Bradford and Innisfil officials see the symptoms of a battered health-care system.
And they will likely be asking the province to do more to treat it later this month.
Elected representatives from both towns are expected to further a joint resolution from the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) and the Ontario Medical Association (OMA), which urges the provincial government to recognize both the local and Ontario-wide physician shortage.
It’ll happen during a “key discussion” on health-service access at the AMO conference in Ottawa scheduled for Aug. 18 to 21.
Innisfil councillors plan to discuss the resolution ahead of time at their Aug. 14 meeting, Mayor Lynn Dollin said.
“I will be supporting the motion, and we have requested a meeting with the OMA ... during the AMO conference to talk about our local circumstances and seek opportunity to work closer with the OMA,” she said. “We have also requested a meeting with (Health) Minister (Sylvia) Jones regarding the south campus of RVH and have met with her in 2022 and 2023. This is not a new issue in Innisfil but has been a chronic issue since I joined council.”
Dollin noted Innisfil built the Rizzardo Health and Wellness Centre to attract medical professionals and while it was under construction the municipality set up a walk-in clinic in town hall.
“Innisfil has actively participated in both the Barrie physician recruitment committee and the Alliston and area physician recruitment committee for many years,” she said. “We will continue to advocate for health services in our growing community.”
Bradford Mayor James Leduc says the motion won’t come to his council prior to the AMO conference, but town officials do have a meeting booked with OMA representatives. Councillors will then formally adopt the motion at a later date.
“We’re onside,” he said. “I fully support the motion. It’s something I think most municipalities will support. It’s an absolute need in every community. We’re short doctors, we’re short everything. The healthcare system is suffering. We’re going to support it at the table when we talk to the (OMA). I’ll draft a letter to show support.”
Leduc says Bradford has two urgent health-care needs right now — family physicians and specialized services.
“We’re looking for family doctors; we’re doing our best work with Southlake hospital right now to do an MOU (memorandum of understanding) like Georgina did … to bring specialized services into our community,” he said. “We’re hoping to provide space for Southlake. We’re looking to bring all different professions. We are desperate for physicians as a growing municipality. I’ve said to all the developers that we’re going to build homes here, but with that comes support for education and health care. You can’t build a community without those two systems in place.”
This joint resolution is the same one passed by Collingwood council in late July.
It says 2.3 million Ontarians currently lack access to a family doctor, Ontario is spending the lowest, per capita, of all provinces on health care, patients are being de-rostered and there are emergency-room closures happening across the province. As well, 40 per cent of family physicians are considering retirement over the next five years, making it “increasingly challenging to attract and retain an adequate healthcare workforce.”
“Communities across Ontario have been facing critical health-care challenges, including long waitlists for primary care, shortages of doctors and other health care workers, and emergency room closures,” AMO says on its website. “These cracks in Ontario’s health care system are impacting economic development, health, and well-being at the local level. By adopting this resolution, your municipality can play a crucial role in highlighting the urgent need for more healthcare resources and support.”
— With files from Jessica Owen
