Ajax calls on rights commission to intervene

May 16, 2008 - 10:55

By Keith Gilligan

AJAX -- Councillors have endorsed a call to have the Ontario Human Rights Commission intervene in the closing of 20 in-patient mental health beds at the Ajax hospital.

Maurice Brenner, a community activist and former Pickering councillor, had proposed seeking the help of the commission in stopping the Rouge Valley Health System's plan to move the beds to Centenary Hospital in Scarborough.

Mr. Brenner said in his correspondence to Ajax council that it was a violation of the Ontario Human Rights Code to move the beds. The code defines a 'mental disorder' as a disability and it's discriminatory to deny someone a service because of a disability.

Council, at its April 28 meeting, referred Mr. Brenner's letter to the Town's solicitor, seeking advice on the matter. The Town's lawyer, Ron Hawkshaw, said council had the authority to pass a motion based on Mr. Brenner's letter.

The council motion called on the OHRC to conduct a public inquiry or review on the closing of the in-patient beds.

"I expect it will," said Marty de Rond, the Town's clerk, when asked if approving the motion would start the process at the OHRC.

Having other municipalities in Durham Region supporting the Town's position will "be persuasive," Mr. de Rond said.

He didn't know how long it would be before a hearing would be held, if one was called.

"Unfortunately, I don't have an answer to that, how long it will take, the terms and how to define them," Mr. de Rond said.

The next Central East Local Health Integration Network meeting has been pushed back a week, to June 6 from May 30, Mayor Steve Parish said.

The decision to move the beds has been made and the LHIN meeting "won't deal with the decision, but deal with certain details regarding the implementation," he said.

Mayor Parish said he spoke with LHIN head Foster Loucks and "they basically made the decision."

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