Press Releases

Cystic Fibrosis drug added to Ontario Drug Benefit Formulary

(September 24, 2021) Simcoe-Grey MPP Jim Wilson is pleased to congratulate the Cystic Fibrosis community on the success of its years-long battle to have the life-altering medication Trikafta made available to Ontario’s CF patients. 

Health Minister Christine Elliott announced today that Trikafta has been added to the Ontario Drug Benefit Formulary. It joins Orkambi and Kalydeco, two other recently funded CF drugs. These transformational medications improve life quality and extend the lives of people living with Cystic Fibrosis.

“Much of the credit for this process goes to families in our region who brought this issue to my attention eight years ago and have lead the charge every step of the way,” said Wilson. “People like Beth and Madi Vanstone, and Sasha Haughian and Jamie Larocque, have been tireless in their efforts to access these innovative drugs and they have become true advocates in their own right.” 

“I also want to wholeheartedly thank our Health Minister Christine Elliott for making this momentous announcement,” continued Wilson. “Without her and the Ford government I do not believe we would be where we are. They deserve full recognition.”

Today’s announcement comes after complex drug approval and reimbursement processes involving both federal and provincial governments. The province’s approval is the last step. It means that doctors can now prescribe Trikafta for people aged 12 and up with cystic fibrosis and that the medication will be funded under Ontario’s publically funded drug programs. 

MPP Wilson is pleased to see the issue has finally found resolution. He has raised the question of Cystic Fibrosis medication availability numerous times in the Ontario Legislature for close to a decade. 

See today’s Government of Ontario News Release HERE.

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(AUDIO) MPP Wilson Speaks at Wasaga Beach Chamber of Commerce Awards Ceremony

(September 20, 2021) Simcoe-Grey MPP Jim Wilson was among the attendees at the Wasaga Beach Chamber of Commerce Annual Awards and Recognition Ceremony.  The event was held virtually for the second year in light of the ongoing COVID pandemic.  

Mr. Wilson congratulated all of the nominees for their continued service to the community during difficult times.  “You’re the positive folks who help keep our town moving forward,” he said.  “Your service to our full-time residents and our seasonal visitors, is what makes Wasaga Beach the vibrant and exciting place that it is.”

Among those recognized by the Chamber for 2021 were:

Business of the Year:  The Cutting Edge Salon & Spa

Tourism and/or Attractions:  Skydive Wasaga Beach

Service Club/Not for Profit:   The Rotary Club of Wasaga Beach

New Business of the Year:  Beach Veggie

Young Business Person of the Year:  Beach Veggie

Outstanding Business Response to COVID – 19:  Catch 22

MPP Wilson thanked the Chamber and the Award sponsors for their commitment to Wasaga Beach.  He said they contribute to making “the Beach home to families who enjoy small town living, and a destination of choice for visitors who want to experience the natural and relaxed lifestyle we have created for ourselves.”

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Wilson marks Military Family Appreciation Day

(September 17, 2021) Simcoe-Grey MPP Jim Wilson was at the Borden Legacy Monument this morning to mark Military Family Appreciation Day. The monument was built to honour the sacrifices of Canadian soldiers who trained at Base Borden and fought in the Battle of Vimy Ridge. You can read more about the monument by clicking here.

Wilson issued the following statement to mark the occasion:

“Canadians can’t thank members of our armed forces enough for the sacrifices they make to ensure our freedom, safety and security. 

Just as deserving of our appreciation are the families which stand behind these courageous men and women who protect us.  They are often unsung heroes when their enlisted spouses, parents, siblings or children are called upon to serve.

Military families are left behind to keep everything together at home.  They are often required to change communities on short notice, switch careers or jobs in new towns, or enroll in new schools in the middle of the academic year; all of this while living with the possibility of losing a loved one.  

As a citizen, and as the Member of Provincial Parliament representing Canadian Forces Base Borden, I join all Canadians in celebrating Military Family Appreciation Day.  Thank you to all of the families who support the brave soldiers who serve our country every day.”

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(VIDEO) Simcoe-Grey Celebrates Deanne Rose

(August 25, 2021) It was a pleasure to join hundreds of friends and fans of Alliston native Deanne Rose in New Tecumseth to celebrate her role in winning Women’s Soccer Gold at the Tokyo Olympics this summer.   Deanne was feted with a parade through town accompanied by the blare of fire truck sirens and escorted by light-flashing police cruisers.  She graciously spent more than an hour posing for photos and signing autographs. 

I had the honour of presenting her with a plaque on behalf of the Province of Ontario.  Congratulations Deanne!  We are proud that you are one of us. 

You can also read Wendy Gabrek’s excellent coverage of New Tecumseth’s celebration for Deanne in the Times here.

Collingwood Today: Dream of new hospital on Poplar Sideroad still alive, says MPP Wilson

(August 11, 2021) Collingwood Today reporter Erika Engel provided outstanding coverage of Health Minister Christine Elliott’s funding announcement to plan for, and design, state-of-the-art high-quality hospital care for people living in and visiting South Georgian Bay.  Read Erika’s excellent account on the future of the General and Marine Hospital here.

