The Board of Health for Southeast Public Health received a financial reality check on Wednesday.
Financial projections show annual expense increases of 4% from 2026 through 2030 while projecting only 1% increases each
of those years from the provincial government which provides 70% of the public health budget for the region.
The rest of the budget is paid by member municipalities even though public health is constitutionally the sole responsibility of the province.
The projections show a $1.3-million deficit in 2026, increasing to a total of $6.3 million in 2030.
Should nothing change, local councils will be asked to pay higher increases.
Medical Officer of Health Dr. Piotr Oglaza says health unit board members and staff will have to do a lot of thinking to try to cut costs while not cutting services or burning out staff.
At the same time, health units everywhere will actively press the province to provide more funding.
See the entire financial report here.
