Belleville council unanimously approved, in a recorded vote, a motion to write a letter to the Ministry of Health requesting reimbursement of municipal funds related to recruiting primary care physicians.
A motion from Councillor Paul Carr recommended that a letter be written by Belleville Mayor Neil Ellis to the Minister of Health requesting that the Ontario Government reimburse the City of Belleville for municipal funds spent on primary care recruitment, saying that the city’s recruitment efforts have outpaced recruitment efforts of the Hastings-Prince Edward Ontario Health Team.
Councillor Carr had brought forward a notice of motion at the previous meeting of council regarding the letter.
He made it clear that he fully supports everyone having a primary care provider, noting that he doesn’t believe the city should pay for a program that “the province has now committed to fund, and is funding.”
The motion passed in a unanimous 9-0 recorded vote.
As part of the motion, the letter will also include a copy of a staff report presented at the previous meeting regarding physician recruitment.
A copy would also be sent to Bay of Quinte MPP Tyler Allsopp and Hastings—Lennox and Addington MPP Ric Bresee.
