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www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver Weekend, Saturday January 27, 2007 - 11 Report says GTA residents being shortchanged on social funding By David Lea OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF GTA/905 Healthcare Alliance leader at next Canadian Club The Canadian Club of Halton Peel will host the head of the GTA/905 Healthcare Alliance on Thursday, Feb. 15. Tariq Asmi, executive director of the alliance will be the guest speaker at the Canadian Club's dinner meeting to be held at the Oakville Conference Centre at 2515 Wyecroft Rd. (QEW and Bronte Road). Asmi will speak to the large and growing GTA/905 health care funding gap. The meeting begins with a cash bar at 6 p.m. and dinner at 7 p.m. Cost for members is $30, $40 for non-members and guests and $15 for students. The GTA/905 Healthcare Alliance represents the acute care and mental health hospitals in the regions of Halton, Peel, York and Durham. These regions hold 25 per cent of Ontario's population and account for half of its annual population growth. The Alliance was created to help ensure that residents of these rapidly growing regions have access to quality healthcare as close to home as possible by securing equitable hospital funding and establishing strategic partnerships. Asmi will speak about the large and growing gaps in per capita funding for hospital and other health care services in the GTA/905 regions and the implications that the widening gaps have for residents of Halton and Peel. He will also present some practical recommendations (widely endorsed by GTA/905 leaders and stakeholders) on how to fix the current situation. Seating for the Feb. 15 dinner is limited so early registration is recommended. Call 905-827-6302, e-mail bwylie@globalserve.net or visit www.canadianclub.ca. Residents in the GTA are receiving far less provincial funding for social services and health care than those in other parts of Ontario, according to a report by the Strong Communities Coalition. The report, entitled Growing Pains, states that the annual funding gap in provincially funded social services has grown to $550 million while for health care the gap is over $900 million. When compared to the average Ontario resident, the report says, GTA/905 residents receive $181 less per person for social services and $246 less per person for health care services. The gap grew the most for childcare services, increasing by 62 per cent since the 2003/04 period. "If one of our agencies now was doing consulting work for young children who have developmental problems they have a wait list just like we have in health care," said Barbara Burton, CEO of the United Way of Oakville a Strong Communities Coalition member. The coalition, led by the United Way of Oakville, Peel, Durham, York and the GTA/905 Healthcare Alliance, is calling on the province to take immediate steps to remedy these inequalities. The government's inability to keep provincial funding in pace with the GTA/905's population growth is being blamed for the discrepancy. "With the growing population the demand increases and that's what the coalition is trying to do. It's trying to reallocate the dollars to be more equitable and in line with the population so our community services can benefit the community as much as anywhere else in the province," said Burton. "The report demonstrates that provincial funding for health and social services in the GTA/905 are not keeping pace with the population growth taking place in the Halton Region," said Gary Carr, Halton Regional Chair. The coalition is recom- mending that the province change its formula for funding from funding per capita, which is based on income, to funding based on population. "If we were funded by based on our population both health and the community service sector would benefit," said Burton. Immediate growth funding for health and social services in the GTA/905 regions and developing a health and social services strategy for the high growth areas were also recommendations made by the coalition to the province. "There is no doubt that health and social services are feeling very stretched to meet the increasing needs in the community," said Adelina Urbanski, Commissioner Social and Community Services, Halton Region. "If these recommendations are acted on, it would improve the capacity of Halton Region and non-profit agencies to meet that growing demand," she said. Oakville MPP Kevin Flynn said the province is working to ease the problem. "As a government I think we've made some major strides in the funding of hospitals. I've got a new hospital coming to Oakville that should start construction in 2009," he said. Flynn, however, sees problems with the coalition's idea of basing funding on population. "You have to take into consideration that when you get into some of the urban areas, you're dealing with teaching hospitals, and I'm not sure you can fund a teaching hospital the same way you can fund a hospital in Oakville that doesn't have that teaching component." The Growing Pains report is based on a recent PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) audit, which showed that not only did a sizeable gap exist between the GTA/905 and the rest of Ontario, but that the gap is growing. The Strong Communities Coalition said that the problem will only get worse if nothing is done, as the GTA/905 will see 100,000 new residents added annually for the next 15 years. Want to meet a world leader in insurance and risk management in Oakville? 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