Martin oversaw changes in local health care for more than two decades

Leland Martin has overseen a lot of change during his volunteer career.

The Enniskillen Township man has been giving of his time in health care and policing for 25 years but says he’s still doesn’t know the secret to managing change. “I’m still learning,” he joked as he met with Enniskillen Mayor Kevin Marriott and Deputy Mayor Judy Krall Friday afternoon.

Martin has been named Enniskillen’s 2022 Senior of the Year.

The 89 year-old grew up in a farm in Colchester Township near the Harrow Agriculture Research Farm. He would move to Sarnia to work for Dow Chemical in the division which supplied pesticides and insecticides to the agriculture industry. The family lived in Sarnia for 17 years, but Martin longed to have a piece of land of his own to farm. So, the family moved to Ennskillen Township in the 1970s.

Martin didn’t spend a lot of time there during his working years. He was often on the road for his work with Dow. But when Martin did retire, he started looking for ways to help the community.

He became the chair of Victoria Playhouse Petrolia’s board of directors when the theater stood on the brink of bankruptcy.

Then, Martin became Enniskillen’s representative for Charlotte Eleanor Englehart Hosptial at Bluewater Health. Martin was smack dab in the middle of the fight to keep CEE open – and not always on the right side.

Martin says he first agreed with Bluewater Health that CEE should be closed. “We recognized that small hospitals were having a difficult time,” he says. “It seemed logical to join forces.”

The community erupted in anger with the move and convinced Martin he was wrong. “I felt that was one of the stupidest things I’ve ever done because we came this close,” he says holding up two fingers “to being closed.

“It was a stressful time and through the efforts of the local people here…we succeeded in keeping it open and it has become just a wonderful facility.”

Martin was then hand picked to sit on the boards of the new, and controversial, Local Health Integration Network. The provincial appointees had to find a way to meld several district health councils and other health care delivery agencies together.

“It was a difficult time to convince the delivery systems – the hospitals, the VONs, and all of the various agencies – to convince them that it was a good idea and that we were going to be in control one way or another. It was a difficult time for us and for them.”

As the struggle to manage health care went on, the board also had to create this new health care corporation, which Martin says was a huge challenge.

Martin also served two terms on the Lambton Police Service Board for the local OPP.

And even though he will be 90 next year, Martin’s work continues. He’s part of the planning body for the new Sarnia-Lambton Ontario Health Team and the provincial government tapped the Enniskillen man to be part of province wide group trying to deal with the crisis in health care human resources.

With over 25 years of experience overseeing change, we asked Martin if he had any good advice for other organizations managing change.

“No,” he says bluntly. “I’m still learning.”

Marriott says Martin has done outstanding work in the community and was pleased to present him with the award.

“Hopefully, it is a little bit back for what you have done for us. Thank you,” he said.