(VIDEO) Ontario Supports the Redevelopment of Collingwood General and Marine Hospital Additional Investment will Improve Infrastructure and Access to Care in the Community

(August 10, 2021) As part of its comprehensive plan to end hallway health care, the Ontario government is investing over $15 million to support the planning and design of the redeveloped Collingwood General and Marine Hospital. Once complete, the hospital’s existing aged infrastructure will be expanded and upgraded, improving access to high-quality care for people living in Collingwood and the surrounding areas.

“After years of waiting, patients and their families can finally look forward to a new and improved Collingwood General and Marine Hospital, ensuring the hospital’s dedicated staff and frontline health care workers can continue delivering high-quality care in the community,” said Christine Elliott, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. “By investing in major hospital infrastructure, our government is furthering our commitment to build a modern, connected health care system and put an end to hallway health care for all Ontarians.”

“Today is an important step in the process of achieving our goal of a modern new redeveloped hospital for South Georgian Bay,” said Simcoe-Grey MPP Jim Wilson.  “I am grateful to the Ford government for its commitment to this long overdue project.  And, on behalf of the community, I want to thank Minister Elliott for fulfilling her promise to visit Collingwood General and Marine to see first hand the need for investment in the future of health services for our fast-growing region.” 

Originally built in 1956, the current Collingwood General and Marine Hospital has been serving a growing community with an increasing senior population for over 60 years with limited upgrades. Through this investment, the hospital’s aging infrastructure will be redeveloped through a mix of new construction as well as renovations. The redeveloped hospital will include:

• the expansion of key services, including intensive care, emergency, diagnostic imaging and the operating suite;
• additional inpatient capacity to allow the hospital to serve more patients and families; and
• renovations to upgrade the existing facility to ensure a comfortable environment for patients to receive care.

This funding is in addition to the $500,000 previously invested to support early capital planning. Further planning work will confirm priority programs for the hospital. Timelines for project implementation and construction will be determined once planning has been completed.

“We are very pleased to receive approval from the Capital Branch of the Ministry of Health for our Stage One submission, and to officially move to Stage Two of the five-stage process,” said Norah Holder, Collingwood General and Marine Hospital President and CEO. “Collingwood General and Marine Hospital and our community are excited to commence engaging in Stage Two of the process. This announcement represents a significant milestone regarding our hospital redevelopment project.”

In addition to supporting the hospital’s redevelopment and expansion, the Ontario government is taking further action to support Collingwood General and Marine Hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic by increasing the hospital’s operating funding for the third straight year. Collingwood General and Marine Hospital will receive over $1.9 million in additional operating funding starting this year, representing an increase of 4.2 per cent to the funding received by the hospital in 2020/21. This is the third straight year of increased hospital investments across the province.

The 2021 Budget, Ontario's Action Plan: Protecting People's Health and Our Economy, outlined a total of $1.8 billion in additional investments for hospitals in 2021-22. This includes an increase of $778 million in funding to meet current and future demands for services, and ensures all publicly funded hospitals will receive a minimum 1 per cent increase to help them keep pace with patient needs and to increase access to high-quality care for patients and families across Ontario.

Quick Facts

Collingwood General and Marine Hospital provides a variety of health care services to more than 60,000 people who live and work in the community, as well as over 3.5 million annual visitors who visit the surrounding communities.

As Ontario continues on the path to reopening and recovery, the government is investing up to $324 million in new funding to enable hospitals and the community health sector to perform more surgeries, MRI and CT scans and procedures, as part of a wider, comprehensive surgical recovery plan to provide patients with the care they need and reduce wait surgical times.

The government is investing more than $21 billion in capital grants over the next 10 years for hospital projects across Ontario that will lead to $30 billion in hospital infrastructure.

As part of the province’s fall preparedness plan, Collingwood General and Marine Hospital received funding for up to 25 additional transitional beds to help build additional capacity during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Under the 2021 Budget, Ontario is investing an additional $1.8 billion in the hospital sector in 2021-2022, bringing the total additional investment in hospitals since the start of the pandemic to over $5.1 billion. This includes creating more than 3,100 additional hospital beds to increase capacity and reduce occupancy pressures caused by COVID-19.

Quotes

"The Collingwood General and Marine Hospital Board is absolutely thrilled to officially move to Stage Two of the redevelopment process. This step forward means a great deal to the South Georgian Bay community and our dedicated employees and physicians at Collingwood General and Marine Hospital."

- Lesley Paul, Collingwood General and Marine Hospital Board Chair

"On behalf of all of the communities and residents of the South Georgian Bay region that rely on Collingwood General and Marine Hospital, I want to thank the Province of Ontario for its commitment to provide the necessary funding to plan and design the much needed healthcare facility. I want to congratulate the Hospital Board, Foundation and staff for their unwavering commitment to the residents of our region to provide the right services and infrastructure to meet the growing needs of our region. Today’s announcement is an important milestone in the redevelopment process and I know our communities will continue to work together to ensure that our residents have access to a state of the art healthcare facility for generations to come."

