June 18, 2026
Toronto Star
By Iris Gorfinkel, Contributor
Iris Gorfinkel is a family physician and clinical researcher in Toronto.
On the day the news broke, my 76‑year‑old patient spent 14 hours on a stretcher in an ER hallway. That same day the Star announced, “Ontario legislature rises for 21-week break following short session.”
Delivering a better health system takes scrutiny, debate and ultimately laws — and that can’t happen without an active Legislative Assembly at Queen’s Park. When this doesn’t happen, hope turns into seniors spending nights on gurneys.
That assembly sets the funding and framework for every clinician, hospital and mental health service provided by the province. The fate of publicly funded housing, long-term care, home care and public health units also rests on its decisions.
Critical as it is to the health of Ontarians, the Ford government has shut it down for 21 weeks, an “extended summer recess.” This follows a 14-week “winter break,” adding up to a whopping 35 weeks without a sitting legislature in a year when the health system is in crisis
Read more at thestar.com (Paywall)
