Ont opposition parties criticize Ford for joking human patients could get MRIs at vet

Ontario’s opposition parties are criticizing Premier Doug Ford for joking about sending “overflow” human patients to a new animal hospital.

Ford spoke Tuesday at the opening of a large new veterinary facility north of Toronto, an event attended by several other cabinet ministers, and said, “by the looks of it we know where we can send the overflow patients now for MRIs and CAT scans and everything else.”

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A spokesperson for the premier says he was making a joke referring to the size of the 60,000-square-foot, four-storey hospital and that the government has made record investments in the public health-care system, including dozens of new MRI machines and CT scanners in hospitals.

But opposition parties say the state of Ontario’s health-care system isn’t humorous, as patients can face long waits for diagnostic tests and emergency care.

NDP Leader Marit Stiles says Ford thinks the “chaos and crisis” he has created is a laughing matter.

Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie says the joke is not funny, it’s “repulsive.”