The committee met at 0905 in committee room 1.

SUBCOMMITTEE REPORT

The Chair (Mr. Ernie Hardeman): Since we have a quorum, we’ll call the meeting to order. Good morning. Thank you, everyone, for being here this morning. We have a number of issues to deal with today.

We’ll start off with the subcommittee report of October 21. Can we have a motion to deal with the subcommittee report? Mr. Brown.

Mr. Michael A. Brown: I so move, Mr. Chair.

The Chair (Mr. Ernie Hardeman): Mr. Brown moves the adoption of the subcommittee report of October 21. You’ve heard the motion. Any discussion? If not, all those in favour? Opposed? The motion is carried.

INTENDED APPOINTMENTS

MS. LORRAINE GANDOLFO

Review of intended appointment, selected by official opposition party: Lorraine Gandolfo, intended appointee as member, Central West Local Health Integration Network.

The Chair (Mr. Ernie Hardeman): We now have to deal with a number of concurrences from our last meeting. The first would be the intended appointment of Lorraine Gandolfo as member of the Central West Local Health Integration Network. Can we have a motion for the concurrence?

Mr. Michael A. Brown: I’ve made that motion, Mr. Chair.

The Chair (Mr. Ernie Hardeman): Okay. We have a motion for concurrence from Mr. Brown. Any discussion on the motion?

Mr. Michael A. Brown: I think we’ve asked for recorded votes already.

Ayes

Albanese, Brown, Cansfield, Lalonde, Rinaldi.

Nays

Savoline.

The Chair (Mr. Ernie Hardeman): The motion is carried.

MR. PATRICK O’MALLEY

Review of intended appointment, selected by official opposition party: Patrick O’Malley, intended appointee as member, Erie St. Clair Local Health Integration Network.

The Chair (Mr. Ernie Hardeman): Our second concurrence is the intended appointment of Patrick O’Malley as a member of the Erie St. Clair Local Health Integration Network, and we have a motion to concur with that from Mr. Brown on the table.

Mr. Michael A. Brown: Recorded vote.

The Chair (Mr. Ernie Hardeman): We have a motion. Any discussion?

Ayes

Albanese, Brown, Cansfield, Lalonde, Rinaldi.

Nays

Savoline.

The Chair (Mr. Ernie Hardeman): The motion is carried.

MS. LYNDA DAVENPORT

Review of intended appointment, selected by official opposition party: Lynda Davenport, intended appointee as member, Waterloo Wellington Local Health Integration Network.

The Chair (Mr. Ernie Hardeman): The third one is the intended appointment of Lynda Davenport as a member of the Waterloo Wellington Local Health Integration Network.

0910

Mr. Michael A. Brown: Recorded vote.

The Chair (Mr. Ernie Hardeman): We have a motion to concur from Mr. Brown. You’ve heard the motion. Discussion? If not, all those in favour?

Ayes

Albanese, Brown, Cansfield, Lalonde, Rinaldi.

Nays

Savoline.

The Chair (Mr. Ernie Hardeman): The motion is carried.

That concludes the deferred concurrences.

MR. MICHAEL SHEA

Review of intended appointment, selected by official opposition party: Michael Shea, intended appointee as member, Hamilton Niagara Haldimand Brant Local Health Integration Network.

The Chair (Mr. Ernie Hardeman): This morning we have one interview. It’s Michael Shea. Michael is recommended as a member for the Hamilton Niagara Haldimand Brant Local Health Integration Network. Mr. Shea, if you wish to come forward—I guess the best way to describe it is if you sit right behind that pitcher of water on the table.

We thank you very much for coming in this morning, Mr. Shea. As we do with all, we will offer you the opportunity to make some opening remarks. Upon the conclusion of your remarks, we will then have 10 minutes for each party to raise any questions as they relate to your appointment and your presentation. At the end of that, that will conclude the interview.

With that, the floor is yours for making your opening remarks.

