Social media firestorm erupts after lawn sign vandalism

Just this week: A social media firestorm erupted in response to a Facebook post by Windsor's mayor - - who used Facebook to "explain" an act of private property vandalism against a CAMPP supporter. A handful of Facebook posts on the topic have now generated 800+ comments. The social media platform has become the de facto forum for the mega-hospital debate. CAMPP does not oppose the construction of a new hospital. We are challenging Windsor Regional Hospital's (WRH) chosen location 15 km from the region's largest population centre. It's the #1 reason CAMPP filed for an LPAT review of the City's planning decision. Among the mayor's Facebook comments, he promised that an "emergency room" would remain in downtown Windsor.  According to Ontario.ca, an Emergency Room (ER) provides treatment of "severe illnesses and life-threatening injuries 24 hours a day, 365 days a year." This type of facility has never been proposed as a replacement for WRH's Ouellette Campus.

On October 31, 2019, The Windsor Star reported a motorist had driven onto and across the property of an East Windsor resident and removed a lawn sign.  Responding to the story, Windsor's mayor chose to use his official Facebook account to share some controversial thoughts on this apparent act of vandalism. This led to a deluge of online comments that quickly took on a life of their own. Ironically, in the six years since WRH proposed its single site acute care hospital, the local community has never been provided with an appropriate public forum to discuss the $2 billion plan for its future healthcare. Is it any wonder that residents took to social media to vent? There has never been an opportunity for residents to provide feedback that wasn't supportive of the plan - - - WRH's contractually silencing doctors opposed to the plan has not helped the public's understanding of it. Nor - - since the 2015 County Road 42 site announcement - -  has the proposed location for the new hospital ever been debated at a Windsor City Council meeting. No public referendum was ever held. Yet, the Mayor trumpeted an extremely wishful "~90%+ of Windsorites" wish to see "this project move forward" as fact on his official Facebook page. Where is the data proving that Windsor residents overwhelmingly support the County Road 42 site? Social media is not the right platform to be arguing about this serious matter. It's a decision that will affect the health and wellness of our community for decades to come. This discussion certainly shouldn't be led in a reckless manner. It's careless at best and a flagrant misuse of the Mayor's elected position at worst. And it comes at a very inappropriate time while we await the LPAT ruling on CAMPP's historic appeal.

Rhys Trenhaile, the property owner, described the incident on his Facebook page on October 30, 2019. He added:

"There’s been a lot of talk lately in Windsor-Essex about the issues with virtually all hospital officials now using misleading language that tends to nastily divide the citizenry in regard to the location of the future mega hospital. By far the greatest fallacy in this whole argument, pushed by these very same hospital officials, is this continued narrative that people that don’t want a hospital in the middle of nowhere - don’t want a hospital at all; that is the great lie. Everyone wants a shiny new hospital. Everyone."

Windsor residents don't oppose a new hospital. They just want a responsible location. Mayor Drew Dilkens responded to the story on his official Facebook page. Rather than acknowledging the important distinction between choosing a responsible location and wanting a new hospital, he used the social media platform to diminish and belittle CAMPP's arguments. He also wrote that he appreciated "the frustration that many feel every time they see a sign that shows opposition to a plan that would significantly enhance our local health care system." UCC vs. ER: Understanding the difference is a matter of life and death Windsor's mayor was elected to represent his constituents. Yet, rather than addressing the significant concerns thousands of engaged residents have publicly expressed during the last six years, he chooses to perpetuate a false narrative. Particularly disappointing is how he keeps publicly emphazing that under the plan, WRH Ouellette Campus is going to keep its ER.

In fact, there has never been an announcement that anything other than urgent care services will remain in downtown Windsor. At the LPAT hearing just last month, we don't recall the lawyers representing WRH stating that the original plans for a downtown UCC (to replace both existing acute care hospital campuses) had been shelved. We wrote about the fundamental distinctions between urgent and emergency care in our eblast on August 18, 2019. For the benefit of our newest subscribers, here is the instruction provided to patients in Brampton:

#JustTheFacts: Residents deserve honest and accurate information from elected officials We are calling for a straight answer: Has the plan for an Urgent Care Centre in Downtown Windsor been replaced by a plan for an Emergency Department?  In other words, will WRH Ouellette Campus remain open as an acute care hospital? Because you can't have an ER without a hospital on the same premises.

In their own words: Members of our community continue to comment on the issues

"The hospital needs to be central to the people. If for no other reason than for their own safety. One mega-hospital constructed on the edge of the built environment, away from the core, and the centre of the overall population, is a risk to the public good, safety and welfare"

"Keep up the good work CAMPP! Yes we need a hospital that is accessible .I really cant beleive Windsor has to fight to keep hospitsls here or from them putting a hospital way out of reach.No windsorite should be forced to fight for something that is needed to stay close by where it can be accessed by some of Windsors most vulnerable citizens"

"I agree that it is very sad indeed that it has come to this sort of nonsense, perpetrated by these supposed pillars of our community! So disheartening, and frustrating!!!"

"Windsor deserves a state-of-the art medical system. Properly planned to save lives."

"Nobody is against a new hospital, they are against the location."

"Yes, a new “state of the art” hospital is everyone’s desire. There are a few choice properties within the City of Windsor to accommodate such a mega hospital. We cannot give up the fight!"

"We got our sign vandalized, then a few days later stolen."

"The hospital leaders should be more inclusive and they should be looking to work with community partners on a plan that is best for all of us not just the wealthy!!"

"Windsor could be a really world-class city if it embraced things like density and innovation as opposed to just outward sprawl"

"Emergency care and urgent care are two very different scenarios. It is my understanding you cannot support an Emergency room downtown without an attached Hospital. "

"it's a false narrative that is being pushed on the people of Windsor and Essex county. No one is going to lose a hospital if there is more thought and reasoning put into its location. The province is not going to strand over 300 thousand people without acceptable hospital facilities. Wake up. There are a few people who stand to gain a tremendous amount financially by putting a mega hospital 10 km outside the core of the city."

"Windsor needs at least two acute care hospitals and if only one true severe trauma emergency hospital it should be in the population center. Detroit burned, deteriorated lost well over half it’s population but they kept their hospitals open in the city core which the new development rose from around them. This is the glue that any major metro area needs."

"I do not accept that bullying and shaming should ever be a part of policy making."