Time to redouble our efforts!

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As many are aware, the CISSSO has decided the Pontiac hospital must impose parking fees in order to be standard with city hospitals, despite its location in a rural area that offers free parking everywhere and anywhere.

As many are aware, the CISSSO has decided the Pontiac hospital must impose parking fees in order to be standard with city hospitals, despite its location in a rural area that offers free parking everywhere and anywhere.
In addition to nickle-and-diming Pontiac residents and healthcare workers with their parking scheme, CISSSO has decided to further punish our region by shuttering the Shawville Pavillon du Parc facility. This decision, as reported by local media, is going to force some patients and families apart from one another by moving patients outside our region to a new facility! There is a need right here, right now, for these services– services the CISSSO feels should be prioritized for the other areas it administers.
Rural areas are increasingly facing economic challenges compared to their urban cousins, and recent decisions made by CISSSO only serve to further squeeze a population that is already squeezed by taxation and industry changes.
However, I am optimistic in what lies ahead. After forcing local residents to
travel to Gatineau on January 27, CISSSO offered some token half-answers to a
number of questions relating to paid-parking at the Pontiac hospital.
CISSSO is now pushing back the implementation of their paid-parking scheme by one month. This is a small, but significant measure that buys us time to
further explore avenues to deal with the unfair treatment we are receiving. This
concession should serve as notice for us to redouble our efforts!
It’s inspiring to see members of Pontiac Voice and the community at large work together towards correcting this injustice. Community pressure has met with some success already and we must continue this fight.

Benjamin Woodman
AYLMER