Mr. Michael Shea: Mr. Chair and members of the committee, I thank you for the opportunity to appear today to discuss my suitability as a potential member for the Hamilton Niagara Haldimand Brant Local Health Integration Network.

For the past few years, I have followed with interest news stories about the LHIN in the local media, most specifically the Hamilton Spectator.

Around February or March of this year, I logged on to the site of the local LHIN, the Hamilton Niagara Haldimand Brant LHIN, and learned of the vacancy on its board.

I’m an active volunteer with significant experience on committees and boards, especially in the not-for-profit and charity sector, but with very limited experience in regard to health care.

I’m finishing my final year on the board of directors for the Children’s Aid Society of Hamilton as past president, and was looking at the LHIN as another opportunity to serve my community.

Because of my limited experience in health care, I wasn’t sure if I would meet the criteria that that board was looking for, but I believe my experience in the public sector—almost 35 years in policing; my previous board and committee experience dealing with governance issues, operational planning and corporate finance; my experience in strategic planning; and my education and experience in regard to business—might be assets that would assist their board, so I did apply.

I was pleased when, several weeks later, I was given the opportunity to attend before their board and be interviewed for the board vacancy. I was impressed by the detail of questioning by the board, and in particular the chair, Juanita Gledhill. Questioning dealt not as much with health care provisions but more in regard to other attributes that could assist the board, specifically my previous experience on boards and committees, my ability to deal with conflict and conflict resolution, my experience in the public consultation process and my understanding of process and change management.

It was shortly after my interview, which was July 8, that I read Ontario Ombudsman André Marin’s review of the LHIN. Not having heard anything for a while from my interview, I actually thought that maybe while that review was being further discussed and assessed, there might be a delay in any further appointments. Then, a few weeks later, I did receive a phone call from a representative from the Standing Committee on Government Agencies, advising me that I was selected to appear here today.

Why do I want to be a member of the Hamilton Niagara Haldimand Brant LHIN? Because the concept seems to make sense to me.

One identified purpose of the LHIN is to identify opportunities to integrate the services of the local health system to provide appropriate, coordinated, effective and efficient services. That makes sense to me.

The first priority identified in the latest business plan of the Hamilton Niagara Haldimand Brant LHIN, the 2010-11 one, is to improve patient flow and ensure people get the right care in the right place at the right time. That makes sense to me.

Because of the decision-making power of the LHINs, there’s a great opportunity to focus on local community needs and to improve service in health care for patients with the main roles being to plan, fund and integrate health care services locally. That seems to make sense: Make decisions at the local level, understanding that different communities may require different types and different levels of service.

The vision of the LHIN is a “health care system that helps keep people healthy, gets them good care when they are sick and will be there for our children and grandchildren.” As a parent and grandparent, I can relate to that, and I like that vision. As a member of the community served by this LHIN, I want to make sure that we have a voice.

This LHIN covers approximately 7,000 square kilometres and has a population of about 1.4 million people, with more than 70% of them living in the Hamilton and Niagara area. With the exception of the Chair, there is no representative from Hamilton. I believe there are four from the Niagara region, one from Burlington, one from Ohswekan and one from St. George.

The LHIN is not only responsible to the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care but to the health service providers and, ultimately, to all the people who are served by it. That’s a huge responsibility. Although I want to ensure representation for my community, which is the Hamilton area, I also believe that I can provide meaningful input for decisions affecting the entire service area.

What do I think I bring to the table in regard to the appointment? A commitment to be fair and open-minded. I’m a firm believer in the three Es of business: efficiency, effectiveness and economy. I believe I have a good understanding of how these business practices apply in the public sector and in the not-for-profit world. I think there are opportunities to apply these same principles in the LHIN.

I take great pride in my profession as a public servant. I’ve served the Hamilton Police Service and my local community loyally, with dedication and commitment, for almost 35 years. I provide strong leadership, leading by example, setting high standards of performance and creating a work environment conducive of co-operation and motivation. I’m trustworthy and loyal and have a strong sense of pride in my work. I’m a firm believer in professionalism and providing quality service. What I lack in knowledge and experience in regard to health care and long-term-care provisions I believe I make up in enthusiasm and willingness to learn.

