Details

Written by: Gordon Prentice

Published: 21 March 2023

It is not easy or straightforward to get information out of Southlake Regional Health Centre. Everything is shrouded in secrecy. It is a closed institution responsible to itself. 

I am talking about how the hospital is run – not about patient confidentiality which is, of course, an absolute.

For months now I have been trying to piece together the chain of events which led to Michael Rice, the developer, offering Greenbelt land to Southlake for a nominal fee. 

On 4 November 2022, three days after Rice made his offer to Southlake’s Chief Executive, Arden Krystal, the Government announced it would be opening up specified areas of the Greenbelt for development, including the Rice lands. 

Rice Lands removed from the Greenbelt

In December 2022 the Rice lands were taken out of the Greenbelt.

This is not a trivial matter. 

It demands complete transparency.

Southlake and the Township of King ask us to believe there are no records of that hugely consequential 90-minute meeting on 1 November 2022 at King Municipal Centre. No minutes. No emails. No jottings. No plans. No maps. No agenda. No follow-ups. No to-do-points. No meeting notes about a commitment to gift 60-80 acres of Greenbelt land to Southlake for a new hospital.

Handshake

Southlake reminds me of the Freemasons. You get the information but only if you know the handshake.

I wanted to sit in on Thursday's Board meeting (23 March) as an interested member of the public and I asked the hospital how I could do this. I was told:

“As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Board opted to suspend open meetings and meet virtually to help stop the spread of infection.There are no open agenda items for public consumption at the upcoming meeting, however a meeting summary will be available on the website for your consideration once ratified at the next meeting.”

These meeting summaries are not minutes.

Land Acquisition

The Board meeting on 22 September 2022 agreed to set up a “Land Acquisition Sub Committee”. I’ve filed a Freedom of Information request to see the background reports put to the Board. 

Michael Rice bought the King lands from Bob Schickedanz on 15 September 2022. John Dunlap, the land agent intermediary who facilitated the sale, left the Southlake Board in September 2022. 

I’ve also asked to see the minutes of the Southlake Board, redacted as they see fit, for the Board meetings on 22 September 2022, 24 November 2022 and 26 January 2023.

Personally, I think it would be easier for everyone if we had full disclosure now rather than later.

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Details

Written by: Gordon Prentice

Published: 19 March 2023

The big news from Ontario’s Integrity Commissioner, David Wake, is that he is prepared to summon “numerous witnesses” to find out if anyone had inside information about the removal of land from the Greenbelt and profited as a result. 

Here in Newmarket all eyes are on Southlake’s Chief Executive, Arden Krystal, who was given a commitment by developer Michael Rice at a meeting on 1 November 2022 that he would gift Greenbelt land in King to Southlake for a new hospital.

Southlake tells me they have no records of that 1 November 2022 meeting on “Hospital expansion” other than the invitation from Daniel Kostopoulos, the Chief Administrative Officer of King who set the meeting up.

Absurdity

Southlake tells me with a straight face they have no idea when the invitation was sent nor to whom it was addressed.

This absurdity persuades me to appeal to the Ontario Information and Privacy Commissioner. It is in now in the works and and I wait to see what unfolds.

Quite separately I have asked Southlake for sight of any declarations of conflict of interest disclosed by Board members in the period from 1 June 2018 until 30 September 2022. 

Shhhhhh!

We know the Township of King facilitated the meeting on 1 November 2022 but, like Southlake, they say they have no record of what happened.

In the light of this, on 8 March 2023 I asked the Town Clerk, Denny Timm, to conduct a more focussed search, examining the files of Mr Kostopolous who was responsible for bringing everyone together. 

Stephen Naylor, the Township’s Director of Growth Management, was also present at the meeting and I have asked for his files to be searched. 

Mr Timm tells me he is reviewing my request and “will respond accordingly”.

Why no records?

If there are no paper or electronic records of such a consequential meeting it rather begs the question: why not?

Was it a deliberate decision not to take notes of the meeting?

I don’t know. But the former IPC Commissioner, Ann Cavoukian, expressed great concern in 2016 about the “culture of avoiding the creation of written and electronic records” in the Dalton McGuinty Government when it was struggling to contain the gas plant cancellation controversy.

Commissioner Wake can, of course, still ask the participants what they remember of that momentous 90-minute-long meeting.

I am sure they can all recall being there.

If so, that’s a good place to start.

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