10 independent members of the MUHC's board of directors quit Monday afternoon, saying they are unable to work with Health Minister Gaetan Barrette.
In a statement, the board members cited communication problems and said Barrette's refusal to meet with them was affecting their ability to work as an effective team.
"For us to be effective and to operate in the best interest of our patients and their families as well as the talented women and men who work at the MUHC it is essential that we have a regular and constructive dialogue with the Minister and his officials and that we work collaboratively towards achieving our common goals," a statement from the 10 members reads. "Minister Barrette, however, has for many months refused to engage with us, ignoring our requests for meetings, not responding to correspondence and refusing to share reports like the Joshi and Desjardins Reports with us before making them public months after they were submitted.
"We are at an impasse."
The board members — chair Claudio Bussandri, Gail Campbell, Marie Giguere, David Laidley, Teresa Pacheco, Robert Rabinovitch, Janis Riven, Glenn Rourke, Melissa Sonberg, Norman Spencer — are also blaming the minister for threats of trusteeship and his questioning the board members' competence.
Minister Barrette tells CJAD he was surprised by the decision to quit and denies he refused to meet with them.
Barrette also says trusteeship isn't an option he's considering.
"Trusteeship is not on the table," he told CJAD's Aaron Rand show.
Barrette says he will turn his attention to working with the community to fill the empty positions on the board.