optional or ancillary; they are essential to the health and safety of mothers, newborns, and families across South Muskoka. Prolonged silence undermines public confidence and places additional stress on expectant parents who must now plan for care farther from home, often in time-sensitive and high-risk situations which may be further impacted by the winter weather.

Our community deserves transparency, accountability, and a clear plan.

We call on MAHC to provide an urgent public update and to reaffirm its commitment to restoring obstetrical services at South Muskoka Hospital as promised with a defined process and expected timeline.

Local physicians report dramatic increases in ultrasound wait times due to staffing shortfalls, leaving primary care and emergency teams challenged to schedule timely imaging for patients. The CT scanner faces the same staffing instability: when local CT access is unavailable, patients may be sent to other hospitals, wasting time and resources and increasing transport costs. These delays can affect diagnoses, treatment plans and patient safety.

Call to Action:  Ask MAHC and the Ministry of Health for a staffing stabilization plan for imaging services and a clear interim protocol guaranteeing rapid acceptance of transfers for emergency scans.

Suggested : “Please publish a staffing and contingency plan to restore timely ultrasound and CT access for South Muskoka patients.”

Subject: Urgent: Restore essential imaging and OB access for South Muskoka residents

Hello — I’m a Muskoka resident concerned about limited MRI hours, rising ultrasound/CT wait times, and the extended closure of OB services at South Muskoka. Please publish a concrete timeline and staffing plan to: (1) restore after-hours MRI access or provide a formal transfer agreement; (2) stabilize ultrasound and CT staffing with an interim emergency transfer protocol; and (3) reopen OB services while protecting the prenatal clinic. I would appreciate a prompt response and a public update.

— [Your name, town, optional phone/email]

CONTACTS FOR MAHC AND ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES OFFICIALS - CLICK HERE

SSMHC is deeply concerned that MAHC applied a deeply flawed process and that 300 Pine Street is a bad choice. 

At a minimum, there must be a new review undertaken to ensure that the proposed 46-bed hospital would fit on the 300 Pine Street lands given that MAHC had only planned a 14-bed hospital at the time that it selected the site.   

The community deserves more transparency and answers!

 

Moving Beyond the “Hockey Rivalry” Narrative in the Bracebridge-Commissioned Review of MAHC

 

The Town of Bracebridge commissioned a third-party review of the current hospital redevelopment proposal though Medcura Health.

SSMHC has reviewed the final report and has identified several key concerns — along with a few important acknowledgments about the current MAHC redevelopment plans. [Read More]

In late September, the Save South Muskoka Hospital Committee hosted a virtual town hall.  We were extremely pleased with the community interest and are looking forward to hosting another public gathering soon.  Stay tuned!  

Access the recorded Town Hall on our website.

 

Thank you to the Cranberry Festival organizers for the opportunity to engage with the public at last October's event. We very much appreciated the support and inquiries that we received from the public.

The SSMHC is now set up to receive credit card (and Apple Pay) donations. 

Any amount is greatly appreciated to assist with this important advocacy.  

IPlease take care to store or protect lawn signs for the winter months.

If your sign needs a refresh, please let us know.  

Window signs, pamphlets and business cards are also available for distribution for FREE.  Please email ssmh@ssmh.ca for delivery.

If you are part of a group that would like to receive an update from the SSMHC, please let us know!   We want to spread the word about our advocacy efforts throughout the community.

We are currently providing  presentations (10-20 minutes) to update on our understanding the redevelopment process, the changes we'd like to see, and the efforts of our committee. 

Please email ssmh@ssmh.ca to request to connect with one of our Executive Members to discuss setting this up.

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Thank you for your ongoing support!

KEEP THE PROMISE!  

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