'Trojan Horse tour' makes stop in Durham to shed light on ER closures

A sign of contempt for the government’s healthcare decisions arrived in Durham Wednesday. A community that’s lost all its inpatient hospital beds and overnight ER hours, all within the past several months.

“We need to stop this now, or I don't think we'll be able to bring things back and have a healthy public system,” said Norah Beatty, co-chair of the Grey-Bruce Health Coalition.

A large “Trojan Horse” signifying the government’s “duplicity” when it comes to healthcare decisions made one of it’s final stops in Durham Wednesday as part of its cross-Ontario tour, organized by the Ontario Health Coalition and Ontario Coalition of Hospital Unions.

“Ford says, you know, they keep pumping money into the health care system, but, I mean, one ER closure is one too many, and we've had far too many over the last year. I mean, even the bigger cities, they're at gridlock,” said Ontario Coalition of Hospital Unions 1st Vice President Kevin Cook.

In communities like Durham and Chesley, who are now both operating with part-time emergency rooms, there is frustration, but also a glimmer of hope as the governing hospital board at the centre of the healthcare cuts offers community consultations for the public.

Ontario Health Coalition’s “Trojan Horse Tour” stops in Durham on Nov. 27, 2024. (Scott Miller/CTV News London)

“We’ve had a chance to move the needle just a little bit. But there’s anawful lot that remains to be done to bring both of these hospitals back to what they need to be,” said Brenda Scott, co-chair of the Grey-Bruce Health Coalition.

The needle hasn’t moved enough to keep the hospital cuts out of the courts. West Grey council is awaiting word on an appeal, asked for the Ministry of Health and Attorney General, into their judicial review of what led to the reduction in ER hours and removal of inpatient beds from the Durham hospital earlier this year.

“Maybe they do feel that they're guilty, and they don't want to get there,” said West Grey Mayor Kevin Eccles.

Durham Hospital on Nov. 27, 2024. (Scott Miller/CTV News London)

The “Trojan Horse” has criss-crossed Ontario since October, stopping in over 60 communities. The tour ends Saturday, but the folks here in Durham say the fight to save healthcare in their community and across the province will not stop when the Trojan tour does.

“Both these communities built these hospitals, paid for them more than 100 years ago. They provided service to the people in these communities through two World Wars and a major depression. And, we can't give up on them now. We're here to save them,” said Scott.

“This just enlightens it that much more so that the fight certainly isn't over. The Ministry of Health has to be held accountable for the actions that they're taking,” said mayor Eccles.