CollingwoodToday welcomes letters to the editor at [email protected] or via the website. Please include your full name, daytime phone number and address (for verification of authorship, not publication). The following letter was sent in response to two previous letters on the subject of council pausing the servicing for the future site of the "Campus of Care" in Thornbury, which includes long-term care beds, retirement living, staff housing, and family housing. The other two letters can be found here and here.
The recent letter from the previous mayor, Alar Soever, regarding The Blue Mountains council's review of the Campus of Care is really just an attack on Paul Reale.
Mr. Reale is arguing that the town shouldn’t throw out appropriate planning measures just to put this project through. We know when rushed mistakes happen, it’s as simple as that.
What I would argue is building institutions to provide care for our seniors is exactly what we should not be doing.
Institutional care has proven time and time again to lead to poor outcomes. We build institutions as a cost-saving measure and not as an ideal way to provide health care to people.
I am hopeful that the town councillors take a hard second look and think beyond road widening, what trees have to be cut down, or if we need traffic circles vs traffic lights.
Do we need to build institutions as a way in which to care for our seniors? That is the real question.
Bill Carty
Thornbury, Ont.
