The warden of Huron County says it wasn't all good news at the Association of Municipalities of Ontario conference in Ottawa Monday.
Jim Ginn said it was good to hear that municipalities would get the same amount from the OMPF funding next year as they're getting this year. But funding cuts to health care that municipalities and counties will be expected to make up was not welcome news.
Ginn said it will impact counties more than the municipalities, but the hit to the municipalities will be significant, even though they knew it was coming. Ginn added the issue of counties and municipalities getting dragged into the health care business to cover costs that should be the province's responsibility has always been argued.
Jim Ginn, Huron County Warden (photo by Bob Montgomery)
"We've already been dragged into it, you know, previously, but that's a big-ticket item and we don't think that property taxes are the right place to raise money for health care and quite often there's a creep to it too," said Ginn.
Huron County will be asked to cover 30 per cent of the health unit's cost next year, as opposed to 25 per cent this year. Ginn said he won't be surprised to see that go up to 35 per cent in another year or two.