The provincial consultations on the reset of public health and emergency services, including in the Quinte area, have been put on hold during the coronavirus outbreak.
The consultation team, including Hastings County CAO Jim Pine, had been set to hold sessions in Ottawa and Frontenac County over the next two weeks.
Representatives from the local services were expected to participate.
Pine told Hastings County Council on Thursday these have been postponed because of health services involved in containing the virus.
Chair of Hastings Prince Edward Board of Health Tweed Mayor Jo-Anne Albert (File photo: Mary Thomas/Quinte News)
Chair of the Hastings Prince Edward Public Health Jo-Anne Albert says her main concern is any cuts to funding.
The funding formula announced last year changed the local public health contribution to their budgets from 25% to 30%.
Pine tells Quinte News, “It may push it (the consultations) a week or two back. Obviously we have to adjust for the situation. We’re very much committed to do them. I suspect it will be March when we reschedule. The plan was to have the 15 sessions around the province by the end of February if we could …but with this pause it will extend it out a few weeks I would think.”
He added, “The ministry and the government have made a decision aeround funding for this year already, announced last year. The change in the formula I expect wil carry on … I, personally, don’t anticipate anything in this year’s provincial budget related to the work we’re doing but I’m just leading the consultation.”
