Memo from Sudbury hospital board praises embattled CEO Dominic Giroux

Following the release of the full auditor general’s report on Laurentian University’s insolvency, the board of directors at Health Sciences North is praising the work of CEO Dominic Giroux.

Auditor General Bonnie Lysyk singled out Giroux’s time as head of Laurentian as the period when the school’s fiscal problems began to get serious.

Massive spending on several capital projects added to LU’s growing debt load, which became a crisis when revenue from international students dried up during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Giroux has refused to comment on the auditor’s analysis after a request from CTV Northern Ontario.

But in a memo to HSN staff Nov. 22 obtained by CTV News, board chair Daniel Giroux, vice-chair Dr. Catherine Cervin and treasurer Stephan Plante said Giroux has been an outstanding CEO since taking over five years ago.

“Since Dominic joined HSN and HSNRI in 2017-18, our cash position, working capital, net assets and long-term debt improved in both organizations,” the memo said.

When he arrived, HSN was incurring operating deficits of about $1 million a month, the memo said. Since then, the hospital has posted operating surpluses each year, ranging from $300,000 to $2.9 million.

“As well, today HSN performs at or above the average of Ontario hospitals on 13 of 19 indicators tracked by the Canadian Institute for Health Information,” the memo continued.

“It is recognized by Ontario Health as No. 1 on quality improvement indicators among Ontario’s 14 regional cancer programs.”

“We are fully confident in the job Dominic has done as CEO – a job that was recently validated by being chosen by his peers to be the Chair of the Ontario Hospital Association at a time of great challenge in Ontario’s health care sector.”

And in an email to CTV, Daniel Giroux said the board “has full confidence in the leadership of its president and CEO.”

“With the support of many, Dominic has done an excellent job co-chairing the pandemic response for the health sector in northern Ontario,” Giroux said.

“Since he took the helm back in 2017, HSN secured a favourable third-party validation of its approved 2018 budget, operating funding for 198 hospital beds in Greater Sudbury, final approvals for the PET-CT, provincial approval for a second MRI, a Stage 1 planning grant for our capital redevelopment, $21.6 million from the province for the Labelle Innovation and Learning Centre, $3.4 million to relocate the Children’s Treatment Centre to Southridge Mall and $10 million for renovations to open 52 new beds by 2023.”

Giroux finished by saying, “Therefore, the board is extremely confident in the job Dominic has done as CEO.”