Funding for public health was the primary focus for the County at the Association of Municipalities of Ontario conference in Ottawa last week.

Mayor Steve Ferguson, accompanied by Councillors Janice Maynard and Sam Grosso, and Interim CAO Adam Goheen, met with Health Minister Sylvia Jones to press her on the budget shortfall faced by the  South East Health Unit (SEHU).

Not long after a voluntary merger between Hastings Prince Edward Public Health and health units in Kingston and Brockville last year, the County’s health unit, South East, reported the 2025 budget for mandatory programs across the region would fall short by $1.5 million in 2025. The gap between expenses and funding is only expected to grow every year.

By 2030 the funding gap will reach $7.5 million. Director Suzette Taggart said the current funding rate “is contributing to program and service reductions, staffing shortages, and diminished public health capacity – leaving communities more vulnerable.”

The Minister of Health has committed to including the SEHU in a review of Ontario’s public health funding framework.

“We welcomed the opportunity to meet with Health Minister Sylvia Jones and stress the importance of investing in local public health,” Mayor Steve Ferguson said. “Our previous advocacy work on issues such as a new hospital and long-term care home have led to tangible results, which gives me hope the provincial government will take into consideration our concerns in this area as well.”

County Gains

The Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus celebrated Premier Doug Ford’s August 18 announcement of an additional $1.6 billion for the Municipal Housing Infrastructure Program. With this latest investment, the MHIP funding envelope stands at $4 billion.

Just under a year ago, Premier Ford was in Wellington to announce $18.3 million for a Regional Water Plant. The money comes from MHIP funds.A meeting with Brian Saunderson, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, to advocate for enhanced affordable housing funding did not take place due to a scheduling conflict.

Meanwhile, Mayor Ferguson joined other mayors and wardens from across Eastern Ontario in meetings with various Ontario government ministers. The Wardens’ Caucus advocated for the unique needs of Eastern Ontario’s small urban and rural communities.