Chamber News

Health Sustainability Most Important Issue for Ontario Voters While System Confidence Wanes: Ontario Chamber of Commerce Survey Results Reveal

Final report of OCC’s Health Transformation Initiative calls for immediate action
to strengthen the public health care system

Belleville, January 26, 2017: Today, the Bay of Quinte Regional Chambers of Commerce in partnership with the Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC) released Health Transformation: An Action Plan for Ontario, which includes new and exclusive survey data from two of Ontario’s top research firms that polled both OCC members and all Ontarians. After a year of research and consultation, the regional Chambers of Commerce and the OCC have developed three strategic recommendations to improve Ontario’s health care system. This action plan comes at a critical time, as recent Fresh Intelligence survey results reveal that only 14 per cent of Ontario’s business community is confident that the health care system is sustainable for the future. Despite other growing concerns surrounding topics like electricity pricing and climate change, health care sustainability still remains the most important issue for Ontarians.

Additional data released in today’s report, from a survey conducted by the Gandalf Group, suggests that a mere 39 per cent of all Ontarians are confident that the province’s health care system will be able to fund a consistently high level of care in the future. Reflecting the concerns expressed locally, half of Ontarians agree that the health care system doesn’t need more money, it just needs to be better managed. With this level of increased uncertainty in Ontario’s health care system, through its membership, the OCC and Bay of Quinte Chambers of Commerce want to be a productive partner in revitalizing public care.

“This issue is important to Bay of Quinte businesses because a sustainable public health care system that can provide best-in-class care is critical to the overall health and wellness of Ontarians.” Says Emily Cowan, Executive Director of the Prince Edward County Chamber. “A healthy Ontario is a productive Ontario, and a strong single-payer health care system is a competitive advantage for the private sector compared to other jurisdictions.”

“A strong public system is one that puts patients at the center of health care reform and provides Ontarians with the best-in-class care that they deserve,” said Allan O’Dette, President & CEO of the OCC. “There is a great opportunity for the private sector to play a productive role alongside a robust and sustainable public health care system. Partnering with both for- and non-profit experts can provide the public sector with new ideas, improve access to innovation and build confidence in Ontario industry.”

Over the course of four reports, the OCC’s Health Transformation Initiative has pointed to the overarching theme of making use of private sector expertise as a way to improve Ontario’s health care system. With a vision for a sustainable and prosperous health sector that involves private sector participation, this fifth and final report, Health Transformation: An Action Plan for Ontario highlights the top three recommendations that government can implement today:

• Shift Ontario towards a value-based health care system
• Modernize procurement and supply chain processes
• Better integrate Ontario’s technical discoveries and innovations into the public health care system

“Cross-industry collaboration is critical to solving some of the issues faced by Ontario’s health care sector,” said Suzanne Andrews, General Manager, Quinte West Chamber of Commerce. “It is our hope that this action plan will serve as a jumping off point for important discussions on addressing health care issues in the Quinte Region and demonstrate the regional Chambers’ readiness to be a problem solver in this health care area.”

“While the recommendations in this report are directed towards government,” said Bill Saunders, CEO Belleville Chamber of Commerce, “we are also calling on the private sector to take on a collaborative role in health system reform and drive solutions that will strengthen the economic health of Ontario’s economy and put patients first.”

Click here for more survey data information.

Click Here to read the Full Report.

A total of 773 OCC members were polled by Fresh Intelligence via an online methodology between October 25th 2016 and November 30th 2016. A total of 1004 Ontarians were polled by The Gandalf Group between December 28th, 2016 and January 3rd 2017. A random probability sample of this size has a margin of error of +/- 3.1%, 19 times out of 20.

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Media Contacts:
Suzanne Andrews, General Manager
Quinte West Chamber of Commerce
E: manager@quintewestchamber.ca
T: (613) 392-7635

Bill Saunders, CEO
Belleville Chamber of Commerce
E: Bill@bellevillechamber.ca
T: (613) 962-4597

Emily Cowan, Executive Director
Prince Edward County Chamber of Tourism and Commerce
E:  manager@pecchamber.com
T: (613) 476-2421