Maja Vodanovic

By Chelsey St-Pierre
The Suburban

At the most recent public council meeting in Lachine, City Councillor Micheline Rouleau ventured out with an independent speech, not discussed by council, concerning the Save the Lachine Hospital citizens committee’s latest efforts to raise awareness about the non-existent ICU at the hospital by placing lawn signs on private property throughout the municipality. Rather than join the fight for a fully functional hospital, Rouleau gave a speech slamming the efforts.

“You are harming the population and yourselves [by putting up the signs],” Rouleau told attendees at the public council meeting. “I am asking a favour to all those who have signs in front of their homes to take them down because you are creating an incredible stress to the hospital employees, the patients and to the foundation because we need to collect $5 million by 2026 to buy things not provided by the government.”

Rouleau is the co-president of The Lachine Hospital Foundation which raises funds for the Lachine Hospital and stated the the signs were harmful to the fundraising efforts of the Foundation. “We (the Foundation) are moving forward while others are holding back and it is unhealthy. If people hear a bad reputation of the hospital, while there is not actually, everything is going well, then we will find ourselves with a lack of staff because people will have heard that it will not work,” she stated. Rouleau goes on to say that certain donors are holding back and telling the Foundation that they “won’t make donations unless the hospital will be a fully functional hospital.”

Lachine Mayor Maja Vodanovic, a long time supporter of the Save the Lachine Hospital committee and co-chair at the Lachine Hospital Foundation, was visibly surprised by Rouleau’s comments. When questioned about her reaction by The Suburban, she responded that “What Mme. Rouleau said at the council meeting was unexpected. It was not discussed prior in caucus and it took me by surprise. Although I believe Mme. Rouleau was well intentioned, she was not speaking in the name of the whole council.”

Dr. Paul Saba, who was honoured by the City of Lachine recently at a gala for his efforts towards the Lachine Hospital, says he was also shocked by Rouleau’s comments. “This is a collective effort, supported by the population, medical professionals and elected officials. A fully functional hospital requires an ICU and we are positively advocating for something that is beneficial to the hospital and to the patients. Lawn signs raising awareness is a positive effort. Anyone who advocates against a hospital having an ICU which is the heart of the hospital is advocating to put patients’ health and lives at risk and this is unacceptable. Studies have shown that ICUs save lives. What is more ‘stressful’ — having an ICU or not having an ICU? I don’t understand the purpose of advocating against the population’s determination to have an ICU in their local community hospital.”

The Suburban reached out to Micheline Rouleau, who did not respond for comment. n