Capital Plan Development Task Force Update #19

The Capital Plan Development Task Force met on June 14.

The land use and community planning analysis was finalized having incorporated additional revisions requested by the municipalities providing feedback on the report. Task force members agreed to accept the report as final, acknowledging non-urban centre hospital sites would be not be recommended from a land-use planning perspective.

The task force discussed the timing of the forthcoming economic impact study. The scope of work and objectives of this study were established through a focus group involving municipal Economic Development Officers from Muskoka and East Parry Sound and representatives of Muskoka Futures. The task force heard the draft study has been completed by the consultants and presented back to the focus group in early June. At that meeting those representatives requested additional time to provide input to strengthen and enhance the Muskoka aspect. The task force expects to receive the draft study at its next meeting and will use the findings as part of their model evaluation process.

In the meantime with the project schedule in mind, task force members agreed to begin their individual confidential evaluation of the three models, and to complete their evaluations upon receiving the economic impact study. The evaluation tool as well as the reference data (ie: health care studies, projections, travel studies, etc. with the exception of the economic impact study) was provided to members for their rating/ranking of the three models. Once individual evaluations are completed and results combined, task force members will be able to discuss as a group any discrepancies or significant differences in the results before coming to a consensus on the preferred model by the end of July.

The task force further discussed how it would present its preferred model recommendation to the MAHC Board of Directors, and agreed to present the recommendation in a special public meeting of the Board in August. The Board would then follow its customary process, with Directors ensuring due diligence. Following this, the Board will announce the model it will recommend to the North Simcoe Muskoka LHIN and Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care.

The next task force meeting is July 4, 2018.