NDP demanding resources after COVID-19 test positivity rate alarmingly high in Brampton
Published November 17, 2020 at 3:45 pm
With the number of COVID-19 cases on the rise in Brampton, Official Opposition NDP Deputy Leader Sara Singh (Brampton Centre) is asking that the Ford government provide necessary resources to the Region of Peel to help stop the spread of the virus.
According to an analysis conducted by ICES, a Toronto-based non-profit also formerly known as the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences, the positivity rate for northeast Brampton from Nov. 1-7 was a whopping 19 per cent.
With Brampton’s ongoing health care crisis and the Region of Peel experiencing a second wave of COVID-19, now, more than ever is the city’s healthcare system in dire need of additional funding.
“Brampton deserves its fair share of health care funding, especially now, as it gets hit hard by the pandemic,” said Singh on Nov. 17.
“The provincial government should be giving Peel Region and the city of Brampton the dedicated resources they need, not making empty promises at press conferences.”
On October 27, the provincial government announced that Brampton’s health care system would be receiving support amid the COVID-19 pandemic and revealed that William Osler Health System would be receiving up to 87 new patient beds to help with hospital capacity pressures and reduce wait times, which included 41 hospital beds at Brampton Civic Hospital.
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Following the announcement, Premier Doug Ford made a statement regarding a new hospital in Brampton.
“The Premier has now publicly stated he’s going to get a new hospital built. He wants to get the shovels in the ground. We are going to hold him to that commitment,” said Mayor Patrick Brown, at a conference on Oct. 28 following Ford’s statement.
However, just over a week later on Nov. 6, it was announced that Ford left Brampton out once again in his latest budget, which failed to provide the city with a new hospital as well as the expansion of Peel Memorial.
This is one of several reasons that Singh is currently demanding the necessary resources from the Ford government for the Region of Peel.
According to Singh, for every 1,000 residents, Brampton has just 0.96 hospital beds, which is less than half the province-wide average of 2.19 hospital beds.
“The people of Brampton are risking their lives to move goods across the province, keep our food supply chain moving and working in our factories. They’re working in health care and front-line essential services,” said Singh.
“Instead of investing in keeping them safe and stopping the spread of COVID-19, Doug Ford is telling them they’re on their own because he doesn’t want to spend the money to protect them.”
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