Ontario’s public health units are calling on the government to stop using one-time funding to bridge a gap it created four years ago, and to provide them with a predictable source of money as they address a backlog of services built up over the COVID-19 pandemic.
Premier Doug Ford’s government announced in 2019 it was cutting the provincial share of public health funding. It moved from a 75-25 cost-sharing formula with municipalities to 70 per cent from the province and 30 per cent from municipalities.
Following an outcry, Ford backed down on in-year retroactive cuts and offered mitigation funding to help local governments transition to the new formula. That mitigation funding was considered temporary, but has continued through 2023….