Belleville City Council approved having the mayor send a letter to the Ontario Minister of Health to determine whether municipalities, and the City of Belleville in particular, need to continue with their primary care recruitment efforts in light of the Ontario government’s Primacy Care Action Plan targets.
Those targets call for attaching everyone, as of January 1, 2025, on the Health Care Connect waitlist to a primary care team by spring 2026.
A similar letter will be sent to MPP Allsopp and MPP Bresee with the same inquiry.
The motion was brought forward by Councillor Paul Carr.
“We need to hear from the minister in terms of their commitment, and maybe a reaffirmation of that commitment, and to just point blank ask the Minister, but in addition, ask our MPPs the same question as the motion reads, should municipalities be actually buying doctors to come to their community,” Councillor Carr said in introducing his motion.
Carr noted that the City of Belleville has invited the Hastings and Prince Edward Health Team to make a deputation to council on their efforts with the funding it received in July.
He says that issue is still outstanding.
As part of the approval, the letters will be be included on a future council agenda under correspondence.
