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Northeastern Ontario patients suffering from Parkinson’s and other neurological diseases could get help closer to home, MPP says
Published Apr 29, 2026 • Last updated 10 hours ago • 6 minute read
Nickel Belt MPP France Gelinas, shown in this file photo, has submitted to the Ontario Legislature a petition with “thousands and thousands” of signatures on it, all calling for the establishment of a neuro movement clinic in Greater Sudbury. Photo by John Lappa /Sudbury StarArticle content
Nickel Belt MPP France Gelinas has submitted to the Ontario Legislature a petition with “thousands and thousands” of signatures on it, all calling for the establishment of a small medical movement clinic in Greater Sudbury.
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Signatories of the petition called on Queen’s Park to “immediately set up a neurological movement disorder clinic in the Sudbury area that is staffed by a neurologist who specializes in the treatment of movement disorders, a physiotherapist and a social worker at a minimum.”
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Presented to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, the petition acknowledges the high rate of neurological movement disorders in northeastern Ontario, while arguing that specialized clinics tailored to the needs of those living with such illnesses can significantly enhance quality of life.
“We have a high percentage of people who have neurological disorders; the main one is Parkinson’s,” although patients with other neurological diseases, including multiple sclerosis, could benefit from a clinic close to home, Gelinas said. “Most of them have to travel out of town as their needs increase. So at the very beginning, the family physician handles it. As things get worse, they get referred to a neurologist; and as things get worse, they will get referred to a neurologist specializing in movement disorders. And then not only are you getting sicker, and it’s getting harder to travel, but you have to travel further and further all the time.”
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Gelinas said the idea for the petition was born after she visited a local support and advocacy group for people living with Parkinson’s disease.
“We don’t have thousands and thousands of people with Parkinson’s, but their family, their friends, their healthcare workers who work with them, (all) signed the petition,” Gelinas said.
All residents of Ontario deserve equity of access, she argued, noting there are effective treatments that can help people with movement disorders. But the lack of a clinic means a lack of care, and that causes isolation, increased pain, an increased potential for injury, and the erosion of quality of life and independence.
“When you don’t have access to (care), then that’s not fair,” she said. “We are Ontarian. We have a health care system that knows how to provide care to people with movement disorders, which is effective, which makes changes and changes their lives for the better. But when you can’t have access to that care, you suffer.”
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The petition indicated Greater Sudbury is the natural location for a clinic, since it is the health care hub of northeastern Ontario.
When she presented the petition to the Ontario Legislature, she reminded her colleagues how prevalent neurological disorders are in Northern Ontario.
“I don’t know if you know this, Speaker, but northeastern Ontario has the highest rate of neurological movement disorders in all of Ontario,” Gelinas told her colleagues at Queen’s Park earlier this month. “A specialized neurological movement disorder clinic would provide essential health care services to those living with diseases like Parkinson’s, Huntington’s, dystonia, Tourette’s and many others. The City of Greater Sudbury is being recognized as a hub where most of those services should be available, but they are not.”
Gelinas said the petition signatories are urging the provincial government to set up a movement disorder clinic in Greater Sudbury “so that people don’t have to travel long distances in the middle of the winter on roads that are poorly maintained, to gain access to the services they need.”
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Gelinas said Health Minister Sylvia Jones was non-committal.
“Basically, what the minister said is that she leaves it up to Health Sciences North to organize such a clinic. What HSN is saying is that ‘we can barely keep offering the services we have now.’ The budgets are so tight they’re not looking at adding new services,” Gelinas said. “They’re looking at how can we keep the ones we have and anything that’s an outpatient service is on the chopping block right now.”
Jones said the provincial government “is building a connected public health care system to improve the patient and caregiver experience, and strengthen local services. We are committed to ensuring patients receive the best care — no matter when and where they need it.”
Jones said hospitals are independent bodies.
“Hospitals administrators are responsible for the day-to-day management of their hospitals, including the delivery of services and implementation of programs, protocols and procedures adopted by the hospital board, within the parameters of provincial legislation,” she offered.
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Noting there has been an increase in the number of neurologists practising across the province and in Northern Ontario, Jones said as care needs increase, patients may wish to consider home care.
“Home care is available to patients who qualify, as determined by their care co-ordinator,” she commented. “Between 2018 and 2023, the number of neurologists practicing in Ontario increased by 25.9 per cent (from 405 to 510). The number of neurologists practising in the north increased by 22.2 per cent. We are creating a connected and sustainable public health care system that puts the people of Ontario first.”
That response did not sit well with Gelinas, who said the Ministry of Health has a responsibility to “bring equity of access to all. Every Ontarian deserves equity of access,” within reason.
She understands that double lung transplants will not be performed in Gogama; however, Gelinas said it is reasonable to establish a movement disorder clinic in Greater Sudbury to serve the northeast.
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“There is nothing that keeps us from doing this, except the resources,” she said. “The Ministry of Health now has a budget of $95 billion. Don’t tell me you don’t have the resources to bring equity of access to the hundreds and hundreds of people that have a movement disorder. Don’t tell me you don’t have the resources to do this. It is your job to bring equity of access. We have demonstrated that right now, the people of northeastern Ontario do not have equity of access. It is your job to fix it, not to download it and say, let HSN figure out how to do this. It’s not their job to run the health care system. It is the Ministry of Health’s job.”
Gelinas said the Conservatives just tabled a new budget, which includes an additional $5.4 billion allocated to the Ministry of Health.
“So the idea is really to target that new money,” she said. “We’re not talking millions of dollars to set up a clinic — once a month or twice a month, a neurologist specializing in movement disorders comes to Sudbury. We already have physiotherapists and social workers who work with people with movement disorders. We’re talking very little, but it needs to get done.”
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She said enough people have spoken up, indicating the service is needed. Now it is up to the province to “make it happen. And you have the money. You’ve just been given a $5.4-billion increase to the Ministry of Health budget that has not been allocated.”
As Gelinas said, “billions of dollars changes a lot of things.”
Known for her tenacity, Gelinas, the NDP’s health care critic, said she plans to keep putting pressure on Jones “so that she does the right thing. I want to keep it at the top of her to-do list.”
Gelinas said it would actually be quite simple to start a local movement disorder clinic.
“We have the resources; we have the knowledge; we have the skills; we have everything in place — get ‘er done,” she said. “So I’ll keep presenting petitions, as well as writing to her, to remind her to get that done.”
To sign the petition, go to tinyurl.com/4rcnevss.
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