- Brian Saunderson, Mayor of the Town of Collingwood

"This is great news for the entire region of South Georgian Bay, one of the fastest growing areas of Ontario. This funding is an important step towards meeting our exploding future health care needs as a retirement destination of choice and with the influx of residents we have seen due to the trend to living here and working from home."

- Alar Soever, Mayor of the Town of The Blue Mountains

"Clearview Township is pleased to hear that the Ministry of Health is supporting our regional hospital, the Collingwood General and Marine Hospital."

- Doug Measures, Mayor of the Township of Clearview

"This is great news for the Southern Georgian Bay region where we have seen consistent growth over the past few decades. We need a state-of-the-art hospital that will support the growth of this region. Having served on the Collingwood General and Marine Hospital Board for 12 years, I know how important this funding will be. We are grateful the province will continue to support our region’s growth by giving much-needed funds for the redevelopment of this hospital."

- Paul McQueen, Mayor of Grey Highlands

"This is exciting news for our region and those communities served by Collingwood General and Marine Hospital. Our residents require an updated facility as well as to meet the growth we are experiencing in this area of the province. I am pleased to see the province recognizing the need, investing in infrastructure and providing additional operating dollars."

- Nina Bifolchi, Town of Wasaga Beach

Additional Resources

Ontario Ramping Up Efforts to Reduce Surgical Wait Times

Ontario Supporting Hospitals with Additional Funding During COVID-19

2021 Budget - Ontario’s Action Plan: Protecting People’s Health and Our Economy

Visit Ontario’s COVID-19 vaccine web page to view the latest provincial data and information on COVID-19 vaccines.

Visit Ontario’s COVID-19 information website to learn more about how the province continues to protect the people of Ontario from the virus.

For public inquiries call ServiceOntario, INFOline at 1-866-532-3161 (Toll-free in Ontario only)

Media Contacts

Alexandra Hilkene

Minister Elliott’s Office

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David Jensen

Communications Division

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416-314-6197

Relief for Tourism Industry

June 13, 2021 - Help is on the way for Ontario’s tourism industry.  The federal government has announced a new Tourism Relief Fund to support the embattled sector as it prepares to welcome back domestic travellers and re-position Canada as a world class destination. 

The $500-million national fund is designed to help businesses and organizations adapt their operations to meet public health requirements while investing in products and services to facilitate future growth. 

“Tourism is a cornerstone of our regional economy,” said Simcoe-Grey MPP Jim Wilson.  “I look forward to seeing local operators benefit from this program as they adapt their operations and develop new experiences for future visitors to enjoy.”

Tourism is a key economic driver in Ontario.  In 2018, the industry supported more than 390,000 jobs and generated over $36 billion of economic activity for the province.

The Tourism Relief Fund will provide eligible businesses with non-repayable contributions of up to $100,000 for up to 50 percent of eligible costs; or fully repayable contributions up to $500,000 for up to 75 percent of eligible costs.

Eligible applicants include tourism businesses and organizations that cater mainly to visitors, including Indigenous organizations and cooperatives.   To be considered, applicants must meet at least one of the following criteria:

-     Be a key supplier or operator in the visitor experience; 

-     Be part of a defines tourism cluster or a tourism dependent community, including supporting downtown cores; or

-     Provide an anchor product or service in a tourism destination.

The Tourism Relief Fund is administered by FedDev Ontario.  For more details on eligibility criteria, please consult the Application guide.

Applications are available here.

Cystic Fibrosis Fight Coming to an End

June 21, 2021 – Health Canada has approved Trikafta for sale in Canada.  At the same time the national agency responsible for negotiating drug prices on behalf of provincial, territorial and federal drug plans has agreed on pricing with the manufacturer of two other CF drugs, Kalydeco and Orkambi.  These transformational medications improve life quality and extend the lives of people living with Cystic Fibrosis. 

“Much of the credit for this progress goes to families in our region who have fought long and hard for these life-saving drugs,” said Simcoe-Grey MPP Jim Wilson.  “I’ve been proud to work alongside people like Beth and Madi Vanstone, and Sasha Haughian and Jamie Larocque, who have been tireless in their efforts to access these innovative drugs that are available, and paid for by health plans, in many other countries,” he added.  

Ottawa’s announcement means that doctors can now prescribe Trikafta for people aged 12 and up with cystic fibrosis.  And the deal between the pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance (pCPA) and the drug manufacturer means that provincial governments can now negotiate agreements with Vertex Pharmaceuticals (Canada). 

 “The ball is now in Doug Ford’s court,” said Mr. Wilson.  “I am confident the government of Ontario will live up to its promise to list these drugs on the Ontario Drug Benefit Formulary and quickly make them available to patients like 16 year-old Finn Murphy of Collingwood, who wants to get back to playing hockey.”

MPP Wilson has raised the question of Cystic Fibrosis medication availability numerous times over the past 10 years in the Ontario legislature.  Minister of Health Christine Elliott has committed to ensuring the government will move quickly to list them on the Ontario Drug Benefit Formulary. 

You can watch MPP Wilson’s exchange with Minister Elliott here:

See Cystic Fibrosis Canada News Release here

See Vertex Pharmaceuticals News Release here

Read a local news story written by Brad Pritchard here

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