This is a petition being circulated by Ontario MPP Steve Clark. I have an email copy of Steve's petition, if anyone wants it.

TO THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF ONTARIO:

WHEREAS, the tick-borne illness known as Chronic Lyme Disease, which mimics many catastrophic illnesses, such as Multiple Sclerosis, Crohn’s, Alzheimer’s, arthritic diabetes, depression, Chronic Fatigue and Fibromyalgia is increasingly endemic in Canada, but scientifically validated diagnostic tests and treatment choices are currently not available in Ontario, forcing patients to seek these in the U.S.A. and Europe;

WHEREAS, the Canadian Medical Association informed the public, governments, and the medical profession in the May 30, 2000 edition of their professional journal that Lyme Disease is endemic throughout Canada, particularly in Southern Ontario;

WHEREAS, the Ontario Public Health system and the Ontario Health Insurance Plan currently do not fund those specific tests that accurately serve the process for establishing a clinical diagnosis, but only recognize testing procedures known in the medical literature to provide false negatives 45 to 95% of the time;

WE, THE UNDERSIGNED, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to request the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care to direct the Ontario Public Health system and OHIP to include all currently available and scientifically verified tests for Acute and Chronic Lyme Disease in Ontario, and to have everything necessary to create public awareness of Lyme Disease in Ontario, and to have internationally developed diagnostic and successful treatment protocols available to patients and physicians.