Public health spending cut in Ontario called 'huge step backwards'
Ford government to cut spending by $200M, slash number of public health units from 35 to 10
A cut of $200 million to public health units in Ontario annually would be a "huge step backwards" to frontline services that help to keep communities healthy, says the head of an organization that represents boards of health and medical officers of health.
Dr. Robert Kyle, president of the Association of Local Public Health Agencies, says medical officers are concerned about the magnitude, speed and lack of detail of the cut announced in the Ontario provincial budget last week. The government plans to slash the number of public health units from 35 to 10 over the next two years.
"We prevent chronic diseases, we ensure food safety, immunizations, infectious diseases prevention and control. We focus on substance abuse and injuries, school health. We consider ourselves part of the local, if you will, kind of security infrastructure," Kyle told CBC Radio's Metro Morning on Tuesday.
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