Wednesday 22 June 2011

Rob Ford - Ignorant, mean, or both?

Free nurses? No thanks, says Mayor Rob Ford - Healthzone.ca
Well, from our knowledge of Ford so far, we know that he is both mean and ignorant.
This time, he is turning down the offer from the province, of 2 free nurses who would work with new immigrants on disease prevention and would work with the poor to promote health services.

Excerpts from news story:

Mayor Rob Ford has rejected the province’s offer to hire two public
health nurses for Toronto at no cost to the city, drawing rebukes from
both the provincial health minister and a loyal council ally.


Ford’s Monday decision
marked the second time he has opposed a provincial health initiative
that would not have required any city funding. In February, he was the
lone dissenter in a 44-1 vote to accept provincial money for an effort
to encourage residents to be screened for HIV and syphilis.

...

A majority of the hand-picked committee voted with him. But in a rare
display of executive disharmony, budget committee chair Mike Del
Grande, public works chair Denzil Minnan-Wong, planning chair Peter
Milczyn, and and parks and environment chair Norm Kelly opposed.


Said Minnan-Wong on Tuesday: “The province is paying for two nurses
full-time. Why would you say no to additional public health nurses to
help out? Why would you say no?”


Speaking to reporters after the vote, Ford said he was concerned the
city would eventually have to pay. “Who is going to be on the hook for
it once the provincial funding goes? We are,” he said. “We have enough
people in public health right now.”


Filion called Ford’s fear “nonsense.” The nurses would simply cease their work if the provincial funding ever expired, he said.


“It’s a bizarre situation, it’s completely unprecedented, and I can
only assume it’s based on one of two things: complete ignorance of the
facts of the situation, or a deliberate case of using ideology to
trample on the most vulnerable in society,” Filion said.


The nurses can still be hired if a majority of council votes to
overturn the decision. Two thirds of council must first agree to take up
the issue.


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