Feb. 18, 2023
Jon Liedtke
Rose City Politics
What’s the issue?
Amid the ongoing issue of the SafePoint consumption treatment site (CTS) regarding the compromise reached between ward 3 councillor Renaldo Agostino and The Windsor Essex County Health Unit (Agostino sits on its board too) to see it move from its initial location, and Mayor Dilkens publicly lambasting the compromise as a “bait-and-switch” – which I wrote about on my website – because it might not be fully provincially funded at its outset, I wanted to follow up on a matter that was on my mind.
In my piece I brought up that someone asked me how it was possible to lose provincial funding when we have two government members with the so-touted ‘seats at the table’.
So, I decided to reach out to Windsor -Tecumseh MPP Andrew Dowie’s office yesterday morning to ask about the issue and where he stood on it.
I asked:
- Has there been any discussion MPP Dowie has been involved in at the provincial level regarding funding of the CTS or its current location?
- If MPP Dowie has been in conversations provincially regarding the CTS’ funding or its current location, has he been made aware of any potential delays in funding flowing?
- Has Mayor Dilkens’ office been in touch with MPP Dowie pertaining to a potential delay or loss of provincial funding for the CTS at its current location?
- Is MPP Dowie doing anything to ensure there won’t be a delay or denial of funding to the CTS at its current location?
What’s the outcome?
I was pleased when my inbox chimed at the end of the workday from his office with a response.
MPP Dowie’s office released a public statement that said he was “aware of the various news reports” and that the health unit has been engaging with the civil service at the Ministry of Health “for several months to secure necessary approvals and funding for delivery of these services.”
The release went on to say that no officials representing the health unit or the City of Windsor engaged with his office and that through his own initiative MPP Dowie “engaged” and “received” information from the Ministry of Health about the status of the CTS application and “is not aware of any concerns or delays.”
It concludes that MPP Dowie “has strongly advocated for and will always strongly advocate for provincial health services to remain accessible and available to our residents, and particularly for our designated local priorities such as the SafePoint site. Wherever there can be a beneficial conversation to help accelerate the release of approvals and funding in the provincial government, MPP Dowie will make that engagement.”
TOO LONG; DIDN’T READ (TL;DR)
- Mayor Drew Dilkens raised concerns of not receiving provincial funding for the CTS because of the compromise achieved on location and potential delays
- Windsor-Essex has two seats at the provincial government table
- MPP Andrew Dowie’s office engaged with the Ministry of Health about the CTS application status and isn’t “aware of any concerns or delays” regarding it
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