Staff
Town council is being asked by the City of Dryden and Township of Sioux Narrows-Nestor Falls to pass a resolution in support of the proposed re-design of Ontario’s Underserviced Area Program (UAP).
In a release from Wade Petranik, CEO of the Dryden Regional Health Centre, he noted Northern Ontario “faces the most significant challenges in attracting and retaining physicians, but only one out of every five UAP dollars is spent in Northern Ontario.”
Petranik hopes the review will lead to a renewed, re-designed UAP that significantly will strengthen physician recruitment and retention programs.
The Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care is aiming to change the UAP, which helps communities recruit physicians.
The proposed changes would, through a sliding scale, offer higher incentives to more rural and northern communities where the need is greatest.
It also would recognize the difficulty that rural and northern communities have in competing for physicians with urban and southern communities.
Dryden and Sioux Narrows-Nestor Falls already have passed resolutions supporting the proposed re-design, and is encouraging all Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association (NOMA) members to do the same.
The UAP was first created in 1969 to help recruit and retain doctors in northern and rural communities having troubles doing so. Over time, however, it expanded beyond to include communities throughout Ontario.
The committee of the whole will meet first at 5:30 p.m., but is expected to be in-camera until about 6:35.
The regular council meeting will follow at 7:10 p.m.
Other items on tonight’s council agenda include:
•the two-chain land claim and other legal matters (in-camera item);
•an application for a municipal licence (in-camera);
•Fort Frances Professional Fire Fighters Association negotiations (in-camera);
•Tender No. 09-OF-15 re: curbside garbage and recycling collection services;
•a request from Bethel Baptist Church for a new street light;
•2010 budget requests from the Rainy River Valley Safety Coalition;
•a report on the town’s Accidental Death and Dismemberment Policy;
•a property tax/penalty consideration from Abitibi-Consolidated Company of Canada—Fort Frances Division;
•minutes of settlement for 1335 Idylwild Dr.;
•verbal updates on local projects from Community Services manager George Bell and Operations and Facilities manager Doug Brown;
•Tender No. 09-OF-14 re: replacement of grit removal system at the sewage treatment plant;
•building department stats for the period ending Sept. 30;
•bylaw department activity reports for July-September;
•Town of Fort Frances Operations Statistics for August and September;
•a request from J. Dutton regarding the removal of a storage tent behind 1007 Patcin Ave.;
•a request from R. Campbell re: driveway lights at 8 Armstrong Pl.;
•a request from the Town of Atikokan to support the “Path of the Voyageur” regional initiative; and
•a bylaw to approve a renewal agreement with Jardine Lloyd Thompson Canada Inc. as insurance provider for the period Nov. 1, 2009-Oct. 31, 2010.
