The cost of public health services in the United Counties of Prescott and Russell (UCPR) has added $292,474 to the regional government’s 2024 budget.
A report was presented to UCPR council on Wednesday, February 28 that its cost share of the 2024 budget of the Eastern Ontario Health Unit (EOHU) is $1,780,474. This represents an increase of $321,676 compared to the UCPR’s 2023 municipal cost share. However, UCPR council only allocated $1,488,000 in the 2024 budget for its share of the EOHU budget. The $292,274 increase will be reflected in the 2024 budget revisions when they are presented to council at a later date.
The Municipal Cost Shared Budget for the EOHU is shared by the UCPR, United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry (SDG), and the City of Cornwall.
The EOHU’s 2024 Municipal Cost Share represents 25 per cent of the total EOHU’s 2024 Cost Shared Budget. The remaining 75 per cent of that budget will be covered by the Ontario Ministry of Health. The total EOHU’s 2024 Cost Shared Budget is $15,658,501. In 2024, the contribution from the UCPR, SDG, and Cornwall was set at $3,914,625, compared to $3,207,375 in 2023, for a total increase of $707,250 in the municipal contribution for 2024.
The UCPR is required under the Health Protection and Promotion Act to pay its municipal cost share to the EOHU.
Champlain Township Mayor Normand Riopel wanted to highlight the increased cost to the UCPR for EOHU services.
“This is a big increase,” he said.
Hawkesbury Mayor Robert Lefebvre remarked that more and more costs are being added to municipalities.
Riopel and Lefebvre are the UCPR’s representatives on the EOHU Board Health.
UCPR Warden Pierre Leroux said a new municipal funding arrangement is needed because of the additional costs municipalities are paying for public services.
