Bill Rosenberg pledged to continue working toward reliable emergency services for Thessalon

SooToday received the following letter from MPP Bill Rosenberg about closures at the Thessalon Hospital emergency department, in response to a statement issued by the NDP. 

I am responding to the recent articles and comments regarding the Thessalon Hospital emergency department closures.

As the MPP for Algoma-Manitoulin and a lifelong resident of Thessalon and the surrounding area, I share the community’s concerns and have been actively working toward solutions to address both the emergency department closures and the ongoing physician shortages throughout the riding of Algoma-Manitoulin.

I have met several times with Tim Vine, CEO of North Shore Health Network, with Minister Sylvia Jones and officials from the Ministry of Health, Thessalon Mayor Jordan Bird, as well as with local physicians Dr. Vine and Dr. Haapala, to discuss both immediate and long-term  strategies.

Unfortunately, Thessalon is not alone, that is why I have been meeting with several of our other hospital CEOs in our riding. Many communities across Ontario and across Canada are facing similar emergency department closures and physician shortages.

These challenges did not arise overnight. They are the result of decisions and funding reductions made over many years. Our government is taking action to rebuild and strengthen Ontario’s health-care system.

This includes expanding seats at Northern Ontario School of Medicine University (NOSM) to train more doctors and health-care professionals in the North. We have also expanded the Learn and Stay Grant to encourage students to remain in northern and rural

communities after completing their training.

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, our government 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.

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

These initiatives are designed to attract and retain health-care professionals in northern Ontario and to help prevent physician-related emergency department interruptions across the province.

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.

Bill Rosenberg

MPP, Algoma-Manitoulin

Thessalon