WHEREAS the Council for the Municipality of East Ferris recognized the urgent need for physicians in Northern Ontario as it is experiencing a shortage of trained physicians and specialist physicians;
AND WHEREAS life expectancy of Northern residents is more than two years lower than the Ontario average, and mental health and addictions are at a four-times higher rate;
AND WHEREAS one in eight Northern residents does not have access to a family doctor, and many must travel long distances to access healthcare services representing the failure of healthcare in Northern Ontario;
AND WHEREAS communities in Northern Ontario require access to equitable health care, especially underserved rural, Indigenous, and Francophone communities;
AND WHEREAS in April of 2022, the Government announced an unprecedented medical expansion for NOSM University’s medical programs;
AND WHEREAS the current base funding rates for the Northern School of Medicine University (NOSM) have not been increased sufficiently to accommodate growth and expansion;
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT Council for the Municipality of East Ferris strongly requests the Provincial Government grant NOSM University’s request for a permanent increase in annual base funding by $4.0 million before the end of this fiscal year so it can continue to deliver on the mandate that the Conservative Government initially established in response to the needs of Northern municipalities;
FURTHER BE IT RESOLVED THAT a copy of this motion be forwarded to Premier Doug Ford, Minister of Health and Deputy Premier Sylvia Jones, Minister of Colleges and Universities Jill Dunlop, MPPs Greg Rickford, Vic Fedeli, George Pirie, Ross Romano, Kevin Holland, Association of Municipalities of Ontario, Northern Ontario School of Medicine University, Federation of Northern Ontario Municipalities, Northern Ontario Academic Medicine Association and the leaders of the opposition parties of Ontario.