ELLIOT LAKE—While the news from the province of a one-time funding increase to public health units in the province may be good, the caveat that this will be provided if health units voluntarily merge will leave Northern Ontario public health units (PHUs) disadvantaged even further, says Algoma-Manitoulin MPP Michael Mantha.
“In the North public health units (PHUs) provide services to vast areas spanning dozens of communities with unique needs and circumstances,” said MPP Mantha. “The realities faced by Northern PHUs are different from those in urban and southern parts of Ontario. Only offering additional funds to PHUs that can merge is disadvantaging Northerners who are coping with decades of underfunding to public health and mental health services.”
At the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) conference last week Ontario Health Minister Sylvia Jones also announced a return to the previous 75-25 percent cost sharing formula for public health between the province and municipalities.
Minister Jones told AMO that the province will be offering funding to PHUs that want to merge and will reverse cuts to a public health funding formula.
The Progressive Conservative government had proposed, in 2019, consolidating the province’s PHUs, but those plans were put on hold when the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020.
Ms. Jones told AMO that she will be working with the sector to “clarify public health roles and responsibilities to reduce overlap” and will provide one-time funding to PHUs that voluntarily merge. She said the province will increase base funding for PHUs by one percent a year over the next three years. She also announced that the province will return to being responsible for a 75 percent public health cost-sharing formula with municipalities.
PHUs including the PHU for Sudbury district has been calling on the government to permanently revert to the original funding level because the reliance on mitigation funding has made it hard for them to plan and budget.
In a reply to questions posed by The Expositor, Public Health Sudbury and Districts said in a statement, “We appreciate The Manitoulin Expositor reaching out on this important matter of public health funding; however, we will decline an interview at this time.”
“While the return to the previous funding formula is welcome news, the province decreased its funding for public health by 12.1 percent this year,” said MPP Mantha. “This is unacceptable and will harm vulnerable populations in the North who need access to PHU services.”
MPP Mantha is calling on the government to utilize the $416 million in unspent funds allocated for public health, as identified by the Financial Accountability Office, to restore full, reliable funding to PHUs.
“We need stable funding for public health in the North to tackle the healthcare crisis, as well as the mental health and addictions crisis affecting communities across our region,” added MPP Mantha.
MPP Mantha said that PHSD turned down a request for comments on the provincial announcement last week. “The fact that public health is silent on the issue leads me to believe that if it was good news, we would hear about it and that this means it will negatively impact our Northern communities.”
