By Rosalind Russell – The MPP for the Algoma-Manitoulin riding, Bill Rosenberg, lives in Thessalon and says he is aware of the multiple closures over the last year of the emergency department at the local hospital.
Rosenberg says he share the community’s concerns and has been actively working toward solutions to address both the emergency department closures and the ongoing physician shortages at the hospital and others across the riding.
Rosenberg says he’s met several times with the North Shore Health Network, Health Minister Sylvia Jones and other ministry officials, as well as the Mayor Jordan Bird, and the two local physicians to discuss solutions.
Rosenberg says there are no instance answers, but the government is expanding seats at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine University and also increasing the Learn and Stay Grant to encourage students to remain in the North.
He adds the network is also taking advantage of several grant programs in an effort to alleviate the situation.
Rosenberg stresses he will continue to address the dire straits of the hospital, and others throughout the riding with the government.
At North Shore Health Network, which includes Thessalon, government funding has increased by more than $7 million since 2018, with an additional $2.6 million provided as of December 2025.
Province-wide, the province has invested $44 million to reduce emergency department wait times and $10 million to upskill 1,000 nurses to work in emergency departments, along with expanding the Learn and Stay Grant.
According to Rosenberg, additional initiatives supporting rural and northern communities include:
· The Rural Emergency Medicine Coverage Investment Fund
· The Rural and Northern Physician Group Agreement
· The Stabilizing Emergency Department Nursing Staffing Agency
· The Northern Ontario Resident Streamlined Training and Reimbursement Program
“Please be assured as your local MPP, that I will continue working diligently to address the immediate challenges facing the Thessalon Emergency Department while also focusing on long-term solutions to ensure stable physician recruitment, adequate funding, and reliable emergency services for our families and residents,” says Rosenberg.
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