Health Unit chair concerned about $1.5M loss in funding

The Chair of the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit is concerned about a $1.5-million loss in provincial funding.

Gary McNamara says the province is changing the formula on how its funds health units.

The provincial government previously provided 25 per cent funding for health unit budgets and the remaining 75 per cent was collected from municipalities.

The Progressive Conservative government is changing its share to 20 per cent – meaning local municipalities will have to fund the difference.

McNamara indicates many services are mandated from the government, so they need to be maintained, regardless of who's paying for them.

McNamara, the mayor of Tecumseh, admits the health unit board will have some tough decisions to make in the coming weeks and months.

“We’re going to have to make some changes but to know exactly what it is, we’re going to have to get a template from the province,” says McNamara. “We know the budget’s been struck, we know what’s coming in terms of a reduction and so we’re going to have to be working hand in glove with all of our stakeholders just to it out.”

McNamara says this is the first step in an Ontario PC plan that will cut local health units from 35 to 10 and eliminate $200 million in funding over the next two years.

The health unit's 2019 operating budget is $20.2 million.