Health unit could be swallowed up

Peterborough Public Health could soon be swallowed up by a new, mega-health unit that would reach as far north as Bancroft and south as the Scarborough, a move that would also mean no more local board of health.

It’s all part of the provincial government’s new plan to reduce the number of health units across Ontario from 36 to 14.

Through amalgamation, 14 large health units would be established; each would follow the boundaries of the LHINs, rather than municipal boundaries.

The proposal has come from a panel of medical experts assembled by the provincial government. The idea was to have the panel study health units and figure out where to find efficiencies.

Peterborough Public Health would likely still deliver services under this plan, said medical officer of health Dr. Rosana Salvaterra – that wouldn’t change.

But the services would no longer be governed by a local board of health. Salvaterra said that board would dissolve, and there would be a larger board running things – one that would likely meet someplace in the GTA.

Although front-line workers would probably still have jobs in Peterborough, Salvaterra says directors’ jobs would likely move elsewhere.

Meanwhile she’s quite concerned about the loss of the local health board.

“We will lose the board – the governing body,” she said. “That will be gone. And that local accountability will be gone too.”

That’s why the local board of health has already written a lengthy objection to the province. On Monday, that objection was endorsed by city councillors.

That objection has also been endorsed by Peterborough County councillors, Hiawatha First Nation and Curve Lake First Nation - all territories currently served by Peterborough Public Health and the board of health.

Never mind overhauling the system, states the objection: there’s no “discord” in the public health system that needs to be fixed.

Instead there’s a lack of funding from the province for health units, it states – and it would help more to increase the money to run public health services.

But the provincial panel’s report says there are disadvantages to local health boards: there’s a high vacancy rates on some of the boards, for example, and there’s also sometimes a “skills gap”.

A regional health board would offer “the right mix of skills, competencies and diverse perspectives,” the panel’s report states.

But the local board of health’s report argues that Peterborough Public Health has worked for decades to include people from the local Indigenous communities on the board of health and make sure their needs are met. To dissolve the local board and have regional governance would undo that work, it says.

Chief Phyllis Williams of Curve Lake First Nation, a member of the board of health, is quoted in the report.

“Indigenous people must have the equity of service, and being on the board guarantees that our people are represented and culturally understood,” she states.

Selwyn Township Mayor Mary Smith is the chairwoman of the board of health; she couldn’t be reached for comment Tuesday night.

At City Hall on Monday, councillors Gary Baldwin, Henry Clarke and Lesley Parnell – all members of the board of health – denounced the province’s amalgamation plans. They all said they’re concerned because it removes local decisionmaking powers.

Parnell added that she’s also concerned about local jobs leaving the downtown, particularly since Peterborough Public Health put so much effort into moving a year ago from its long-time location near the hospital to King St. downtown.

“Please remember – these are good jobs in downtown Peterborough that make all these proactive health initiatives very accessible in our community,” she said.

“We want to make sure we keep the local flavour, local control and local vision – and we keep the jobs.”

Meanwhile there’s a provincial election on June 8 and Salvaterra doubts the province has time to follow through on this amalgamation plan before then.

Still, she says it’s crucial to speak out now: “It’s important because you never know what will happen after the next election.”