Primary health care, transportation and fire service priorities raised at AMO conference
At the annual Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) Conference in Ottawa from August 18 to 21, Mayor Elmslie, Councillors Richardson and Warren, and CAO Taylor represented Kawartha Lakes. Laurie Scott, MPP, Kawartha Lakes – Haliburton – Brock also attended and lent her support at our two health care delegations.
“The AMO Conference is an essential platform for Kawartha Lakes, enabling meaningful dialogue with key government stakeholders,” noted Doug Elmslie, Mayor. “On behalf of Council, I’d like to thank the Ministers, Parliamentary Assistants, and Ministry Staff for listening and responding to our local needs.”
Municipalities cannot afford to continue funding primary health care
A delegation with the Deputy Premier and Minister of Health, the Hon. Sylvia Jones, was attended by Mayor Elmslie and CAO Taylor. The discussion focused on further provincial support for primary health care and local health services. Municipalities are forced to “fill the funding gap”, through direct financial donations for capital and operations, financial supports for staffing and facility costs, and/or providing “in-kind” support through low/no cost land and facilities. Local tax-support incentives are also expected and ever-increasing in order to attract and retain health service providers.
Over the last five years, Kawartha Lakes has contributed more than $15 million to local health care
Local government contributions include funding for the Ross Memorial Hospital, incentives for family doctor recruitment, Lindsay after hours walk-in clinic, nurse practitioners and the Summit Wellness Centre in Coboconk, totalling over $15 million in five years. This is separate from the funding we provide for municipal programs such as paramedic services, long term care, human services and public health. The Hon. Sylvia Jones heard that this level of local funding is unsustainable. She received our request to approve the application from the Kawartha North Family Health Team to support primary care and health services within the new Summit Wellness Centre, an investment of $2.6 million.
In alignment with the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO), the Ontario Medical Association (OMA), and the Eastern Ontario Wardens Caucus (EOWC), Kawartha Lakes urged the Ministry of Health to recognize the physician shortage in Ontario, and particularly rural Ontario, and modernize health care funding to ensure equitable and local access to physician care and health services. A resolution to this effect was passed at Council on August 27, 2024.
Kawartha Lakes and Haliburton County advocate for seamless health care to support most vulnerable
During a joint delegation with the County of Haliburton, Mayor Elmslie spoke with the Associate Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, the Hon. Michael Tibollo. Discussions focused on a new integrated funding approach that Kawartha Lakes/Haliburton County proposed that allows municipalities to be designated Health Service Providers and given the opportunity to enter into service accountability agreements to directly access critical mental health and addiction funding.
“By integrating these services, we would create a truly multidisciplinary team dedicated to supporting our most vulnerable community members. This ensures the right level of care is provided at the right time, by the right provider, and at the right cost. We’ve already seen success through the Community Paramedicine program and the recent Community Outreach Service. This new approach promises better health, better care, and better value for our citizens,” commented Mayor Elmslie.
Changes needed to how fire trucks are rated and retired
Mayor Elmslie and John Beddows, Mayor of the Town of Gananoque, met with the Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Finance, David Smith, and Gananoque MPP Steve Clark, about the regulations surrounding fire trucks. They presented the difficulty for municipalities such as ours to adhere to the year-based system. This means that after 20 years, a fire truck that could be in good repair due to low kilometers and impeccable maintenance would not be permitted to remain in use. There was agreement from the province to review the standards and support for moving to a maintenance-based system.
Go Transit connection revisited
At the request of Mayor Elmslie, staff from the Ministry of Transportation provided an update on the ongoing efforts to establish a GO Transit connection between Lindsay and the Greater Toronto Area. For many years, Kawartha Lakes’ mayors have been in discussions with the Ministry to address the pressing need for a connection point from Lindsay to Oshawa and Peterborough. This connection is crucial to facilitate employment, education, health appointments and the everyday needs of our residents. An announcement is expected shortly.
Parks Canada discussions about local bridges
While at the conference, Mayor Elmslie met with staff from Parks Canada including Senior Vice President of Operations, Andrew Campbell and Director of Ontario Waterways, David Britton, to review past projects including the Bobcaygeon Swing Bridge. Lessons learned for communications and best practices for large projects will be put into place going forward. Parks Canada committed to spring and fall updates to ensure clear communication on all projects. The decision to close the Bolsover Bridge has met with local concern, and we asked for it to be revisited. Our request for a pedestrian bridge in Bolsover will be considered for feasibility.
Connections across provincial portfolios
Informal discussions were also held with Matthew Rae, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. He will be returning to Kawartha Lakes later this year to discuss progress on the Kawartha Lakes Housing Pledge to build 6,500 new homes by 2031. Two recently appointed Ministers, the Minister of Energy, Stephen Lecce, and the Minister of Colleges and Universities, Nolan Quinn, were introduced to the Kawartha Lakes delegates.
Advocacy alongside Eastern Ontario Wardens Caucus (EOWC)
The EOWC met with the following parties at the conference. As a member of EOWC, Kawartha Lakes participated in a delegation to move forward the call led by AMO, to have the Ontario Government commit to a Social and Economic Prosperity Review to address the outdated municipal-provincial fiscal framework.
– The Hon. Sean Fraser, Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities of Canada
– The Hon. Kinga Surma, Minister of Infrastructure
– The Hon. Paul Calandra, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing
– The Hon. Lisa Thompson, Minister of Rural Affairs
– The Hon. Natalia Kusendova-Bashta, Minister of Long-Term Care
– The Ontario New Democratic Party
– The Ontario Liberal Party
– The Ontario Medical Association (OMA)
It is about time transportation to other cities, ie. Oshawa, Peterborough, Toronto is being considered. People in our area need transit now, not “sometime in the future”. The planning stages have gone on long enough and we need action to be taken by our politicians. It is integral to our future and should be included as a high priority along with medical services and road construction (which is ongoing). With the burgeoning population and development happening in the Kawartha Lakes, transit is very important and I look forward to a positive announcement. We need taxpayers (and politicians) that speak up for us in this area since Durham Region certainly has and received many grants from the Provincial Government.