The city of Dauphin, Man., doesn’t like the idea that municipalities now have to pay up to 20 percent of the capital costs for new health care facilities in their communities.
The city and two rural municipalities raised the issue at the Association of Manitoba Municipalities’ recent annual convention in Brandon. They presented a resolution calling for the removal of the capital contribution now sought from municipalities for things such as new hospitals, medical clinics and personal care homes.
Dauphin city administrator Jim Puffalt said the requirement was started two years ago under the former Tory government. Municipalities were not consulted beforehand.
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Dauphin wants the policy scrapped and insists capital costs of health care facilities should be the province’s responsibility.
The requirement also is unfair, said Puffalt, because communities that had a new facility built before the change came into effect were not “on the hook” for capital costs. But communities now needing a new health care facility are forced to share the cost.
“There doesn’t seem to be equity across the board,” Puffalt said.
Some willing
However, not all municipalities oppose the idea of sharing capital costs.
Roy Stevenson, mayor of Rivers, Man., said the capital contribution serves as a litmus test of whether a community really needs a new health care facility.
“People have a hard time separating wants from needs, especially when it comes to health care.
“If you have to come up with money, that quickly separates the wants from the needs.”
The town of Neepawa, Man., expects construction of a $15 million personal care home to start next year. The community’s capital contribution could be as high as $1.5 million.
Neepawa mayor Ken Waddell believes one advantage of making such a contribution is that the community gains a greater say in the project and where it is located.
“On the other hand, we’re going to lobby the government very hard to cut out our (funding) commitment.”
During the AMM convention, delegates voted down a resolution that would have requested the elimination of the 10 to 20 percent capital contribution.
However, the AMM will lobby for legislation that outlines how that contribution should be shared by communities expecting a new health care facility. There was concern some municipalities could opt out of making a contribution, increasing the cost to municipalities supporting the project.
