Elgin complains about STEGH changes

Elgin councillors, at a meeting Tuesday, Jan. 10, voted unanimously to send a letter of protest to St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital board over its decisions to remove representatives nominated by county and St. Thomas city councils, replacing them with appointees from the general public.

Central Elgin Mayor David Marr said Elgin and St. Thomas had a long history of contributing financially to STEGH, including millions of dollars now being paid toward a major expansion project, and the board needed to know county councillors weren’t happy with the changes made unilaterally by it.

Central Elgin Deputy Mayor Sally Martyn, the county’s representative on the hospital board last year, said the change “was not done properly,” and could give the impression STEGH was ready to leave St. Thomas and Elgin behind now that it had their financial commitments.