If you give me this opportunity, I believe I’ll do a good job, and I promise I won’t let you down.

The Chair (Mr. Ernie Hardeman): Thank you very much for the presentation. I didn’t say it before: We’re starting questioning with the government. Mr. Brown.

Mr. Michael A. Brown: Thank you, Mr. Shea, for putting your name forward for this important appointment.

As you know, it’s the government’s view that decisions made locally about health care are far superior to those made at Queen’s Park. LHINs have been working very hard through a kind of a shakedown period, I would call it, as any new board does, finding out how to conduct business. So I think your qualifications on other boards are very useful to us to provide the expertise. In some sense, having specific knowledge is not necessarily what you need; it’s someone who understands the broader scope of how these boards work that is important.

I don’t have any direct questions for you. I think you’ve outlined your background and your skill sets extremely well. I just want to indicate that the government will be concurring in your appointment.

Mr. Michael Shea: Thank you, sir.

The Chair (Mr. Ernie Hardeman): With that, we’ll go to the official opposition. Ms. Savoline.

Mrs. Joyce Savoline: Good morning, Mr. Shea. Thank you for putting your name forward.

Mr. Michael Shea: Thank you.

Mrs. Joyce Savoline: Your resumé reads very well, and I thank you for all the work that you have done in your community and the kind of time that you’ve committed to that and also your expertise.

My questions are very specific to LHINs. Here’s my first question to you. The Auditor General recently released a report, as well as the Ombudsman. In light of that report, Ontario hospitals and the Ministry of Health did not fare well. As part of that, I want to ask you if you would be supportive of providing full disclosure of contracts over $10,000—that would apply to all public bodies—and also full disclosure of hospitality and travel expenses for all public bodies, including LHINs.

Mr. Michael Shea: I don’t know why I would not support that. It seems to make sense to me. Certainly, spending government money requires openness and transparency. It would seem to be reasonable. Not being a member, I don’t know what the reason would be for not supporting that. In regard to open contracts, to get best value for taxpayer money—I certainly believe in that process. I’m bound by that in my current position with the Hamilton Police Service.

Mrs. Joyce Savoline: Okay. To follow on that, then: If you witnessed a contract being issued that was untendered, would you notify the appropriate officials about that? We’ve heard about the many adventures, let’s say, that the HNHB has had lately, specifically a $75,000 contract that was provided to a US health care consultant for an unidentified community engagement process. That clearly would have been one of those instances.

Mr. Michael Shea: Not being a member of the LHIN or knowing the reason behind it, I have a hard time giving an opinion on it—

Mrs. Joyce Savoline: In principle, would you object to that and take it to its fullest to complain about it?

Mr. Michael Shea: Yes. The answer would be yes.

Mrs. Joyce Savoline: There have been problems at eHealth and at Cancer Care Ontario and other agencies. There is a review outstanding for the LHINs that should have taken place by now so that we could have had a thumbnail sketch of how well they were doing—because they’re infants, really—and what needs to be adjusted, how we move forward. Very rarely do we ever get anything right going out of the gate, so there needs to be that monitoring and review. For some reason, that review has been set aside. I believe it’s extremely important, given the kind of things that we found out over the last six months or so. Would you be in favour and advocate for that review going forward so that we could set the record straight?

Mr. Michael Shea: I would. Actually, I believe the minister made a comment, one that sticks to my mind, about, “The only way that we can improve is by measuring.” Measurement gives us the opportunity to improve. Having not been on the board, I don’t know what the causes are that would prevent it from coming out. Like you said before, being in its infancy, obviously there are going to be growing pains. Perhaps that’s part of the cause for the delay in a final report. But I don’t know.

Mrs. Joyce Savoline: Would you stand apart from others and advocate for a review if you were found in that position?

