Funding changes are coming to public health units across Ontario.
The provincial government recently unveiled a reduction of cost-sharing levels, cutting back on funding dollars.
In Waterloo Region, there was concern over a loss of five per cent in funding. Regional Chair Karen Redman previously said that she found the new changes unfortunate. Redman said she was worried about accountability and responsiveness.
The province currently funds between 75 and 100 per cent for local health units. Funding changes will mean it will provide some municipalities with between 60 and 70 per cent instead.
A new report from Waterloo Region shows this could cost the region $1.7 million this year, with that figure jumping to more than $5 million by 2022. That equates to about seven per cent, meaning the region will have some tough decisions to make.
On the other hand, the CEO for Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health says that, with this year’s budget moving to a different funding model, there aren’t any anticipated changes to programming or services in their area.
“Our municipal partners have been funding this health unit at a ratio that is greater than the 75:25 split, and therefore we are already in alignment with the 70:30 ratio that the province is requesting for funding, so we already meet the targets locally,” explains Dr. Nicola Mercer. She
She says the unit expects cuts to come from the downsizing of local health units from 35 to 10.
The province says it will save $200 million by consolidating the local networks.
