City of Belleville delegates will meet with the Ontario Medical Association and the Minister of Colleges and Universities at next week’s Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) Conference in Ottawa.
Mayor Neil Ellis says they’ll talk about primary healthcare shortages and doctor recruitment with OMA’s executive team.
“Our responsibilities that we’ve been shouldering over the provinces having to pay to recruit doctors. We’ve invested I believe in over seven to eight million dollars in successfully recruiting well over 50 doctors. And this is not a municipal issue, it’s a provincial issue so we’re trying to swing the conversation over that way.”
Ellis says they’ll also have a meeting with Ontario Minister of Colleges and Universities Nolan Quinn about Loyalist College.
“Loyalist has been in the news and gave a deputation to council on their financial deficit that they’re approaching and how that their funding through the province hasn’t been successful over past years and we realize that the city – Loyalist College is very important to not only the growing of our community but education for our people in the City of Belleville.”
The annual AMO Conference provides Ontario municipalities the opportunity to discuss local concerns directly with provincial government officials.
The AMO conference runs from Sunday to Wednesday.
