Premier McGuinty Take Back Public Health Costs Now!

Take Back the Cost!

The province must upload the cost of services downloaded onto municipalities. The health of my community depends upon it.

TAKE IT BACK CAMPAIGN – UP-DATE

On October 31, 2008 the Association of Municipalities of Ontario and the Provincial Government released the Report and Recommendations of the “Facing the Future Together” Social Services Review.
Provincial and municipal governments are going to measure the services they offer by the difference they make in people’s lives as a result of a landmark agreement
The partners have agreed:

  • To work together to develop an accountability framework for social services that focuses strongly on results for people.
  • To work together to simplify and modernize the way income assistance and employment-related supports are provided to Ontario families.
  • To work towards consolidating housing and homelessness programs into an outcome-focused housing service managed at the municipal level.
  • To urge the federal government to fulfill its financial responsibility in the crucial areas of affordable housing and poverty reduction.

One of the goals of the Provincial-Municipal Fiscal and Service Delivery Review was to determine whether health and social service programs are being delivered in ways that meet the quality, affordability and accountability needs of the people who use them, taxpayers and the different orders of government involved.

What’s being done?

  • The Province has created a Cabinet Committee on Poverty Reduction working to develop a focused poverty reduction strategy.
  • The Province has already announced the upload of the costs of benefits under the Ontario Disability Support Program and the Ontario Drug Benefits Program.
  • The Review recommendations on housing and homelessness will form a key element of the Province's Long-Term Housing Strategy.
  • The report recommendations on child care will be shared with the Province's Early Learning Advisor.

With today’s announcement Ontario will upload the cost of all social assistance benefits by 2018 and pay the portion of Ontario Works benefits which is currently paid by municipalities.
The Partners have agreed:

  • Broad-based social assistance benefit programs should not be funded from property taxes.
  • The Province will phase in an upload of Ontario Works benefits costs between 2010 and 2018.
  • Municipalities have a key role to play in delivering Ontario Works in their communities.
  • A joint working group will be formed to discuss the current approach to funding Ontario Works administration and to recommend principles for simplifying and strengthening accountability.

People who seek or receive Ontario Works will not be affected by this change.

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

OW Benefits

-

3%

6%

14%

29%

43%

57%

71%

86%

100%

What we’ve done already:
The Province uploaded the municipal cost share of the Ontario Drug Benefits Program effective January 1, 2008. Starting in 2009, we will begin to upload municipal costs for the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP). The ODSP upload will be completed by 2011.

More facts:

  • The Province currently pays 80 per cent of Ontario Works benefits, and the municipalities pay 20 percent.
  • The cost of administration of Ontario Works will continue to be cost-shared on a 50:50 provincial/municipal basis given actual verifiable costs up to the approved allocation for 2009.
  • Social assistance benefits have been at least partly paid by municipalities since 1930s.

Ontario will remove court security and prisoner transportation costs from municipal budgets by 2018, phasing in the upload of these costs starting in 2012. The upload will save municipalities as much as $125 million a year when fully implemented.
The announcement is part of the Provincial-Municipal Fiscal and Service Delivery Review consensus report, Facing the Future Together, released jointly today by the Ontario government, the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) and the City of Toronto.

The Partners have agreed:

  • To work together to implement a phased-in upload which will make court security and offender transportation costs of up to $125 million a year a provincial responsibility by 2018.
  • To phase in the upload equally over seven years.
  • To work together to gather information on current court security costs.
  • To work with judges, police and other justice sector partners to develop consistent province-wide standards to make sure all Ontario courts are safe and secure.

Original Campaign:

WHY?

All of us rely on public health services like public health nurses, health education, and disease prevention.The City of Ottawa has an important role to play in delivering these services, but it cannot afford to pay for them.

Ontario is the only province where such important social services are paid from local property taxes. The City of Ottawa is currently requesting that the province address this issue by uploading 100% of public health costs and address the funding imbalance in other cost-shared programs, such as child care and long term care.

The province “downloaded” the cost of many social programs onto cities without giving them new ways to raise the funds. It’s time the province “upload” by paying the full cost of these services now.

WHY PUBLIC HEALTH?
Cities in Ontario now pay 25% of public health costs. This year alone, Ottawa will pay $9.7 million for important public health programs.

In December 2007, Ottawa City Council voted to remove public health costs from the City’s base budget in 2008 and future budgets. It is calling on the province to take back the full cost in the 2008 provincial budget, which is to be passed in March. This is our opportunity to work with City Council to call for a better deal for our city.

THE PROVINCE HAS MORE MONEY TO PAY FOR IT

Cities deliver 60% of public services, however city governments receive only 8 cents from every dollar Canadians pay in taxes, while the federal and provincial governments receive 92 cents. Cities have to choose between raising property taxes and user fees or cutting important community services, while the federal and provincial budgets have surpluses.

A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION

Uploading public health in the 2008 budget is one step in the right direction.

We cannot rely on property taxes alone; nor can our city continue to raise user fees for public transit and recreation to make ends meet.

WHAT HAPPENS WITH MY POSTCARD?

Sign and deposit your card in the box at the location where you received it. Join us in early March when we will invite the press to go with us to deliver them to Premier McGuinty here in Ottawa.

FOR MORE INFORMATION