In the beige-yellow waiting room of the Cornwall Community Hospital, I meet Adele Martin, a 72-year-old Cornwall resident who’s been waiting eight months for cataract surgery. She leans forward, squinting slightly as she speaks.
“It was manageable at first, just a bit of cloudiness. Now I don’t drive at night, and I’ve had two falls this year,” she tells me, adjusting her glasses. “My doctor referred me to the ophthalmology clinic here, but I’m told the waitlist is growing since they announced the changes.”
The changes Martin refers to have become the center of heated debate in this eastern Ontario community. The Cornwall Community Hospital’s ophthalmology clinic, which has served the region’s eye care needs for decades, is slated for privatization – part of a broader provincial strategy to address surgical backlogs by moving procedures to private facilities.
Last week, the Ontario Health Coalition and healthcare unions held a press conference outside the hospital, warning that the privatization would prioritize profit over patient care and potentially leave vulnerable patients behind.
“We’re seeing a pattern across Ontario where public hospital services are being handed to private corporations,” says Natalie Mehra, executive director of the Ontario Health Coalition. “The evidence from other provinces shows this leads to higher costs, cream-skimming of easier cases, and staff being poached from the public system.”
The Cornwall ophthalmology clinic performs approximately 2,800 cataract surgeries annually, serving a population that includes many seniors and rural residents who rely on the hospital’s central location and OHIP-covered services.
According to data from the Canadian Institute for Health Information, cataract surgery wait times in Ontario averaged 161 days in 2022, significantly higher than the national benchmark of 112 days. The provincial government has pointed to these backlogs as justification for contracting procedures to private clinics.
“Our plan will provide Ontarians with more choice, reduce wait times, and free up hospital beds,” said Sylvia Jones, Ontario’s Minister of Health, in a statement earlier this year when announcing the expansion of private clinics for cataract surgeries and other procedures.
But Dr. Amanda Singh, an ophthalmologist who has worked at the Cornwall clinic for six years, has concerns about what privatization might mean for comprehensive eye care.
“In the hospital setting, we can handle complex cases – patients with multiple conditions, difficult cataracts, people who might need specialized care during or after surgery,” she explains as we walk through the clinic’s examination rooms. “Private clinics often cherry-pick straightforward cases while sending complicated ones back to hospitals.”
Hospital staff have also raised alarms about their futures. Tracy Macdonald, a registered nurse who has worked in ophthalmology for 15 years, worries about working conditions under private management.
“We’ve built expertise here as a team,” Macdonald says during her lunch break. “Now we’re hearing our jobs might change, or we’ll need to reapply, or we might lose benefits. Many of us are considering leaving healthcare altogether.”
The Cornwall situation reflects broader tensions in Canadian healthcare. A recent report from the Canadian Medical Association Journal found that provinces expanding private delivery have not seen the promised reductions in wait times, while costs have often increased. In Alberta, private eye clinics now charge facility fees of $195 to $1,290 on top of what the province pays for the physician services.
For Cornwall resident Michel Lapointe, 68, these concerns hit home. After retiring from the city’s now-closed paper mill, he lives on a fixed income and has been waiting for treatment for macular degeneration.
“I’m worried about extra fees, about having to travel further for appointments, about what happens if there’s a complication,” he tells me as we sit in Tim Hortons near the hospital. “This clinic isn’t just about cataracts – it’s our eye care hub for everything.”
The hospital administration maintains that service quality won’t be affected by the transition. In a statement, Cornwall Community Hospital CEO Jeanette Despatie said: “We understand the community’s concerns and are committed to maintaining quality eye care services for our region. The request for proposals process will prioritize maintaining current service levels.”
Yet community advocates remain skeptical. Local unions have collected over 3,000 signatures opposing the move, and the Cornwall Health Coalition has organized community meetings to discuss alternatives.
“What we’re seeing in Cornwall is happening across Ontario – vital services being fragmented and privatized piece by piece,” says Michael Hurley, president of the Ontario Council of Hospital Unions. “Every service that moves to the private sector takes staff, expertise, and public accountability with it.”
As evening falls, I visit the small office of the Cornwall Health Coalition, where volunteers are preparing information packages. Betty Richardson, a retired nurse helping with the campaign, points to a map showing the location of healthcare services in the region.
“Many people in our rural areas already travel up to an hour to reach this hospital,” she says. “If specialized eye care moves further away or starts costing extra, some people will simply go without. That’s the reality we’re fighting against.”
The Ministry of Health has indicated that the transition will proceed despite local opposition, with a request for proposals expected by early next year. Meanwhile, patients like Adele Martin continue waiting, watching the clock as their vision gradually dims.
“I just hope someone’s thinking about people like me,” Martin says as we part ways outside the hospital. “I’m not a number on a waitlist or a profit opportunity. I’m just someone who wants to see my grandchildren clearly again.”