Mr. Michael Shea: I think that my position will always be one of personal beliefs. If I thought that something was inappropriate, I would.

Mrs. Joyce Savoline: Thank you.

The Chair (Mr. Ernie Hardeman): That concludes your questioning. That concludes the interview.

We thank you very much for coming forward and enlightening us this morning about your appointment and explaining your qualifications. I appreciate the fact that, for a government board such as this, the number one priority is your ability to do it, not what you know about the issue.

I thank you very much for putting your name forward and being willing to serve in that capacity. We do wish you well in your future endeavours.

Mr. Michael Shea: Thank you, sir.

The Chair (Mr. Ernie Hardeman): That concludes our interviews this morning. With that, can we have a motion of concurrence or lack thereof?

We have a motion from Mike Brown to concur with the appointment of Michael Shea as a member of the Hamilton Niagara Haldimand Brant local health integration network. You’ve heard the motion. Discussion?

Mrs. Joyce Savoline: I would call for a recorded vote. May I make a comment about why I’m going to vote the way I am?

The Chair (Mr. Ernie Hardeman): I said, “Any discussion.”

Mrs. Joyce Savoline: With all due respect to Mr. Shea, because I think he brings very strong credentials to the table, I think that perhaps his application, his membership on the board may have behooved that board to have had him there from the very beginning. But because the review has not taken place and we have absolutely no indication of when the review of the LHINs is going to take place, I think it’s the wrong time to be filling positions and moving forward like everything is just okey-dokey. So for that reason, I will not be supporting any additions to LHINs to fill vacancies until the review of LHINs has been done.

The Chair (Mr. Ernie Hardeman): Thank you very much. I do want to go back to the motion to actually agree with the concurrence. If I could ask Mr. Brown to read that into the record.

Mr. Michael A. Brown: I move concurrence in the appointment of Michael Shea as a member of the Hamilton Niagara Haldimand Brant local health integration network.

The Chair (Mr. Ernie Hardeman): Now you have heard the motion. We also heard the discussion, so with that, we’ll put the question.

Mr. Michael A. Brown: Recorded vote.

Ayes

Albanese, Brown, Cansfield, Lalonde, Rinaldi.

Nays

Savoline.

The Chair (Mr. Ernie Hardeman): I declare the motion carried.

That concludes our interviews and the concurrences this morning. The next item on the agenda is report writing on the agency of the Ontario Municipal Board, and we will go into closed session to have that discussion.

The committee continued in closed session at 0924.

CONTENTS

Tuesday 26 October 2010

Subcommittee report A-101

Intended appointments A-101

Ms. Lorraine Gandolfo A-101

Mr. Patrick O’Malley A-101

Ms. Lynda Davenport A-101

Mr. Michael Shea A-102

STANDING COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT AGENCIES

Chair / Président

Mr. Ernie Hardeman (Oxford PC)

Vice-Chair / Vice-Présidente

Ms. Lisa MacLeod (Nepean–Carleton PC)

Mrs. Laura Albanese (York South–Weston / York-Sud–Weston L)

Mr. Michael A. Brown (Algoma–Manitoulin L)

Mrs. Donna H. Cansfield (Etobicoke Centre / Etobicoke-Centre L)

Ms. M. Aileen Carroll (Barrie L)

Mr. Howard Hampton (Kenora–Rainy River ND)

Mr. Ernie Hardeman (Oxford PC)

Ms. Lisa MacLeod (Nepean–Carleton PC)

Ms. Leeanna Pendergast (Kitchener–Conestoga L)

Mr. Jim Wilson (Simcoe–Grey PC)

Substitutions / Membres remplaçants

Mr. Jean-Marc Lalonde (Glengarry–Prescott–Russell L)

Mr. Lou Rinaldi (Northumberland–Quinte West L)

Mrs. Joyce Savoline (Burlington PC)

Clerk / Greffier

Mr. Katch Koch

Staff / Personnel

Mr. Larry Johnston, research officer,
Legislative Research Service