The Broader Public Sector Accountability Act (BPSAA) amended the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA) to enhance transparency in the hospital system. As of January 1, 2012, hospitals were brought under Ontario’s FIPPA, making them more accountable to the public. This change has been met with mixed reactions. Some of us feel concerned by the way the media often covers these topics, aiming for eye-catching headlines that may not always paint the full picture.

I was reminded of this while waiting in the emergency room last Tuesday, over a week ago. It got me thinking—are we, as the public, being misled or is there truth in the reports we see? It’s a tough question, and it’s hard to say definitively. Over the years, I’ve noticed that media reports often seem to twist and turn, making it difficult to discern fact from exaggeration.

With the increased transparency—especially with CEO contracts now public knowledge—are we really getting the full story? Salary numbers, while publicly available, don’t necessarily tell the whole picture. There’s more to these issues than just what meets the eye.

Speaking of eye-catching headlines, I noticed a shift in how the media is framing hospital executive salaries. For example, the original Toronto Star headline, “$75,000 car allowance for hospital executives revealed,” was later changed to a more subdued “Generous perks given to Ontario hospital executives, contracts reveal.” Similarly, there was a headline in York Region titled, “Hospital CEO perks in spotlight.”

In my view, the salary of a hospital CEO should be closely linked to the performance of the hospital. What I would like to see is a clear connection between a CEO’s pay and how well the hospital performs, including metrics like patient satisfaction, efficiency, and financial health. CEO salaries should reflect their ability to improve the hospital, not just their ability to secure benefits for themselves.

I’m also not in favour of the extra perks that many CEOs enjoy. While it’s true that their jobs can be stressful, they’re not the only ones who face stress in the workplace. Doctors, nurses, and support staff also carry heavy burdens, and the idea of CEOs enjoying lavish vacations, golf outings, and excessive retirement benefits while employees are stretched thin just doesn’t sit right with me. It’s time for this kind of pampering to end.

Another question I’ve been asking is: who exactly works for the CEO at the hospital? Are doctors, nurses, medical technicians, and consultants under their direct supervision? We all know that consultants can sometimes come with hefty price tags, and that raises concerns. At the end of the day, it’s the healthcare workers—the ones on the ground, dealing with patients—that are solving the real problems. I have no issue with high CEO salaries, as long as the results justify it—if a CEO can save the hospital 10 or 20 times their salary, then it may be worth it. But when salary information like this is made public, especially when it seems disconnected from hospital performance, it only adds to the frustration of taxpayers and patients.

In my case, I had a positive experience at Southlake Hospital, and while I was only semi-upset, I can understand why others would feel more angered. We need to see better alignment between the pay of executives and the tangible benefits they bring to the healthcare system.

My emergency room story continues here. As we were preparing to leave the emergency room, we found ourselves waiting at the entrance near the security guard station. It was bitterly cold outside, but one female patient seemed unfazed by the chill. She appeared composed, but something about her made me wonder whether she was truly okay.

She had on a hospital gown over a skirt and boots, and she was holding a cigarette pack and lighter in her hands. As she walked out of the hospital, I couldn’t help but notice that under her gown, she was wearing nothing but a black bra, leaving her back exposed to the cold. Despite the frigid temperature, she didn’t seem to react at all. She walked further away from the entrance to smoke, likely to avoid violating the smoke-free by-law.

After a while, her movements became increasingly erratic. She crossed from one side of the parking lot to the other several times, and at one point, with the wind threatening to blow her gown away, she nearly slipped on the curb.

When my husband arrived to pick us up, he noticed her too. Concerned, he suggested we let the security guard in emergency room know. I reluctantly approached them, but they didn’t seem particularly concerned. It was almost as though they were used to her behaviour. I hesitated, unsure if it would make a difference, and in the end, it felt as though my words didn’t have much weight. She had moved out of the camera’s view, and if something were to happen to her, it would go unnoticed. Eventually, one of the security guards came out when she tried to access the wrong entrance, but by then, I wondered if the situation had gone on long enough to become a real issue.

It was an unsettling experience, one that left me feeling conflicted. I couldn’t help but wonder if more could have been done to ensure her safety, but at the time, it seemed like there was little we could do.

I just wasn’t happy about that.

“Why did the man die?” – Matthew asked in the car while driving home. As we were leaving, he saw a man on a stretcher being brought into the emergency room.

“Matthew, the man did not die, he was just getting transported from one hospital to another. They had to wrap him up in the sheet like that because it was really cold outside.”– I replied.

“Oh, okay,” – he replied happily.

It never occurred to me that the Lion King movie would have such a strong effect on the 3.5-year-old.

When we got home, we all washed our hands very well. An air shower on the way out of the hospital would be a nice idea.

In conclusion, we are moving in the right direction, but there is still progress to be made. Hospital performance needs to be more transparent, not just from the perspective of patients, but through comprehensive data that includes clear number-to-number comparisons. This should cover CEO salaries, project-related costs, and, most importantly, an overall hospital performance scorecard. With this level of transparency, the public can gain a better understanding of how their healthcare system is functioning and hold leaders accountable for both successes and areas that need improvement.