The committee met at 1406 in committee room 1.

LOCAL HEALTH SYSTEM
INTEGRATION ACT REVIEW

The Chair (Mr. Ernie Hardeman): We’ll call the April 28 meeting of the social policy committee to order. We’re here today to review the Local Health System Integration Act and the regulations made under it, as provided for in section 39 of the act.

First of all, before we start, I have a statement here. Just for the record, we had considerable discussion about it at the last meeting, and the Clerk was asked to clarify what recommendations the committee can make under this review.

The order of the House clearly states that the Standing Committee on Social Policy be authorized to conduct a comprehensive review of the Local Health System Integration Act and the regulations made under it, as provided for in section 39 of that act. The order also goes on to charge the committee with presenting a final report to the assembly, including its recommendations with respect to amendments to the act and its regulations.

Under the act, the LHINs have interactions with health services providers such as the CCACs, among others, by providing funds to and having service accountability agreements with them. I can allow some latitude in the committee’s request for information in its observations and recommendations, as long as they relate to the LHINs’ relationship and interaction with these providers. Please keep in mind that the committee cannot conduct a review of these providers under this order of the House.

So, just to clarify the position that was taken, then, and make sure—I sometimes, in debate back and forth, don’t express it quite clearly, so we wanted the record to show the distance we can go. We can get information from the providers, but we cannot make that the focus of the report.

Yes, Ms. Forster?

Ms. Cindy Forster: Thanks, Ernie. So we could request contracts, for example, between the LHIN and the providers, but we couldn’t go in and do a review of the management structure of a provider?

The Chair (Mr. Ernie Hardeman): Exactly.

Ms. Cindy Forster: Or we could request, really, any kind of financial information as it relates to the LHIN and the tendering of that—

The Chair (Mr. Ernie Hardeman): Yes. I think, in general terms, things that affect our LHIN review as it relates to the providers, which would be any information that would have been given or been agreed upon by the LHIN that goes with another association, would fit the review.

Ms. Cindy Forster: Right. Okay.

The Chair (Mr. Ernie Hardeman): I just want to say that this position wasn’t in any way reflective that the CCACs have been in any way resistant to giving information. Anything that’s freely given, the committee has a right to look at, but the committee report in the end will not be making recommendations of how that should be changed, because that wasn’t the focus of this review.

Ms. Jaczek?

Ms. Helena Jaczek: Thank you, Chair. To further clarify, what we’re really saying is that we cannot make any recommendation about the structure of the CCAC, because that’s under a separate act. That would require a separate study.

The Chair (Mr. Ernie Hardeman): Yes. I think there was some concern expressed at the last meeting—and that’s why this statement—that we would also, because we would not be making that in our report—that somehow there was something wrong with listening to evidence presented by the CCACs, or anyone else, suggesting that that structure should be changed. The committee has every right to hear that, but that would not be the focus of the report that we turn in to the Legislature.

Does that satisfy the need there? Okay.

With that, that was the only thing that I wanted to make sure was on the public record. We now will be going to closed session to review the LHIN report. As you can see, there are no delegations on for this afternoon. We are working on delegations, but we were unable to get them scheduled in for today.

The committee continued in closed session at 1411.

CONTENTS

Monday 28 April 2014

Local Health System Integration Act review SP-949

STANDING COMMITTEE ON SOCIAL POLICY

Chair / Président

Mr. Ernie Hardeman (Oxford PC)

Vice-Chair / Vice-Président

Mr. Ted Chudleigh (Halton PC)

Mr. Bas Balkissoon (Scarborough–Rouge River L)

Mr. Ted Chudleigh (Halton PC)

Mr. Mike Colle (Eglinton–Lawrence L)

Mr. Vic Dhillon (Brampton West / Brampton-Ouest L)

Ms. Cheri DiNovo (Parkdale–High Park ND)

Mr. Ernie Hardeman (Oxford PC)

Mr. Rod Jackson (Barrie PC)

Ms. Helena Jaczek (Oak Ridges–Markham L)

Mr. Paul Miller (Hamilton East–Stoney Creek / Hamilton-Est–Stoney Creek ND)

Substitutions / Membres remplaçants

Ms. Cindy Forster (Welland ND)

Mrs. Jane McKenna (Burlington PC)

Clerk / Greffière

Ms. Valerie Quioc Lim

Staff / Personnel

Ms. Carrie Hull, research officer,
Research Services